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Rewarding a volunteer: best practices for associations
Why reward your volunteers?
Volunteering is the backbone of non-profit associations. Volunteers play a vital role in the smooth running of an association’s activities and missions. For these reasons, it is important to value their time in order to:
- Strengthen loyalty and avoid burnout
- Enhance your organization’s image.
- Attract new volunteers and energize community life.
- Prevent burnout through regular recognition.
Their commitment is priceless, and deserves a just reward, commensurate with their dedication and the many hours of service they devote to an organization that shares their values…
Valuing volunteer work is a major challenge for any non-profit organization. Rewarding volunteers not only recognizes their commitment to the organization but also strengthens cohesion and sustainability within the community. Discover concrete strategies, inspiring examples, and official measures for retaining volunteers and encouraging volunteerism within organizations.
The different types of volunteer rewards
Intangible rewards
- Personalized thank-you notes: letters, testimonials, thank-you letter templates.
- Public promotion: on social networks, at charity events or in the local press.
- Responsibility assignment: project management or high value-added assignments.
- Access to training: workshops, certifications, or skills assessments.
Material rewards
- Volunteer gifts: gift vouchers (up to a maximum of €69 per year, according to the French tax authorities), personalized goodies, invitations to events.
- Reimbursement of expenses: possibility of waiving reimbursement to benefit from an income tax reduction.
- Honors: medals for youth, sports and associative commitment, palmes du bénévolat, departmental order of volunteers.
Concrete examples and case studies
- A departmental scheme in Haute-Vienne: every year, awards and grants are presented to volunteers involved in sports, cultural or social clubs. The scheme recognizes and encourages the work of young people and sports leaders, and helps to motivate volunteers.
- Gamers Assembly and digital solutions During the Gamers Assembly, our myDid platform was used to host several activities organized by the organizers. Through their community, the event organizers were able to thank the investment of players, staff, visitors, and volunteers. To reward their commitment, a draw was held to award a PS5 to one of the volunteers. The others received a digital badge to prove their participation in the event as volunteers. This initiative authenticates and recognizes the efforts made by volunteers.
- Palmes du Bénévolat: the Fondation du Bénévolat recognizes volunteers according to their length of service and sector of action (sport, culture, social, innovation, youth, business). Applications must be submitted by association leaders, attesting to investment over several years.
Practical tips to enhance the value of your volunteer team
- Adapt recognition to volunteer preferences (questionnaires, regular exchanges).
- Vary the form of rewards to avoid monotony in volunteering.
- Set up a structured recognition program, consistent with the association’s values.
- Communicate the importance of volunteering to members and the public.
Involve volunteers in association management and decision-making.
Legal and tax aspects to be respected
- Gift limit: €69 per year per volunteer. Beyond that, the gift is considered a benefit in kind and is subject to income tax.
- Distinction between reward and remuneration: voluntary work must remain non-profit, with no financial compensation.
- Waiver of expense reimbursements: treated as a donation, it is eligible for a tax reduction.
For more information on legislation, visit the official website for associations.
Evaluating the impact of recognition initiatives
- Track volunteer retention rates over several years.
- Measuring participation in events, training and collective actions
- Gather feedback from volunteers via satisfaction surveys.
- Observe changes in the number of applications and volunteer loyalty.
Regular assessment of these indicators enables us to adjust our practices and optimize the management of the association.
Opt for a digital solution
Digitalization offers new ways of rewarding the work of volunteers:
- Digital certificates and badges: forgery-proof recognition of commitment, can be collected or used to benefit from advantages with a federation or the organization’s partners.
- Community platform: offer a digital animation space that can animate, challenge and motivate your association’s members.
- Gamified experiences : collecting points, badges and trophies at events, to motivate and raise the profile of volunteer work in law associations.
Conclusion
Rewarding a volunteer means investing in the sustainability and quality of associative life. By diversifying recognition practices, respecting the legal framework and using appropriate digital tools, every association can build loyalty among its volunteers, strengthen its impact and reward long-term investment and commitment.
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