--- title: "We Asked, You Answered: How You Thank Your Volunteers" id: "52352" type: "post" slug: "we-asked-you-answered-how-you-thank-your-volunteers" published_at: "2021-04-29T16:35:15+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-17T12:40:18+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2021/04/29/we-asked-you-answered-how-you-thank-your-volunteers/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2021/04/29/we-asked-you-answered-how-you-thank-your-volunteers.md" excerpt: "National Volunteer Week was April 18-24, so we wanted to know how associations thanked their members who had answered calls for help. It turns out, associations get creative, providing everything from shoutouts to discounts to show their gratitude." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "appreciation" - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "Member Engagement" - "Social Media" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » We Asked, You Answered: How You Thank Your Volunteers Volunteers who lend their time, intelligence, and energy help associations work better and provide more for their stakeholders. Earlier this month, during National Volunteer Work (April 18-24), organizations spent time showing their volunteers how much they were truly appreciated. We asked association execs how they were showing or planned to show their volunteers gratitude and got an array of responses. Some send gifts, others offer shoutouts on social media, and still others share video greetings. Read on to the count the ways that associations show love to their volunteers. ### Mike Chamberlain *CEO, Grant Professionals Association* Every year we select a unique item to send to all of our members who volunteer with us in any capacity. This year, we sent them a mask with the GPA logo and a note of thanks from the GPA staff. We also post our thanks on our social media channels. ### Nicole Larson, CAE *Associate Director, Volunteer Relations, Association of Legal Administrators* The Friday prior to National Volunteer Week, ALA deployed a personalized message to all of its volunteers thanking them for their time, energy, and dedication to the organization. This message also included an electronic volunteer badge, which individuals could use in their signature blocks and/or social media channels, and a discount code to the ALA logo shop. In addition, ALA’s Executive Director April Campbell recorded a video message of thanks and appreciation that was shared with the entire membership. ### Marty Tatman *Director of Member Engagement, American Farm Bureau Federation* We took a department photo with everyone holding up “Thank You” signs. We sent that to them along with a thank you email from our president. Later in the week, they will receive an Amazon gift card. ### Caitlin Myers *Membership Associate,**Independent Educational Consultants Association* We put together a fun social event where they can enjoy an evening together, and we are sending them each a gift from the association. ### Alexandra Bradley *Director of Communications and Engagement, American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians* Using the Gather Voices platform, we solicited videos from our volunteers, sharing why they volunteer, as well as videos from our board of governors thanking volunteers for their commitment to the organization. We will be sharing the volunteer videos throughout the week on social media and using the board videos for a vlog post, as well as splicing them together for a video to feature at the end of the week. We will also use the volunteer videos as part of the marketing campaign for the call for volunteers later this year. ### Annie Storey, CAE *Executive Director, Illinois Section American Water Works Association* This year, our social media posts feature photos of our members in the last year—from our committees providing education via Zoom to the volunteers who distributed cloth masks around the state to our members. Staff also signed handwritten postcards that will be sent to our volunteers. (KittiBakai/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Rasheeda Childress](https://associationsnow.com/author/rasheeda-childress/) Rasheeda Childress is a former senior editor at Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/rasheeda-childress/) Tags: [#appreciation](https://associationsnow.com/tag/appreciation/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) [#Social Media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/social-media/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [Video2020 Volunteer Appreciation WeekApril 23, 2020](https://associationsnow.com/2020/04/23/2020-volunteer-appreciation-week/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: More Than Marketing: The Power of Strategic CommunicationsJuly 30, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/30/associations-now-presents-more-than-marketing-the-power-of-strategic-communications/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Why Slower Marketing Can Drive Stronger Member Engagement (Episode 27)June 25, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/25/associations-now-presents-why-slower-marketing-can-drive-stronger-member-engagement-episode-27/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2021%2F04%2F29%2Fwe-asked-you-answered-how-you-thank-your-volunteers%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !