Planning Summer Volunteer Recognition Events

With summer here, we are busy planning fun volunteer recognition events. Different years we have had different types of events, but always had some kind of fun during the summer months. At Appreciate Volunteers, we sharing what has been successful for us in the past and offering up new ideas that we busy planning.

One of the simplest and least expensive has been an ice cream social for our volunteers. The joy of summer foods like ice cream, sherbert and frozen yogurt is always a hit. By serving the ice cream in cones, you can eliminate the costs of bowls, spoons and toppings.

A watermelon party can also be a fun and not-too-expensive way to celebrate your volunteers. If you can get the watermelon donated, or at a reduced price from a local farmer, even better. One year, we even had a seed-spitting contest and gave away goofy prizes to the best and worst spitters. Yep, you can imagine the fun we had with that one!

Barbeques and light luncheons are always popular, but can involve more expense. Try planning a theme around one of these. Something fun like a ball park barbeque can make the event more memorable. Give out baseball caps to all your volunteers and serve up plenty of hotdogs and peanuts. If you can have a baseball game on the radio at the same time, you have great background music.

So think about fun ways to show your volunteers how much they are appreciated this summer. Put on an event that will having everyone enjoying the memories for a long time to come.