20 Best Holiday Gifts for Volunteers

If your organization relies on volunteers, their generous, community-centered efforts are worth celebrating. Volunteer appreciation gifts are one of the best ways to let people know you value their contributions, especially during the holiday season.

You want to pick items that reflect your brand values, show your sincere appreciation and appeal to diverse tastes, which can be challenging criteria to meet. We’re here to help you with 20 heartwarming holiday gift ideas for volunteers!

Why Give Volunteer Appreciation Gifts?

Gifts benefit your volunteers and organization when you choose them wisely. Advantages include:

• Enriching your organizational culture
• Enhancing engagement and satisfaction
• Improving volunteer retention
• Attracting new volunteers
• Boosting morale and productivity

Keep reading for gift ideas to celebrate and motivate your volunteers.

Top 20 Holiday Gift Ideas for Volunteers

We’ve got you covered if you need inspiration for gifts to make every volunteer smile. These 20 gifts work for any holiday, so you can give inclusive gifts to all your volunteers, regardless of their background or beliefs.

1. T-shirts

A quality T-shirt is a classic volunteer gift idea. They can wear it to represent your organization at your events, while relaxing at home or when running errands around town. Matching, branded T-shirts featuring your logo and tagline will make volunteers feel united and proud to belong to your team. These excellent conversation starters will encourage your supporters to spread the word about your mission and purpose.

Trade the element of surprise for cost-efficiency by asking your volunteers for their T-shirt sizes before you order. That way, you’ll know you’re getting the correct quantity of each size without unnecessary spending. You could order separate men’s and women’s T-shirts or streamline by choosing a unisex fit.

2. Hoodies

Everybody loves the comfort and warmth a hoodie provides. Whether your recipients prefer wearing their customized hoodies while warming up for athletic activities or cozying up on the couch on a cold winter night, they’ll appreciate the thoughtful gesture. Since most hoodies have a comfy, spacious fit, you can easily find a choice all your volunteers will love.

Select an eco-friendly option if environmental responsibility is part of your organization’s culture. The Champion® Double Dry Eco Custom Pullover Unisex Hoodie from ePromos is stylish enough for anybody, but your most environmentally conscious volunteers will especially love that part of the polyester in its soft cotton-polyester blend comes from recycled plastic bottles!

Hoodies are also ideal for customization with your branding, so create a stylish design using your logo and splash it on the front.

3. Caps and Hats

Promotional caps and hats are another iconic volunteer appreciation gift. Caps come in various styles, from classic baseball caps to trucker caps and visors. These practical accessories keep the sun out of a volunteer’s face while promoting an organizational culture that makes them feel appreciated. A cap’s front panel is an excellent space to incorporate eye-catching custom branding.

Beyond caps, you can explore bucket hats for refreshing shade or beanies for warmth during winter holidays.

4. Socks

Give your volunteers comfortable custom socks to thank them. Consider thick, fuzzy socks to warm their feet during the winter holiday season, or athletic socks if that fits your organization’s culture.

Color choices range from muted to bright, so choose a hue that fits your culture and branding. Add your logo to remind volunteers that they’re a valued part of your team, wherever they go.

5. Tote Bags

Customized tote bags are the perfect blend of style and practicality. They’re handy for carrying groceries, a change of clothes and whatever else your recipients need when they’re on the go. Their generous sizing creates an ample canvas for a design to represent your organization with style. Have fun browsing tote bags in various styles, fabrics and colors to pick the best match for your volunteers and your brand.

6. Blankets

Keep your volunteers warm through the holiday season and remind them you care. Pick a plush, soft blanket in an appropriate color or pattern and add your logo for a touch of branding.

Though everyone uses and loves blankets, they’re less common to receive as volunteer gifts than others on this list. Consider that a bonus — a customized blanket will be a memorable present that shows your thoughtfulness.

7. Water Bottles

A promotional water bottle is one of the best practical gifts for your recipients and our environment. Water bottles encourage volunteers to stay hydrated, making them healthier and more productive members of your team. Reusable bottles also reduce plastic pollution in our oceans, as your volunteers can refill them many times rather than creating more waste with single-use plastic water bottles.

Since people take their custom water bottles with them everywhere, adding your branding will gain exposure for your cause while reminding volunteers of your appreciation with every sip.

8. Mugs

Three-quarters of Americans drink at least one cup of coffee daily, and even people who dislike coffee probably enjoy an alternative like cocoa or herbal tea. Consider delighting your volunteers with branded custom mugs to fill with their favorite hot beverage. Your recipients will get a lot of use out of a high-quality mug and think of your generosity whenever they pick it up.

9. Treats

Tasty treats put a smile on anyone’s face. Colorful gummy bears, M&Ms®, cookies, assorted Hershey’s® chocolates or marshmallow-stuffed hot chocolate bombs are a few cute candy options to show your appreciation.

