Time to shoutout volunteers! We all like to feel appreciated. Showing appreciation to your volunteers keeps them motivated and striving to do more, while recognizing their efforts communicates respect for the hard work volunteers do. Also, doing a shoutout reminds volunteers of the impact of their service. Feeling service has impact and effectiveness is a factor in volunteer retention. A volunteer is more likely to stay if they feel their service creates an impact. One of the best ways to show off how amazing and effective your volunteers are is through social media platforms.

Social media

Is a reflection of the organization, and displaying appreciation speaks volumes. Speaking openly about how dedicated your volunteer base shows great appreciation. Volunteers and your social media audience, followers, will understand the care you have toward the people contributing towards the organization’s mission. You can extend a shoutout to volunteers from a recent event/project, or you can give a personal shoutout to one volunteer. Both are effective.

The general shoutout gives a big “hooray!” to everyone working as a team together. People love to feel included. On a different note, a personal shoutout can highlight a story. You are able to have the community feel closer to the cause by placing faces to the work being done. Either way, the shoutouts tell your audience there are real people who care about this cause enough to back their passion with action. Highlighting your volunteers inspires others to connect with your organization.

Nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity and Feeding America do a great job with general and personal shoutouts for their volunteers. The two make great use of social media, like Instagram, to share their gratitude and inspire action. Let’s take a look at a few posts to briefly discuss the message being portrayed.

1. “Thank you” Note

A “Thank you” goes a long way. Publicly thanking everyone for their hard work communicates your appreciation for volunteers dedicating their free time to aid your organization’s mission. The next time you have a successful fundraiser or a good day of service, post an honest “Thank you” note to your team.

2. Event/Project Updates

If your volunteers are prepping for an event or project, this is an opportunity to highlight the volunteers’ hard work and update your community on what your organization up to.

Including a record of volunteers working, like a picture, allows volunteers to feel proud. Evidence of diverse volunteers involvement can also encourage others to help. Viewers become doers, as you update everyone, Adding a “call-to-action”.

3. Profile Highlight

A special shoutout for an individual volunteer is similar to “Employee of the Month”. A sense of accomplishment can be felt. From the audience’s perspective, quotes connect the viewers to a story, which builds trust and empathy. Profile highlights leave room to start a conversation as well. Additionally, tagging a question on shoutouts, like the one above, is a chance to increase engagement.

Overall, it makes perfect sense to shout out your team, as work would not be possible without every contribution. Your social media is the perfect place to give your volunteers credit for amazing service. Within the organizations, everyone is working towards the same goal, which is changing the world for the better. Show your gratitude with a classic shoutout!