VBS Volunteer Gifts: 98 Ways to Say Thank You for Volunteering

Thank all volunteers with an children-hosted “After-Holidays Open House.” Serve appetizers and festive punch or hot apple cider.
Allow children to plan a party for volunteers on a Sunday morning.
Celebrate with a royal “Ambassador’s Dinner” since volunteers are ambassadors for Christ.
Host a volunteers’ barbecue with special music and great steaks.
Have a Volunteers’ Hallelujah Hop with kids singing Christian versions of ’50s music, hula hoop contests, and great desserts.
Have a Volunteer Hallelujah Luau with an island-themed video of kids celebrating volunteers.

Put a birthday hat, party blower, and streamer at each chair for a meeting. Serve birthday cake and celebrate everyone’s un-birthday.
At your next meeting, surprise VBS volunteers with party decorations. Then celebrate!
Pay for volunteers to attend workshops that benefit their ministry.
Include your volunteers’ top interests for speakers, meetings, or educational needs in training meetings.
Get a massage therapist or nurse to give back rubs at a meeting.
Use gold fabric puff paint to put each person’s name on a funny hat. Have volunteers wear their hats during an entire training meeting.
Give great door prizes at meetings and celebrations.

Check each classroom for basics such as crayons, felt markers, paper, Bibles, stapler, and scissors.
Have parents decorate classroom doors to say thank you for volunteering.
Enlist support teams to help teachers with baking, crafts, or music.
Surprise each volunteer with a gift subscription to a ministry magazine.
Give a new book of holiday crafts, inspirational stories, picture books, or activity books.
Develop a “Homeroom Parent” program to help teachers with tasks such as attendance, follow-up, encouragement, and snack preparation.

Create a shadow box area in a visible area. Put up a volunteer’s picture and a short write-up. Tie a Mylar balloon of “Thanks” beside the box.
Have all volunteers stand in a church service as someone sings a special song such as “Thank You!” by Ray Boltz or “Who Is Gonna Tell The Child?” by Acapella.
Feature a teacher each month in your church bulletin, newsletter, or worship folder.
Take slide pictures and/or make videos during the year for a Volunteer Appreciation Sunday.
Reserve a special parking spot for the “Teacher of the Week.”
Feature a different children’s ministry program on a bulletin board in the adult education area.
Send out a “Volunteer Gram” each week with news and announcements. Include a big “thank you for volunteering” to individual helpers in each issue.

Other Ways to Say Thank You for Volunteering

Set up a Sunday Siesta Section in a quiet room, stocked with flavored coffees and teas, bagels or muffins, and inspirational music.
Design “coupon books” for volunteers, personalized with things you’ll do for them, such as “two hours of child care.”
Make “Warm Fuzzies”—small, colorful pompom balls with wiggle eyes and paper feet. Place a “Warm Fuzzy” on each attendance folder.
Use bright colored paper and tablet adhesive to make a computer-generated notepad for each volunteer.
Give lapel pins that say thanks—a cross, a “Jesus” fish, an angel, or a “#1 Teacher” pin.
Organize a car wash for volunteers’ cars. Have kids do all the work for free.
Make a mural with candid shots of teachers and children.

This article by Mary Van Aalsburg about VBS volunteer gifts originally appeared here.