A Guide to Holiday Shop Volunteer Appreciation

Santa’s eaten all the cookies, selfies & group photos have been taken with loved ones, and your Holiday Shop is completed - Now it’s time for you to show the right appreciation for your volunteers!

We’re sure you noticed that volunteers keep the world spinning during the days of your holiday shop, so here are a few tips on how to keep them wanting to come back next holiday season while expressing your gratitude.

They’re Rockstars – Show Them

Your holiday shop probably had a few lines that felt longer than Santa’s naughty-or-nice list this season, and your volunteers brought their A-game to make it work. One way to show your appreciation is to break out that list of volunteer names, put them on cut-out stars, and hang them in the lobby or cafeteria. Inviting a few ‘lil helpers will teach them a valuable lesson in showing they care, express creativity, and also be a total blast.

Have an Awards Night

Everyone likes to get a pat on the back or a nod of a hat for a job well done. What better way to show you care by hosting an awards night for volunteers? Order some pizza, and send out an invitation to families that participated after getting your creative juices flowing for awards. Use your sense of humor and have the volunteers participate. A fun family outing is a great way to show the kids that hard work gets recognized.

3 Words: Volunteer Survival Kit

A sense of humor can go a long way and can be an excellent way to relieve stress after the weeks of planning and hectic execution. Start your kit by gathering pens, sticky notes, candy, highlighters, coffee shop gift cards, etc. Put them in a storage bag, label it, and include a small personable note expressing your thanks to the parents. The secret here is creativity, becoming an incredible investment towards participation in next year’s event.

The Classic Thank You Note

Different ways to show thanks come and go like fidget spinners & rompers. The handwritten thank you note is a timeless classic that never goes out of style. Be personal in your letter and create a narrative of the fundraiser. Frame any struggles in a light-hearted sense of humor and celebrate victories comprehensively. Send feelers out in your PTO meeting when you recap the event to get the whole picture. This will give you items to improve next time and showcase your competencies to use for next year, while also making a great outline for an amazing thank you note. Your group will be grateful for tackling 3 birds with one thank you note to express gratitude to your volunteers.


We hope that you can take some of these pointers and give them your own spin to show your volunteers how much you care. With a little creativity, these mementos can make a world of difference in volunteer participation, just like they’ve made a world of difference to your holiday shop and community.

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