Charity Walks Blog

Successful charity walks depend on the unselfish contributions of many volunteers. That should be enough of a reason for a nonprofit organization to identify as many ways as possible to thank their volunteers. Expressing appreciation to volunteers does not have to be difficult.

There are many easy ways you can show your volunteers that you care about them and are grateful for their hard work. This list should get you started:

1. Present each volunteer with a certificate of appreciation. These certificates can be designed, personalized and printed from your computer. To make the task easy, use a template. Search online for the keyword “certificate of appreciation template” for many to choose from. Consider displaying the certificate in an inexpensive frame prior to presenting it to your volunteer.
2. Send each volunteer a note or letter recognizing their contributions. A surprise thank you note arriving in the mail can be a real treat for your volunteers. To make the note extra special, be sure the note is handwritten.
3. Thank volunteers publicly for their service at the charity walk and other related events. Make sure your volunteers are recognized at the charity walk. You can provide them special shirts to wear. You should also recognize them when you are making announcements to the walkers.
4. List your volunteers in an email and/or newsletter and express your thanks. Use your organization’s e-mail list and newsletters to thank your volunteers. You could even write features on individual volunteers who have made significant contributions.
5. Privately tell each volunteer you appreciate him or her every chance you get. Some volunteers will not feel as comfortable as others with public expressed gratitude. However, a reminder in private about how important they are to you and to the cause may be just what they need.
6. Express your gratitude with an inexpensive gift. Care should be used if using a tangible gift to thank some or all of your volunteers. The gift needs to be inexpensive. An expensive gift will signal that funds raised due to the time provided by the volunteer are not valued.
7. Provide opportunities for new and expanded responsibilities. Some of your volunteers may be seeking new ways to contribute to your organization in a larger way. For these individuals, a request for them to participate in your organization with additional responsibilities can be a great way to demonstrate your appreciation for their volunteering efforts.

Demonstrating your thanks will not only motivate your volunteers to continually improve. It will also ensure these volunteers will be excited about supporting your future charity walks. Get started today.

Thanks,

Technorati Tags: Certificate Of Appreciation, charity walks, Expressing Appreciation, Gratitude, Non-profit organization, Nonprofit Organization, Philanthropy, Volunteer, Volunteers, Walkers

If you were not able to attend the Fredericksburg Arthritis Walk this year, check out the below slideshow. Walking events can be fun and provide support to your favorite cause.

If you are not involved in a charity walk, go to http://www.LetsMoveTogether.org to find an Arthritis Walk in your area or contact your favorite nonprofit organizations to discover if they host charity walks you can join.

Thanks,

Technorati Tags: Arthritis, charity walks, Fredericksburg, Nonprofit Organizations, walk events, Walkathon

It comes as no surprise that most people want to give back to society.  Some people have the means to give in the form of monetary returns.  Many people are willing to share their time and energy.  Others have outstanding talents and accomplishments that make them role models and inspirations in life.  These are the people who are your potential volunteers for those charity walks.

Volunteers are the heart and soul of every charity organization.  They keep the charity up and running.  Without volunteers, a cause loses momentum.  Without mentors overseeing and guiding these volunteers, a charity organization may sometimes have to cease operation.  That is why the more volunteers there are for charity walks, the more successful it becomes.

Get the word out to potential volunteers.  As many runners and walkers as possible.  Find out more about the hobbies and interests of the people you know.  Increase your circulation and read more publications.  A local sports hero may in town, or a popular news anchor may be an avid walker or runner.  Your neighbor may be a frequent jogger.  Your son’s or daughter’s friends may be on the team.

Marathons and two- to three-day walks require some training sessions.  Aside from the participants training, a fitness instructor or a physical therapist might be interested to volunteer some time and information.

Those who are single and don’t have families are potential volunteers to be tapped.  They may not be ready to commit to another person, but they may be looking to commit to a cause they find worthy and appealing. They may have excellent skills in their profession and are actually great, fun-loving people to be with.  It would be a welcome opportunity for you to introduce them to more people they socialize and share interests with.

Young people make great volunteers for charity walks.  They are usually infused with so much passion and energy.  Volunteering relieves them of idleness and feeds their curiosity for a first-hand experience of how life in this world works outside of their limited circle.  The virtual becomes more real.

Even younger people, like schoolchildren, are endearing in their desire to help.  Children find it easy to empathize.  They also have a great sense of fun we adults can learn from.

Couples and parents make good volunteers, too.  Their concern extends beyond the home as they strive to make a better world for their children’s sake and the next generations to come.  You’ll see families with this kind of social consciousness present in the Charity Walks.

You find them in singles or in pairs, but you also find them aplenty.  There is also strength in volunteers who come in numbers.  Church organizations, car pools, men’s and women’s groups, community clinics, welfare centers, and hospitals whose members and personnel happen to be health buffs will firm up your charity group event.

Take time to find the people who will give you their time, their talents and resources, perhaps.  Maybe more than their time, they may walk the extra mile doing the charity walks with you.  That should inspire you.

Thanks,

Technorati Tags: Charitable organization, Charity Organization, charity walks, Philanthropy, Volunteer, Volunteers, Walkers

Spirited, confident strides make successful charity walks.  One such stride would be for you to embark on an active promotional campaign.  The more passionate you are about a cause, the more contagious our enthusiasm becomes to people you talk to and share our thoughts or beliefs with.

There are many effective ways to promote charity walks.  One of the most common is to make a press release stating the date and time of the event the purpose for which it is raising funds.  It can be done by members of the core group, representatives of the different committees, or by sponsors of the event through their product endorsers.

The power of advertising can never be underestimated.  Repeated oral and written reports by mass media through print, radio, and television already assure us a certain amount of success.  This is compounded many times over by the frequency and distance that news like this would travel on the worldwide web, with internet service reaching people of all nationalities and cultures.  At the rate technology is going, a simple conversation about charity walks between and among friends through cellular phones and the sharing of e-mails in their websites and chatting forums are a very effective promotional conduit that not only transmits information but multiplies it exponentially.

Another campaign alternative would be to manufacture and distribute promotional items like T-shirts, caps, and mugs or small giveaway items like patches and stickers.  Advocacies can be expressed in short, eye-catching quotes and logos that can be both memorable and meaningful.  Humor also goes a long way in getting people’s hearts to listen and remember.

Musical concerts and community socials sponsoring and endorsing the event could be another medium.  Announcements and postings on bulletin boards in venues where regular meetings, small group services, and church gatherings are held are a means to inform and remind people about an event and how it is progressing.  Promotions find their way to as high as company newsletters and magazines and down the line to the very sidewalks through flyers and leaflets.

Inviting a speaker who is knowledgeable and convincing about causes like charity walks generates much awareness and interest among children in schools and youth centers.  This encourages them to join and participate or extend their help as volunteers.  Parents who are advocates themselves get other parents to be sympathetic and involved as well.
Bake sales and booths at school and county fairs are always a hit.  Exhibit booths with free medical services are also very informative to the young and old alike.  Sports matches and tournaments which endorse a certain event and its cause help gain the support of athletes themselves.

Partnership and cooperation with medical institutions and other organizations having a similar or related cause strengthens the battle against prevalent health and human conditions like cancer, diabetes, AIDS, and heart disease.

The best way to promote charity walks is through all ways possible.  Get people to commit by being committed yourself.  Your confident strides can hurdle obstacles and make great leaps for the cause you believe in.

Thanks,

Technorati Tags: Advertising, charity walks, Mobile phone, Promotional item