Countdown to Your Volunteer Appreciation Dinner - Menu, Timeline and Invitations!

Today we will take a moment to think about where we need to be in our planning if we are giving our volunteers an appreciation dinner this Spring. In December I encouraged you to plan a volunteer appreciation dinner and said to set your date, determine your budget and decide what type of dinner you want to have. Last month I reminded you to think about how you will decorate and to plan your entertainment for the event. If you have done these things you need to touch bases with everyone to see where they are, plan your trip to purchase the food, check with whoever is cooking to go over the menu and timeline as well as send invitations.

• Touch bases with your decoration committee - be sure they know the location of your event and what time they need to arrive to decorate.
• Touch bases with your  entertainment committee - be sure they also know the location of your event and find out if there are any technical needs for your entertainment . . . do you need sound people, do you need a tv/projector so you can show your appreciation video, will your entertainment need to rehearse, etc.
• If you are doing the food shopping, schedule it on your calendar.
• Touch bases with your cooking team . . . be sure they know what time to arrive, what time the dinner begins and go over the menu with them.
• Decide how you will invite your volunteers . . . are you mailing invitations? Will you follow up with an email reminder? Will you personally invite your volunteers? When do you need the invitations to arrive? Are you asking for a RSVP?

I'm a strong believer in the value of taking time to thank your volunteers . . . and an appreciation dinner is a wonderful way to do so! Take care of these things and most importantly, enjoy the opportunity to thank those who volunteer their time to build relationships with children and their families and in so doing, make a tremendous difference in so many lives!

Tomorrow I'll announce our next "Family Pick" . . .  I'm happy to say it is something pretty wonderful and I have one copy to give to one of our facebook friends! If you haven't already "liked" us on facebook, take a moment to do so and then tell the people you know about us so they can be in the drawing, too!