By Roger Clemens Recognition and appreciation are two of the most important things you can award in your organization. Pay increases and bonuses, at the end of the day, are just two financial ways to show that recognition and appreciation keep employees working for you.
If pay raises and bonuses are the only ways that you show your appreciation, however, then you are not doing enough. Appreciation is important for everyone involved in your organization, and there are so many ways to show it – and most won’t cost you. From your employees to your volunteers to your community and donors, these are some of the best ways to show recognition and appreciation in your organization:
Who You Should Recognize and Show Your Appreciation For
Your Employees
Your employees deserve the most recognition and reward for their hard work. You want the great ones to stay, and the fact is that you won’t always be able to show your appreciation through a monetary increase. Instead, offer an increasing range of benefits, especially if you allow them to choose which benefits they use.
Your Volunteers
Volunteers deserve every second of recognition that they get, from being recognized publicly on your website and social media pages to being rewarded in person. Paying for a big volunteer community dinner, or at least hosting one, is a great way to give back to the people who are volunteering their time and expertise.
Your Donors
Your donors are so important to your organization, and rewarding them for their donations is a great way to thank them. There are many donor recognition programs you can use as well, from souvenirs to naming a bench or even building after them to putting their name on a donor’s plaque on the wall. There are so many ways to recognize your donors, both big and small, digital and physical, that there is no excuse to not even send a custom thank you message.
Your Community
If there is an activist that is working hard to help either shed light on your cause or on your organization specifically, then thank them. Do this publicly if you can, and see if they want to be involved more with your organization in any way they feel is fitting. This is important because, as a non-profit, you need as diverse a team as possible so that you can give back in ways that help your entire community, not just the most visible population.
How to Show Recognition and Appreciation
There are two things that you need to do, regardless of which group you are looking at. The first is to set up a system that allows you to keep track of the efforts of your employees, volunteers, and others. Keeping track is imperative; otherwise, your thanks will be empty, no matter how good the reward is.
The second step is to set out rewards that you can plan for and budget in. This applies to employees, volunteers, donors, and everyone else. Sometimes you won’t be able to swing more than a hand-signed letter of thanks, and that is okay. Planning ahead is how you can keep rewards within your budget, so you can continue to show your appreciation as time goes on.
Lorenzo Billie 
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