In the past year, it has been especially hard for nonprofit organizations such as foundations and public institutions to overcome retention and engagement challenges given their limited resources. There are many ways that nonprofit organizations can utilize recognition and incentive award programs while remaining within a tight budget. Nonprofit clients of mine tend to use award programs in three ways: to recognize volunteers and donors for their contributions, praise employees for reaching anniversary milestones and commemorate organizational accomplishments.
Since volunteers and donors are often in and out of nonprofit organizations, online incentive programs are often the best fit for awarding this group of people. Nonprofit organizations can implement a single website that functions as a central hub for communication between the organization and volunteers. Donors and volunteers can log into the incentive program website and find out how they can earn points, check out the merchandise awards that can be earned and also read news about the company and keep informed about upcoming events. This type of award program improves communication with donors and volunteers while keeping them engaged and involved with the organization.
Employees at nonprofit organizations appreciate being recognized for reaching important anniversaries and recognition programs are a great solution for recognizing and awarding employee anniversaries. The recognition award programs I manage for my nonprofit clients are usually paper-based programs in which employees are presented with a recognition package. These packages include a recognition letter, a certificate of appreciation suitable for framing, an award catalog of merchandise and ordering instructions. Managers present the recognition award package to employees on or close to the employee's anniversary to praise the employee for his or her dedication and continued loyalty to the organization.
Sometimes a nonprofit organization will reach an important milestone related to their overall goals. For example, one of my nonprofit clients exceeded their annual donation quota and decided to celebrate the occasion by holding a recognition dinner. Each employee received an mp3 player along and a greeting card with a hand written note of appreciation from the organizational leaders. I heard back from my client that the dinner was such a surprise to employees and that the occasion was very well received.
Nonprofit organizations that use award programs in the ways I mentioned in this post are able to manage recruiting and retention costs more effectively as well as positively impact engagement and organizational loyalty. Even with the limited resources available to nonprofit organizations, the impact an award program can have on a nonprofit organization is well worth the investment.
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