Volunteering allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place. And volunteering is a two-way street: It can benefit you and your family as much as the cause you choose to help. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social skills.

During the advent of the Great Depression in the 1930s, Volunteers of America mobilized to assist the millions of people who were unemployed, hungry and homeless. Relief efforts included employment bureaus, wood yards, soup kitchens and “Penny Pantries” where every food item cost one cent.

Volunteerism not only supports the impact of community-based organizations in the places where they serve, but also connects individuals to one another and to the issues facing their community. It has the power to unite people of different races, ages, religions, and sexes together for a common cause.

Volunteering increases self-confidence. Volunteering can provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity.

Adequately fund and support volunteer programs. Train all staff about volunteers’ needs and motivations, and teach them how to work and coordinate with volunteers. Let volunteers know that the group truly values them. Help volunteers see how their work for the organization benefits others.

22 Top Tips to Increase Volunteer Support and Retention

1. Be Prepared. If you ask for volunteers, be ready to put them to work when they arrive.
2. Communicate. The rule of thumb is that over-communication is better than under communication.
3. Offer a Warm Welcome!
4. Provide Training.
5. Respect their Time.
6. Show Appreciation.

Stop offering to volunteer if you do not have the time. You can create problems for other volunteers by not turning up often. It is also disruptive to have your absences occur at key moments when you said you’d do something but were unable to follow through. It’s better not to offer at all than to let someone down.

Here are five great ways to engage your staff in volunteer work.

1. Provide paid time off for volunteering.
2. Communicate about volunteer opportunities.
3. Assign leadership roles.
4. Offer a variety of options.
5. Record and reward good deeds.

Create more opportunities for volunteer work and inspire young people to volunteer by encouraging them to start young. Give them purpose and let them do the work….

1. Define the purpose.
2. Allow them to be independent.
3. Empathize with them.
4. Lead them by example.
5. Provide fun learning activities.

Volunteering enhances the social connections between different sectors, builds the bridges for governments, enterprises and employees. Volunteering helps build a more cohesive, safer, stronger community, increase the social network between communities and neighborhood.

Tips to Motivate Your Volunteers and Keep Them Coming Back

1. Say Thanks. Whenever you thank your volunteers, always be sure that you’re showing honest and genuine appreciation.
2. Build a Community. Invite volunteers to join your nonprofit community!
3. Equip Them.
4. Respect Their Time.
5. Show Impact.

Colossians 3:23-24 “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”

Words to Thank Volunteers: Messages to Show Appreciation

1. Thanks for all you do!
2. Your team makes our dream work.
3. All of your volunteer work is greatly appreciated.
4. We at [insert organization here] are so grateful for your hard work!
5. Thank you for your time and patience.
6. Your help was so important to our project!

WHAT

1. Greeting. Don’t forget to make sure you’re using the correct form and spelling of the person’s name, as well as anyone else’s mentioned in the note.
2. Express your thanks. Begin with the two most important words: Thank you.
3. Add specific details.
4. Look ahead.
5. Restate your thanks.
6. End with your regards.

Other ways to say thank you in any occasion

1. I appreciate what you did.
2. Thank you for thinking of me.
3. Thank you for your time today.
4. I value and respect your opinion.
5. I am so thankful for what you did.
6. I wanted to take the time to thank you.
7. I really appreciate your help. Thank you.
8. Your kind words warmed my heart.