Volunteer Awards: Custom Plaques, Awards and Pins

Short answer

A volunteer award thanks someone for time they were never paid for, so it has to be personal to mean anything. We make volunteer of the year plaques, awards for years or hours of service, perpetual plaques listing each year’s honoree, and pins or medallions for a whole crew, in acrylic, wood and metal with your organization’s logo. There is no minimum order, so one plaque for one volunteer is a normal order, and you approve a design proof before anything is produced.

Who gets a volunteer award

Most organizations recognize volunteers in three ways at once, and each calls for a different kind of piece.

The standout. A volunteer of the year, chosen by staff or by fellow volunteers. One person, one substantial award.
The long-serving. People reaching five, ten or twenty years, or a round number of hours. Their award should state the figure.
Everyone. The whole roster, thanked with something small and identical at the annual dinner or the end of the event.

Add a fourth where it applies: the volunteer who is stepping down from a role, such as a treasurer, a coach or a committee chair, after years in it.

Wall plaques are the traditional volunteer award and still the most used; plaque awards shows the wood and printed acrylic build. A freestanding piece like the one pictured suits a volunteer of the year.

Volunteer award formats

Volunteer of the year plaque

A wood plaque with a printed face carrying the name, the year and a line about what they did.

Perpetual volunteer plaque

One plaque that stays at the organization, with a name plate added each year. A visible history of who carried the place.

Service milestone awards

Graded pieces for years or hours served, in one design so each milestone is a step up from the last.

Volunteer pins

A pin in your logo for every volunteer, or a different pin for each year of service. Worn on a vest, lanyard or cap.

Crew medallions

Acrylic medallions on neck ribbons for the whole event crew, cut to your event’s own shape.

Retiring officers and chairs

A custom piece for someone leaving a long-held role, naming the role and the years they held it.

Making the award personal

Volunteers do not expect an award, which is why a generic one disappoints more than none. The specifics are what turn a plaque into something kept.

Name the work. “For running the Saturday pantry line” rather than “for dedicated service.”
Use a number if you have one. Years, seasons, hours, meals served, events staffed. Take it from your records, not from memory.
Say what it made possible. One line about the result of their time.
Get the name right. Volunteers are often known by a nickname that is on no form. Ask someone who knows them.

Volunteer of the Year
Patricia Lindgren
For twelve seasons at the scorer’s table
and every Saturday in between
Eastside Youth Baseball · 2026

The appreciation plaque wording guide has a template and more lines for volunteers, board members and coaches.

Choosing a volunteer of the year without hurt feelings

In a small organization everyone knows everyone, and a single top award can leave long-serving people feeling passed over. A little structure helps.

Take nominations from volunteers as well as staff, with a sentence on why.
Have a small group decide, not one person.
Rule out recent winners for a set number of years so the award moves around.
Pair the top award with milestone awards, so long service is recognized on its own terms.
Thank the whole roster on the same occasion, by name where numbers allow.

For the occasion itself, including National Volunteer Week and ways to thank volunteers that are not awards, see volunteer appreciation ideas.

Ordering on a nonprofit’s terms

Volunteer-run groups rarely order awards often, and the person organizing it may be a volunteer too. The process is meant to be simple: send your logo, the award names, the list of recipients and what each should say, even in rough form. We lay it out and send a proof to approve. Because there is no minimum order, a club can order exactly the three plaques it needs.

We build in acrylic, wood and metal in Carson City, Nevada, and ship nationwide; we do not sell glass or crystal awards. A design can be reordered each year so the volunteer of the year plaque always matches the ones before it. Request a quote against the date of your dinner or meeting. If you are also thanking funders, see donor recognition plaques and sponsor plaques, and the Recognition Library for everything else.

Volunteer Awards FAQs

What is a good award for a volunteer?

A plaque or freestanding award with the volunteer’s name, the year and a specific line about what they did. For a whole roster, a pin or medallion in the organization’s design gives everyone something identical to keep.

What do you write on a volunteer award?

The award name, the volunteer’s name as they are known, one line naming the work or the years of service, and the organization with the year. Specific wording matters more for volunteers than for any other award.

Should we recognize hours or years of service?

Either works, as long as the figure comes from your records and the same milestones apply to everyone. Years suit ongoing roles; hours suit programs that log shifts.

Can a small club order just one or two awards?

Yes. Small clubs often order only the two or three plaques they need, and there is no minimum.

Can we give every volunteer the same small award?

Yes. Pins and acrylic medallions are made in your own design and suit a full roster, alongside individual plaques for the volunteers you single out.

Can the same volunteer of the year plaque be made every year?

Yes. The design can be reordered with only the name and year changed, so each year’s plaque matches the last.

Racer in a helmet raising both arms as gold confetti falls under stage lights

THANKING YOUR VOLUNTEERS?

Send the names and we will design the awards

Send your logo, the award names, who is receiving each and what you would like it to say, even in rough form. We send a design proof, and you can change anything before it is produced.

Tell us the date of the dinner or meeting and we will quote against it.

Request a Quote

Volunteer Awards