You can also consider candy gift sets or branded mug-stuffer sets that combine a customized mug with a treat like a hot chocolate bomb.

10. Power Banks

Show appreciation to the volunteers who empower your mission by gifting them promotional power banks. A branded power bank is a handy tool to keep devices running while people are on the go. Whether they need to charge devices for work or entertainment, a power bank can be a lifesaver in many situations.

11. Plants

Make a meaningful statement with a living gift. A plant in a customized pot tells a volunteer you recognize their contributions to your organization’s growth. They can use a custom planter set with a pot and seeds to enjoy watching their plant mature.

If you’d like to make their plant-raising experience as low-maintenance as possible, consider the convenient self-watering ceramic promotional planter set from ePromos. All your recipients need to do is top off the water — the pot will handle the rest!

12. Personal Care Items

Your volunteers spend their time and talents improving other people’s lives. Help them take a moment to care for themselves with custom personal care products for rest and restoration. Soothing self-care gift ideas to rejuvenate your volunteers on holiday breaks include:

• Branded rest and relaxation kit with a massager, neck pillow and adult coloring pencils.
• Custom spa kit with a loofah, pumice stone and wood-handled bath brush.
• Self-care gift set with teas, a mug and a candle.
• A travel pillow and sleep mask set for a relaxing getaway.

13. Headphones

Our favorite music forms the soundtrack of our lives. It evokes memories, expresses emotions and stirs our souls. Give your volunteers a pair of custom headphones or earbuds to convey your gratitude — they’ll love jamming to their favorite tunes with crystal-clear sound quality.

Volunteers who work on their laptops in your office or other crowded environments may also experience productivity gains by blocking distractions with subtle, focus-enhancing audio.

14. Calendars

Think beyond the holiday season and make your volunteers feel valued every day of the year. A custom wall or desk calendar is an outstanding way to communicate year-round appreciation. Calendars help us organize our lives and boost our productivity. They also remind us to seize each day’s opportunities and enjoy the ride as we look forward to special moments like holidays.

Give your volunteers customized calendars with your branding to thank them for their daily efforts.

15. Stationery

Consider giving customized stationery items to your volunteers as another practical gift idea. Promotional pens are easy to add to any holiday gift set. Customizing them with your organization’s logo will remind your volunteers that they’re a valued part of a meaningful mission.

Alternatively, you can meet many needs with a single gift by giving them a seven-in-one stationery kit with your branding on the box. This kit from ePromos includes:

• Stapler
• Staples
• Sticky notes
• Paper clips
• Tape dispenser
• Rubber bands

16. Handwritten Appreciation Notes

Heartfelt, handwritten notes addressed to each volunteer make a sincere statement. Your organizational leaders will quickly recoup their time investment in writing these notes by boosting volunteer satisfaction, engagement and retention.

Another approach is to gather brief testimonials from people who have benefited from your organization’s work. This feedback will motivate volunteers and warm their hearts as they take a well-deserved holiday break.

17. Volunteer Awards

Everyone loves receiving tangible recognition for their efforts. You could print certificates to recognize each volunteer as they reach a milestone, like completing a year on your team. For volunteers who have joined primarily to gain experience and bolster their resumes, a certificate demonstrates what they’ve achieved in their time with you.

If you have volunteers who have achieved meaningful targets or milestones, you could go further and present them with a custom acrylic award to display proudly on their shelves.

18. Event Tickets

If a marquee artist or sporting event is coming to your city, show appreciation to your volunteers by gifting them event tickets this holiday. An experiential gift creates lasting memories and is a bonding opportunity for your team members.

Depending on the ticketing company, you may even qualify for a discount when ordering a block of seats for all your volunteers.

19. Gift Cards

Giving someone a gift card is a little like giving them a magic lamp — they get to have a wish granted. Choose a gift card for a store that sells many items, so each volunteer can pick something they genuinely want or need. Alternatively, tell people you’re giving gift cards to thank them for their volunteer service and let them choose from a list of options.

20. Framed Photos

Photographs are one of the most effective ways to capture moments and memories. Gifting your volunteers a framed team photo tells them they’ll always be a vital part of your organization’s story. You could also frame a picture of some of the people they’ve impacted.

Whichever you choose, the special memories they’ve made while volunteering will be with them for a lifetime. Order a custom frame with your organization’s branding in the correct size and shape for your pictures.

Shop Promotional Holiday Gifts for Volunteers With ePromos

Tell your valued volunteers how much you appreciate them with one or more inspiring ideas from this list. ePromos is your go-to partner for ordering customized volunteer appreciation gifts with your company’s branding. Use our vast selection of customizable gifts to delight your volunteers and promote your brand.

Our professional artists can help you create your promotional masterpiece if you need help nailing down the brand artwork for your volunteer gifts. Once you have captured the perfect look, browse our selection of customizable gifts and order the items you want to embellish with your design.

Contact ePromos today to speak with a promotional products expert about your customized volunteer gift order.