{"id":36687,"date":"2023-12-04T08:00:30","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T13:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thinkorange.com\/blog\/five-gifts-your-volunteers-dont-want\/"},"modified":"2023-12-04T08:00:30","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T13:00:30","slug":"five-gifts-your-volunteers-dont-want","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkorange.com\/blog\/five-gifts-your-volunteers-dont-want\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Gifts Your Volunteers Don’t Want"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay, to be fair, I\u00a0 don\u2019t know YOUR volunteers, but I have BEEN a volunteer for the last twenty years. And, I have taken my fair share of church-branded merch to the thrift store (who also doesn\u2019t want it). That\u2019s why, this year, I\u2019d love to share five gifts your volunteers don\u2019t want AND a few things you can give them instead. . .<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. A coffee mug<\/b>. If your house is like mine, opening a certain cabinet means risking injury from an avalanche of unused and unwanted merch mugs. A cool mug every once in a while is awesome, but if you\u2019ve done one in the last five years, there\u2019s a good chance your volunteers don\u2019t want another one. What if, instead of a promo mug, this year you gave each volunteer some ethically sourced coffee, a group barista class, or a gift card to a local coffee shop?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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2. A water bottle.<\/b> It\u2019s no secret that certain water bottles reign supreme each year. 2023 was the year of the Stanley. 2022 was all about the Hydroflask. The problem is that with the rise in popularity, most folks choose their own water bottles based on specific needs -like water intake goals and the size of the cup holder in their car. Not to mention, they can be a bit pricey. Maybe this year,, you keep your crew fueled with some encouragement by writing them a thank you note, giving them a short devotional (<\/span>like this one<\/span><\/a>), <\/span>parent encouragement cards<\/span><\/a> for the parents who are volunteers, or <\/span>small group icebreaker cards<\/span><\/a> to fuel better conversations.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Church-branded t-shirts.<\/b> Okay, this one is controversial. I can\u2019t pretend like I don\u2019t love a good t-shirt, but after a four-year commitment to serving in our high school ministry, I found myself with ministry swag taking up 50% (yes, seriously. HALF) of my dresser drawers! The reality is a t-shirt with a logo is great for a short time but quickly becomes a less-than-favorite. There are a few exceptions, though, right? The t-shirts that we wear for years to come, the ones we cherish season after season, are often the ones associated with specific <\/span>messages<\/span><\/i> that are meaningful. That\u2019s why we\u2019re so excited about the <\/span>See You Tomorrow T-Shirt <\/span><\/a>that reminds every volunteer to keep faith alive tomorrow (and all the tomorrows after that). If you do make your own ministry shirts, consider designing them around core and inspiring messages from your ministry instead of leveraging logos and the branding of your ministry.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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4. A notebook.<\/b> Blank journals are amazing, but sometimes it can be tempting to let them sit on the shelf until we have something important <\/i>to write in there. Am I the only one with a shelf full of empty journals? That\u2019s why I love a gift that tells me what to do. Maybe this year, give your leaders the gift of growth with a copy of Lead Small<\/a> (or the Art of Group Talk) to go with that notebook and ask them to note their thoughts and ideas along the way.<\/p>\n

5. Candy Canes and hot cocoa. <\/b>We get it. Candy canes are delicious, and hot cocoa packets often feel like the BEST option for a gift on a budget. These days, when all of our budgets are a little tighter than they used to be, it can be tough to find gifts that don\u2019t feel\u2026well\u2026clich\u00e9.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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As someone who has led a small group of 33 girls, I know it\u2019s hard to find gifts that don\u2019t break the bank. Here are a few options in case your volunteers are a little candy-caned out this time of year. <\/span><\/p>\n

1. Plan a fun night out.<\/b> Give families a map with the best Christmas light displays marked for a fun outing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Send them some ear candy<\/b>. Make a Spotify playlist of GREAT Christmas music and share it with a QR code.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Make it personal.<\/b> Ask students or their parents to write notes of encouragement to your leaders and place all of those notes (in tiny font) into a DIY- Christmas ornament for the leader.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Give them a break.<\/b> Create a \u201cno-guilt day-off coupon\u201d where they can take a week off from your program to rest (as long as they tell you in advance!)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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5. Help them win with parents.<\/b> Give your volunteers gifts for the families in their group so they don\u2019t have to pay out of pocket. Here are some great options:<\/span><\/p>\n