April is National Volunteer Month! Celebrate your favorite Girl Scout volunteers with these thoughtful ideas. Whether you choose to do one or all of them, you’re sure to make the volunteers in your life feel loved and appreciated and help them remember all the reasons why they continue to give their time and hearts to the Girl Scout mission.
1. Send a personalized ecard
Who doesn’t love a fun e-card? This month, show the Girl Scout volunteer in your life just how much they mean to you by choosing from one of GSUSA’s four awesome predesigned e-card templates. Just fill in the blank to finish the sentence and share your e-card with them on Facebook, on Twitter, or by email! Get started.
2. Shout them out on social media
What better way to make your favorite Girl Scout volunteer feel special than to highlight their amazing work for the world to see? Write up a story about how they have affected your life and share it on social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more. Extra kudos if you have photos and tag the volunteer in it!
Bonus: Share a story with GSSEF! Tag us in your post (@gssef on Facebook and Twitter or @gssefcouncil on Instagram) or email it directly to marcomm@gssef.org to be featured by the council on our social media and in our newsletters! Pictures and a short description are all we need to give them a special shout-out.
3. Write them a handwritten letter
That’s right, we are asking you to put pen to paper to send them a truly personal message! Imagine their surprise when they open their mailbox and find an old-school letter from you. Need a little inspiration? Here are a few things you could include:
- Why your favorite Girl Scout volunteer is so special
- A memorable time when you were happy to have their guidance and support
- How they have made a difference in your life
- Your three favorite things about them
4. Give them something special
You can choose to go handmade or purchase a token of your appreciation from the GSSEF Retail Store. We even have a special offer during April, just use code VOLUNTEER19 for 15% off* one item from our Online Store, and bring a smile to a volunteer’s face with a fun little token of your appreciation.
*The code is active April 1 through April 30, 2019, for 15% off one item from a customer’s order. The 15% discount will be applied to the highest priced item in an order. If a customer buys two or more of the same item that the discount applies to, the 15% will only be taken off one item. The code is for one-time use per customer, online only at girlscoutshop.com.
5. Ask them how you can help
Girl Scout volunteers end up spending a lot of time preparing activities and troop meeting for our girls. Before your next meeting give a call or send an email to the volunteer asking if there is something you can do to help. Do you have a special skill set you can teach to the volunteer? Do you have a connection that could benefit the Troop? Or maybe you have some spare time in the evenings to prepare supplies or research activites? Just letting the volunteer know your are there and ready to help could mean the world to them!
6. Nominate them for a Girl Scout Award
Looking for a more formal way to recognize that outstanding volunteer for that all they do? With Girl Scout’s national and council awards, you can nominate any Girl Scout volunteer for their hard work and dedication. This process typically starts each January and we ask for nominations through March. Although the deadline for the 2018-19 Girl Scout year has passed, think ahead to next years awards! Anyone can nominate a volunteer for an Adult Recognition Award, simply browse our award criteria and when nominations open fill out the nomination form!
Know someone who isn’t a Girl Scout volunteer but would make a great one? Use one (or more!) of these thoughtful appreciation ideas to let them know how they could make a lasting difference in girls’ lives today!
This post has been adapted from an original article via GSUSA: 4 Awesome Ways to Thank Your Girl Scout Volunteer and inspired by an article from Girl Scouts of Western Ohio: How to Show Your Appreciation of Girl Scout Volunteers and an article from Girl Scouts of Northern California: 5 Meaningful Ways to Show Your Girl Scout Volunteers Some Love.
