As a chapter chair, you are a volunteer manager who should realize that individuals like to be recognized for their hard work and achievements. You have a special challenge because you cannot reward your top achievers financially. Recognizing and acknowledging your volunteers is an effort that will pay off in: volunteer involvement, volunteer commitment, volunteer fulfillment, and volunteer retention.
Who should be recognized, acknowledged, and thanked:
- Outgoing chapter officers and board members.
- Committee chairs and their committee members.
- Anyone who worked hard on a program or event.
- Your newsletter editor and staff.
- Winners of the chapter's Paper-Writing Competition
- Your RMA Administrator (especially if he or she is a volunteer who is not paid).
Plan ahead for recognition:
- At every general meeting and each time you send out your newsletter, ask yourself, "Who should be recognized, acknowledged, or thanked"
- At board meetings, plan to recognize, acknowledge, and thank your committee chairs and others for their great work on behalf of the chapter and their contributions to its success.
Where and how can we recognize honorees:
- At an (annual) event designed specifically to recognize the year's chapter honorees. This could be a breakfast, lunch, or dinner meeting. It could either be open to all chapter members or be a smaller gathering of select invitees. Consider inviting your honorees' boss, which can often add a nice touch.
- As part of the program at a regularly scheduled chapter event. Always use a public forum to award a plaque, present a gift, or even extend praise to your volunteers.
- By mail when communicating with VIPs at a volunteer's employing bank or other organization. Send a letter signed by the chapter president. The letter should thank the volunteer for his or her contributions and a copy should also be sent to the honoree's manager and CEO. Another approach is to send the letter directly to the manager or CEO and copy the volunteer.
- Be sure to use the chapter's newsletter for such recognition, also. You can include a thank you article/blurb together with a photo of the honoree.
If honorees are recognized in person at a chapter event:
- Introduce each person individually and highlight his or her achievements.
- The chapter president, or a designee, should present the gift or plaque.
- Take photos for the chapter newsletter.
- Invite the honoree's CEO or boss to attend.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Learn more about recognition in RMA's Communication Toolbox.
Recognition Resources:
- RMA has a template for a Certificate of Recognition for chapter service.
- RMA has a template for recognition letters for chapter service.
- Order RMA Chapter President's Plaque for your outgoing chair.
- Order RMA Gold Medallion Award for special service to the chapter.
- Order gifts, pens, and other items from RMA's gift options list. For a catalog of gifts and awards, contact Maryann Yurkonis at myurkonis@rmahq.org or 1-215-446-4051.
Recognition Ideas:
- Have a lunch to award strong committee performance or to recognize an outstanding program.
- Hold a competition among your volunteers, board members, and committee chairs, and reward the winners.
- Award monetary gifts for hard work. In making any monetary reward, be careful to respect the recipient's company policy on gifts.
- Have a nice breakfast, lunch, or dinner for your volunteers once or twice a year.
- Send out letters to the volunteers' senior management recognizing all their contributions and thanking the management for allowing their staff members to be so involved with RMA. Highlight as much as possible the benefits such involvement offers the volunteers' in terms of professional development, exchange of ideas, and institutional advancement.
- Reward volunteers with free registrations to the National RMA Conference or to other conferences held either by an RMA chapter or another suitable organization.
- Celebrate a suitable holiday together.
- Set up a system where the volunteers can earn gift certificates or other prizes through their participation.
- Make sure that your Web site and newsletter recognize the effort, dedication, and successes of your volunteers.
For more information and for additional resources, please contact William Githens at bgithens@rmahq.org or 1-215-446-4124 or contact the Regional Manager for your area.