Words of appreciation can be a wonderful gift – especially when you are honoring volunteers.

For example, Paul Kluck recently wrote me a heartfelt recommendation on LinkedIn. In 2021, he was the president of the board of the Strategic Trusted Advisors Roundtable (STAR) – Denver, and I served on the board with him. STAR is a connecting group for advisors, each of whom has at least seven years of experience in their field.

Members of our board are shown in the photo above this post. Back row, left to right: Doug Hartley and Paul Kluck. Front row, left to right: Laura Drury, myself and Marlow Felton. Absent was Wes Garnett. The picture was taken at our holiday party, and I thought it would be fun to wear my “Mrs. Santa” dress.

Here’s what Paul wrote:

“Joyce served on the board of STAR with me as the programs chair. She put together a wonderful lineup of speakers during my year as president in 2021. Her enthusiasm and hard work came easily. She loved the opportunity to serve the board and the membership. She was quick with helpful feedback and participated actively on all the board’s decisions. I am extremely grateful to have had Joyce as part of my board.”

Not only did he write a recommendation for me, he wrote one for all the members of the board. What a wonderful gift he gave each of us. Note how specific Paul was in the recommendation he wrote for me. That’s the approach he took for each recommendation he gave.

Here are some ways to use LinkedIn to appreciate volunteers in your organization.

 

Appreciate Others on LinkedIn 

  • Take a lead from Paul, and write a recommendation of 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. Also, in case the person isn’t on LinkedIn often, send them an email letting them know you wrote the recommendation.
  • Mention them when you create a post on LinkedIn. The process for doing this is much like tagging someone on Facebook. Type the @ sign, and then type the person’s first and last name. Select the person in the list of drop-down options that LinkedIn shows you.
  • For example, maybe the person spearheaded a membership or fundraising drive for your organization. Reference their contributions and share specifics about the results that were achieved.
  • Comment on some of the posts that another volunteer shares about the organization you’re both part of. Be sure to include your thoughts on their post. Doing so not only touches the heart of this person, it also helps to raise awareness about your organization.
  • In addition, when you notice that volunteers you know land a new job, or celebrate a work anniversary, congratulate them. You will see these announcements in the notifications section of the menu bar.

 

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.