Volunteering is an important part of our society. Many things wouldn’t be taken care of if it weren’t for volunteers in our community. A volunteer is a person who gives freely of their time in order to help someone, a cause or simply improve the quality of life for someone else. Being a volunteer makes people feel good about themselves because they have helped someone else, a group of people or a cause. The most important thing to remember about a volunteer is that they do not get paid for the time that they spend doing work for someone else. Volunteers can work for non-profit groups, hospitals and medical centers, and also for schools and communities. Another way to volunteer is when there is a natural disaster or any emergency situation where help is desperately needed fast.

There are some volunteer jobs that would be dangerous if the job were not done at all. Some of these include volunteer fire fighters, emergency medical technicians, hospital workers and people who work in homeless shelters, domestic violence centers and people in the search and rescue field. These people all give of their time freely and many do not get paid for it. Imagine what our communities would be like without these volunteers.

There are many volunteers in our communities that work with our children in the schools. There are many people who work in parks and in community centers coaching children that freely give of their evenings and weekends. Mentors are usually volunteers, as are people who work to keep our environment safe and our water clean. There are many volunteers that work with organizations that involve animals, veterinary services and wildlife shelters. There are many different types of volunteers in medical centers and hospitals that assist the doctors and nurses with things that they don’t have time to do, such as educating patients on health, disease, and medical information that helps them in their general daily lives.

It is not a stretch to say that volunteers who work hard sincerely deserve to be rewarded for their time and efforts, especially since they are not compensated monetarily. Giving them a gift of appreciation is a great way to say “thank you for giving of your time.” Sometimes it is impossible to know just how much work a volunteer does, since sometimes the work is done behind the scenes, or done in their own personal time.

It is extremely important to remember those that help by volunteering in your work environment around the holidays. Letting them know how important they are to you and the services that you provide will be a great incentive for their continuous hard work throughout the year. Showing that you know what they do and letting them know you care is always a good idea in general. Giving a promotional gift will make them feel like they are an important part of your team. Making them feel needed and valued will help them to keep performing well and aspiring to do more good in their field and in their community.

Sometimes giving a gift out of the blue or “just because” will really help the volunteer to see your complete appreciation. It will be a permanent reminder of how valuable they are to you. Allowing the patrons or the receivers of their services to see how they are appreciated is always a good morale booster as well. Giving gifts of appreciation may even cause them to devote more time and better effort to your team. People always need to feel appreciated, even when they are not being paid to help others in their free time. It will only benefit everyone in the long run to show your volunteers how much you appreciate them.