Use Facebook and LinkedIn to Appreciate Volunteers in Your Organization

Do you use Facebook and LinkedIn to appreciate volunteers in your organization?

Volunteers are the heart and soul of countless organizations. They make a huge daily impact in community organizations, professional associations, service clubs and more.

There are many ways to honor these dedicated individuals – from plaques to award dinners to simple notes of thanks.

Consider using social media as one of the ways in which you appreciate volunteers in your organization.

Appreciate Volunteers on Facebook

• Write a review on the Facebook page for the organization where the person volunteers. In your review, make a point of referencing the volunteer and their involvement in the organization.
• Write a post on Facebook honoring the volunteer. It will get more visibility if you publish the post on your personal Facebook page as opposed to on your business page. If you are friends on Facebook with the person, tag them by typing the @ sign, then put the first letter of their first name next to the @, followed by a space and then their last name. Select them among the drop-down options.
• Comment on the volunteer’s posts on Facebook to honor them and the organization they serve.
• Donate to the organization through Facebook when the volunteer creates that opportunity, which people sometimes do around their birthday.

Appreciate Volunteers on LinkedIn

• Write a LinkedIn recommendation for a volunteer in your organization. Commend them for how well they conducted themselves in their volunteer role. You need to be connected with them on LinkedIn to recommend them.
• As suggested in the Facebook section, write a post on LinkedIn honoring the volunteer. Unlike Facebook, on LinkedIn you can tag someone even if the two of you aren’t connected. Use the same process as described above.
• Maybe the person spearheaded your organization’s membership or fundraising drive. In your post you can reference their contributions and share specifics about the results they achieved.
• Comment on some of the posts the volunteer has shared about the organization. Not only will the volunteer appreciate your kind words, but it will help raise awareness about your organization.

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 55 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially LinkedIn and Facebook. She works with business owners, business development professionals, business consultants, job seekers, and more – ranging from entrepreneurs to people in large corporations. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.