If you want to recognize your nonprofit's volunteers, you have a few options to do so. It is generally not a good idea to offer your volunteers monetary gifts for the work that they do for your organization. However, recognizing their efforts publicly and reimbursing them for costs they accrued while volunteering are acceptable ways to "pay" volunteers.
Worth
According to the Independent Sector website, the national value of volunteer time for 2009 was $20.85 per hour. Values vary between states, but this value enables nonprofits to calculate the dollar amount of money volunteers contribute to their organization each year. This can be important to demonstrate community support when a nonprofit seeks funding.
"Employee"
A volunteer can try to claim benefits that come with being an employee of a nonprofit organization. For example, a volunteer can try to get unemployment benefits if she claims she worked for your organization and was terminated (terminated as a volunteer to the nonprofit). She could also claim that she is entitled to the health insurance offered to employees if she has received money from the organization in the past. If she passes away, her family could claim that she was entitled to the same life insurance other employees receive.
Rumors
If the volunteer becomes angry with the organization or one of its staff members, he can spread rumors in the community that the organization pays less than minimum wage to its employees. This can cause significant damage to a nonprofit's reputation, which can lead to fewer donations and less credibility in the nonprofit world.
Recognize
Your nonprofit can recognize its volunteers in a number of ways. One significant way to recognize them is to reimburse them for any documented out-of-pocket expenses they incur while volunteering. You can also send letters of praise about them to their employers or to public officials. You can also hold a thank you party for the volunteers or present them with small tokens of appreciation.
