176. Beyond Pizza Parties: Innovative Appreciation Ideas for Volunteers Artwork

Volunteer Nation

Nonprofit leadership author, coach, and expert Tobi Johnson shares weekly tips to help charities build, grow, and scale exceptional volunteer teams. Discover how your nonprofit can effectively coordinate volunteers who are reliable, equipped, and ready to help you bring about BIG change for the better. Rather than continuing to “do more with less,” achieve abundance for your organization by engaging community talent that helps you do more with more. Society is evolving and so, too, is volunteerism. With over 25 years of experience working in nonprofits, public sector agencies, and grassroots campaigns Tobi is known for her modern “big hat” thinking and straight talk about what it takes to achieve success in today’s world. You will learn how to coordinate volunteers, improve the volunteer experience, recruit volunteers, appreciate volunteers, and do it all more efficiently with the right volunteer management software and digital tools. It’s a mix of interviews and solo shows you’re not going to want to miss. So, if you’re ready to ditch the stress and harness the power of people to fuel your good work, you’re in exactly the right place. Hit subscribe and let’s DO this!

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Volunteer Nation

176. Beyond Pizza Parties: Innovative Appreciation Ideas for Volunteers

August 21, 2025 • Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson discusses the importance of strategic volunteer appreciation. Moving beyond traditional gifts and certificates, she explores how to recognize and value volunteers in ways that are meaningful and aligned with core human needs and organizational goals.

Tobi provides 12 innovative appreciation ideas categorized into meeting volunteer needs for safety, connection, and purpose, and aligning with organizational goals such as program quality, DEIJ, and donor engagement. You'll learn how to create impactful and heartfelt recognition that sustains both volunteers and the mission of their organizations!

Full show notes: 176. Beyond Pizza Parties: Innovative Appreciation Ideas for Volunteers

Appreciation Ideas for Volunteers - Episode Highlights

[02:00] - Why Recognition Must Go Beyond Trinkets
[06:00] - Aligning recognition with Organizational Goals
[14:10] - Aligning Appreciation with Organizational Goals
[15:00] - Mission Awareness: Mission Ambassador Awards
[16:00] - Recognition as a Change Management Strategy
[17:00] - Program Quality Champions: Rewarding Volunteer-driven Improvements
[18:00] - DEIJ Leadership Spotlights: Inclusivity & Serving Diverse Communities
[19:00] - Growth Catalysts: Celebrating Expansion & Innovation
[20:00] - Data Heroes: Connecting Volunteer Data to Grants, Funding, and Impact
[23:00] - Why Random Giveaways and Trinkets Don’t Work
[24:30 - The Bottom Line: Strategic, Meaningful Recognition

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Thanks for listening to this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast. If you enjoyed it, please be sure to subscribe, rate, and review so we can reach more people like you who want to improve the impact of their good cause.

For more tips and notes from the show, check us out at TobiJohnson.com. For any comments or questions, email us at WeCare@VolPro.net.

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Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA

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