Guest post by Christine Kirwan, GSWNY Director of Volunteer Experience

April was Volunteer Appreciation Month, but don’t let that stop you from celebrating it all year-round! April can serve as a great reminder, but many of our amazing volunteers go above and beyond on a regular basis.

At the start of the month, we helped you generate new ideas to get creative for April. After that, GSWNY Volunteer Experience Manager Lena Budd explained some of the more nuanced ways people like to be thanked. Now we want to help you keep those thankful thoughts flowing through the other 11 months.

Normally this concept is for your personal self-reflection on the ways your own life has been good, but it’s actually a fun concept to remember how someone has repeatedly done wonderful things for you. Keep small notes on who has done something nice for you. Look back on these when writing a thank you note and pull a few choice examples that made you particularly grateful.

If the volunteer you want to thank is comfortable with public displays of gratitude, consider setting aside time in troop or service unit meetings to allow people to share a brief message to highlight that volunteer. Worried about time? You can also collect those messages through email or social media ahead of time and then have one person read them aloud at the meeting.

At GSWNY, we have a lot of ways to officially recognize volunteers, but sometimes you want to give smaller thanks on a service unit or troop level. You can always create your own awards ceremonies or handmade trophies and certificates to give thanks.

Can we all appreciate the joy of a paper plate award ceremony? They don’t all have to be inside jokes or funny. Sincere ones are an excellent way to go, too! This can be a really fun idea for when you’re able to meet in person once again!

We live in a world of smartphones where photos are a frequent part of our lives. If you have some sweet photos of events or instances where the volunteer or their hard work was in front of the camera, consider turning those memories into a physical gift.

Scrapbooks, photo albums, framed photos, or picture collages are all touching gifts that they can incorporate into their lives. The photo will remind them of your gratitude and keep the good vibes flowing.

Have another idea? How do you show thanks outside of April? Leave a comment below!

April 22 is National Girl Scout Leader Day, which fits so nicely nestled into Volunteer Appreciation Month. On this National Girl Scout Leader Day, we’re more grateful and appreciative than ever to have such dedicated leaders who are still finding ways to support their girls despite the current circumstances.

Girl Scout Leader Day recognizes and honors the many adult volunteers to the Girl Scouting program. Celebration of the holiday began on April 22, 1982, when a flag honoring Girl Scout leaders was flown over the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

This day honors the thousands of volunteers who help to make the Girl Scout program a success. Celebrate today, by thanking the Girl Scout leaders in your troop and area.

This is the perfect time to give them the wonderful thank you made using our blog post of suggestions from earlier this month. Give them your handmade thank you card or handwritten note. Girl Scout groups can hold virtual parties. Gifts are not a requirement, or an expectation.

One of the ways Girl Scouts can thank their leaders, is to do their best in everything they do. Leaders get their reward by seeing girls grow while building courage, confidence, and character, plus by making the world a better place!

We’re partway into Volunteer Appreciation Month, and that makes it a great time to keep up the thanks! Remember, every volunteer is a vital, valuable member of Girl Scouts and we want to show thanks to everyone who helps build girls of courage, confidence, and character in whatever way they can!

We have a Pinterest board dedicated to fun, creative ways to tell someone thank you. It’s a great time to make something and then hold onto it until you see them again!

Not the crafty type? That’s okay, too! A handwritten note saying thanks and even outlining a couple of examples of when the person went above and beyond are perfect. How exciting is it to get a personally written note from someone?!

We really like these general tips from Hallmark about how to write a thank you note. This is a great opportunity for your Girl Scout(s) to practice this skill since thanking people genuinely and sincerely is a powerful tool to carry into adulthood. Even just getting Daisies into the habit of making some sort of thank you (drawings are as beloved as written messages) can be a fun way to get them on board with showing appreciation to people that matter to them.

Have you ever made a cool thank you gift for someone? We’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and tell us about your awesome project!