In the office today we started ordering gifts and preparing certificates for our volunteers and donors. It is absolutely necessary for us to have volunteers, especially 4-H, and this is our time to say THANKS!!
Last year was the first one that our office had done in at least 5 years. When I started I was cleaning out the file cabinets and came across plaques with volunteers names on them. Some of them I recognized and some didn't. I was dumbfounded when I looked at the date that was on them too - 2004. I started in December of 2007! What in the world was going on that there was NO recognition given?! Everyone likes to have a little pat on the back once in a while but for 3 years these "Thank You" items remained unseen. They were hidden as if they were ashamed.
After seeing them I vowed to give them to their rightful owners in a nice way, in an honorable way, in a public way. In October of 2008, we hosted the office's first (well, first in a long time) volunteer appreciation night, and the attendance was mediocre at best. How much had appreciation had these volunteers received?! However the ones that were there, were just a bit excited to be honored.
Immediately following the reception we found those volunteers who did not attend and personally gave them their plaque and said Thanks. That's all it took: a little energy to give back to the people who have been giving ALL ALONG. What a great feeling.
Sometimes it doesn’t take that much effort to show someone that you appreciate them and in the end your organization will one held in high regard. The impacts and results are worth it, aren't they?
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