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Volunteer Appreciation Party Ideas

Each year we have a volunteer appreciation program to thank the residents who have served the community within the past year. I try to change it each time so that it is interesting to those who have attend year after year. I have created a slide show of all the volunteers doing their job, had the residents stand up at their table and say their name and their volunteer duty, and had many different themes for the event. I think that sharing the different volunteer areas is a good idea because some people in the room are looking around at the fellow guests and thinking to themselves, "What is she doing here? She doesn't volunteer!" Funny, and most likely true in your community also.

Since I am working on the details of this year's appreciation lunch, I thought that I'd share it with you and also share what other fun ideas we've done in the past. Hopefully the ideas will help you and that you will share your thoughts with us on this blog so that we can all learn from one another.

This year I'm doing "We're NUTS for our volunteers." We are giving them a coffee mug with our company's logo and the theme saying on it. It will contain an assortment of nuts wrapped inside. The food will have a nut theme also (with an option for the person who is allergic available.) Decorations are still being worked on. I think I found someone who will make me peanut shaped balloons.  The gifts will be set at each place setting so the tables will look nice.

In the past, I've done other neat themes. Here is a quick list, although the wording is probably not exact since I am trying to remember them....  "Volunteers are our good fortune" Decorations: Oriental. Food: Asian, Gift: Notebook with Asian theme. I created personalized fortune cookies for the "Good Fortune" theme. Here is the site that I used http://fancyfortunecookies.com/ ; "Spotlight on You" Decorations: Stars  Gift: Mini Flashlight; "Volunteers make our Community Blossom" Decorations: Flowers, Food: I jsut remember had an edible orchid on the plate,  Gift: Tote bag (I think).   We have also given back-packs, desk clocks, pen/pencil sets, paper cubes with a clip on pen, and night lights away as gifts in recent years.

You might want to read the National Volunteer's website for 2012 information. It is updated yearly.... so go ahead and click on the link each year.

Please see the other goodies that Amazon offers to make your volunteer appreciation event the best by going to my suggestions for volunteer parties.  FOOTNOTE: I finally made my decision for this year's gift. I ordered angel pins and will use "heavenly" as my theme! Here is the article with everything you will need for a successful Heavenly volunteer theme event.   UPDATE FOR 2013: I am doing a mint theme. Take a look at my Pinterest site and you will see some of the cool gift ideas for this theme.
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