Show Your Appreciation: Volunteer Recognition
By: Katie Campbell, Sr. Humane & Wildlife Education Specialist & Chelsea Poteet, Wildlife Center Volunteer Manager, Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh
It goes without saying that volunteers are invaluable, and their work is impactful in ways far beyond the bounds of the facility in which they’re working. At Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, our wildlife hospital is the second largest in the state of Pennsylvania, and we rely on the help of our volunteers to care for more than 4,000 patients annually. But while our volunteers are showing up for us and for our animals, how can we ensure that they feel supported too? Our volunteer manager, Chelsea Poteet, took some time to share some ways that we show our appreciation to the folks who are donating their time to help support our mission.
What are ways that you boost volunteer morale?
I think volunteer recognition is the best and easiest way to boost morale! Say hello, ask how their day has been, or do they have any plans for the weekend? When you see a volunteer doing literally anything, thank them! Make sure you are always approachable in your tone of voice and body language so that they feel comfortable asking questions, no matter how many. When/if they apologize for asking so many questions, don't just say, "It's okay!" Give them an explanation of why it's okay - "We would rather you ask than accidentally do something wrong, so ask away!" In my experience, volunteers just want to be acknowledged and feel valued, which is a simple and free thing to provide. We also have a shout-out board in the Volunteer Breakroom that I always encourage everyone to utilize whenever you see someone doing something awesome or going the extra mile!
How do you make volunteers feel like an active part of our organization's team?
When sending email updates, I always emphasize that we are a team and that we must work together to achieve goals. If we have an updated diet for our education ambassador, I’ll say something like "Let's all work together to keep Clover's weight under control!" If one of our staff members is hosting a continuing education/professional development seminar, I might say "Let's all show up to demonstrate support for our fellow Wildlife Center folk!" Referring to ourselves as a family can also have a positive impact, letting volunteers know that they aren't just a part of our team, but a part of our family —because in the animal welfare industry, we all have our hearts and emotions invested into the work we do, and it's important to have family to lean on when hard moments and compassion fatigue hit.
Those are a few more direct ways to show volunteers our appreciation, but there are indirect ways too! Allowing volunteers to have free reign over certain tasks, such as picking out enrichment or deciding how to set up a cage lets them know that we trust them. Because they are also trained members of our team, we require that they meet the same expectations as our interns and staff.
Another major way to demonstrate to volunteers that it’s a team effort is by ensuring that all of our staff know that we are a team too. Reminding them that volunteers aren't here to "be in the way" or "take our jobs," but that they are here for the same reasons we are - to uphold our mission, support animals, and ultimately make a positive impact on our organization, the community, and the environment. They are here to assist us and make our lives easier, so we should give them tasks that make them feel useful and valued, and then we will have a dedicated team member for the future!
How do you invite better volunteer/staff interactions?
I touched on this in both of the previous questions, but I'll just reiterate the importance of giving volunteers attention — say hello, smile when you walk past them, ask how their weekend went, thank them when you see them washing dishes, compliment their creativity when they’re making enrichment, etc. There are so many routes you can take that are quick for you (you can do/say almost all of these things while you're actively walking by the volunteer, if you don't have time to pause and have a conversation...though you should make time for that too!), but leave the volunteer feeling appreciated and satisfied.
I also encourage staff to participate in little appreciation opportunities. For example, for Valentine’s Day, a bunch of our staff members brought snacks for everyone (Dunkin Donuts, homemade gluten free brownies, a variety pack of chips, etc.). I also have the luxury of a relatively small volunteer team (around 100 at the most, seasonally), so I also have staff sign volunteer birthday cards and leave them out for the respective volunteers during their birthday week!
What are big or small ways that you make volunteers feel appreciated?
In addition to the aforementioned, I love decorating the volunteer breakroom for holidays all year round! It's a small gesture that makes volunteers smile when they walk into their space. For National Volunteer Appreciation Week, I put together a bunch of raffle baskets they can enter to win, provide snacks, and send out a sappy appreciation email that I always send out on behalf of all our staff, interns, fellow volunteers, patients, and ambassadors (again, a subtle reminder that we are all a team!). I also do small things throughout the year, like making valentines from our education ambassador animals to the volunteers that came in on Valentine's Day. I’m hoping to do more things like this, such as getting little $1 pies from our local supermarket for all the volunteers that will be in on Pi Day. I don't have a large budget to work with, so things that are crafted, homemade, or affordable are my best friends, but also take more time and effort into putting together; which, in my experience, the volunteers love! But it's important to remember that not all appreciation needs to be materialistic - when you see a volunteer, just thank them for being here; because the truth of it is, if they didn't show up, it would have a major impact on the day!
Have you ever done any kind of survey to see what volunteers say they'd like to see more of?
I love a good survey and have one for multiple situations! Here are a few examples of different surveys, some feedback we got, and what I did to show volunteers that we are listening to their input:
Do you ever create volunteer positions based on an individual's interest?
Yes! We have 3 core positions, but have expanded our roles to meet both volunteer and staff needs. We have a native pollinator garden on campus that, after COVID, wasn't much of a garden anymore. Volunteers expressed interest in rebuilding and maintaining it, and now it's a certified Monarch Waystation! When volunteers want to get more involved with education programs, we have that to offer; and our education team invested their time into distinguishing roles to meet more individual needs for themselves and for volunteers that want to help with tours versus tabling events versus summer camp, etc. If volunteers express interest in more responsibility or if they have excelled in their role, we can offer them our Team Lead role, where they would get to help staff by training other volunteers.
If you have any specific questions or follow-ups regarding volunteer morale or management, Chelsea is happy to keep the conversation going! She can be reached at cgale@humaneanimalrescue.org
