4 Ways to Show Your Nonprofit Team Some Love This Valentine’s Day

It’s Valentine’s Day, which means it’s the perfect day to show a little love to your nonprofit team! Even if you demonstrate your gratitude for their hard work and dedication all year round, showering them with extra recognition from time to time can help boost morale and ensure they feel seen and appreciated. 

Recognition can come in the form of small bonuses and perks, but when your budget is tight, that won’t always be possible. Try these simple yet meaningful ideas to show some love to your nonprofit employees this Valentine’s Day. 

1. Thank people publicly 

If you usually say thanks in private one-on-ones, consider taking things public by sharing an employee appreciation post on LinkedIn, either from your own account or from your nonprofit’s page. Include specific, heartfelt details about why your team is incredible and include photos or videos to bring the story to life. Be sure to tag team members so they get a notification about the post, encouraging them to share and engage with it. 

Since LinkedIn is a professional network, employees will feel flattered seeing their hard work and accomplishments broadcast to the world. This strategy can also help elevate your employer brand, showing potential candidates that your organization is one that cares about its people. 

2. Create a collaborative video 

Another easy, creative, and personal way to show gratitude is to make a thank-you video. Gather leaders, department heads, and even board members together—in person or over Zoom—and ask them to shout out different teams or individual employees who regularly go above and beyond. If you can, consider ending with a message from your CEO or founder warmly thanking everyone for their efforts. 

Once you’ve made your video, send it to the team via email—or play it during your next staff meeting to surprise everyone. You could also share it on social media to highlight your employees’ contributions to a wider audience. 

3 . Launch a peer-to-peer recognition program 

Recognition from managers and leaders means a lot to employees, but recognition from peers can be just as meaningful. Use Valentine’s Day as a springboard to launch a peer-to-peer recognition program that allows employees to lift one another up and build stronger team bonds.

Creating a peer-to-peer recognition program doesn’t have to be complicated. If your team works together in the office, you could put up a large whiteboard where employees can write thank-you messages to coworkers who’ve helped them or demonstrated one of your organization’s core values. Or, if your team is hybrid or dispersed across multiple locations, you could create an online form where team members can submit kudos to be included in your internal newsletter or read out in a future meeting. Get things started by sharing your own thanks, then let employees take it from there.

4. Open up the floor to feedback 

Part of showing appreciation is being open to receiving feedback. If employees don’t feel like their voices are being heard, then any effort to thank them for their hard work may come across as hollow. 

After sharing your gratitude, let employees know that you want to hear from them. This could come in the form on anonymous surveys, one-on-one meetings, or a group discussion. What is your nonprofit doing well, and what could you do to better support them? Demonstrating a true commitment to building a healthy, transparent, and supportive organizational culture is one of the most important steps you can take toward making everyone feel truly appreciated at work. 

Whatever method you choose to say thanks to your employees this Valentine’s Day, authenticity is key. Be intentional, speak from the heart, and you can’t go wrong.