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As with donors of money and other resources, it is also important to thank those who give their time, preferably
at low or no cost to the public sector or the non-profit supporting the asset. Examples include:
• An annual Heroes of the Neighborhood event organized by the Urban Neighborhoods Initiative, a
southwest Detroit non-profit whose work includes improvements to local parks. The event honors a host
of organizations, volunteers, program graduates, and others that have supported them. The ticket-only
celebration includes food from local businesses, music, and a prestige venue given freely to UNI for the
evening.
• An annual volunteers’ luncheon and tokens of appreciation organized by the Enoch Pratt Free Library
in Baltimore, including a pin (or badge), bag, and key chain for over 250 hours of service. The items in
question all have the added advantage of being relatively cheap to purchase.
• A range of (media-covered) awards that recognize good volunteering work. All have ceremonies of some
description and these are almost invariably sponsored so the cost to the asset organizations is minimal.
Examples include the Michigan Governor’s Service Awards (Volunteer of the Year category); the Mayor of
Baltimore’s Business Recognition Awards (community and civic commitment), and Minneapolis Park and
Recreation Board (Volunteers of the Year).
• You might even want to name an asset, or part of it, after notable volunteers, or have a Roll of Honor board
for them.
Figure 4.8: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board recognizes its outstanding volunteers, 2011
Brad Pass, a key figure in the six-year effort to secure a new rec center for Minneapolis’s East Phillips neighborhood is at the far left. He is quick to share
credit for what was a major team effort by residents and others. Accepting his reward he recalled an African proverb that says “if you want to go fast, go
alone; if you want to go far, go together.”
(source: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board)
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