Finding ways to encourage staff and volunteers is vital to a successful organization. Yet, we forget to do it, or we can feel like we might embarrass someone, or hurt someone’s feelings because if they were “left out.” Giving people a shout out can shift the culture of your group to something amazing.

Instead of things to fix, it is the vision of something that is working.

Instead of negative behaviors, it is encouraging one another as we do the right thing.

Instead of correction, it is spotlighting successes.

One way we here are working to stay positive and focus on the great things we are doing is adding a section to our weekly communication. Every week we send out emails to our staff and volunteers. We have recently started a section of that email called “caught in the act.” It simply a time to highlight staff and volunteers who are doing things that meet the expectations of our mission and visions, as well as, things that go above and beyond. From innovative ways of supporting youth to highlighting the ways people are supporting one another in the workplace.

Writing simple “thank you” notes is another way to show appreciation. Every month, we have our team leaders send out a few thank you notes to their teams, volunteers and supporters simply saying thanks. What is awesome is our team leaders are able to tailor those notes to the individuals specifically.

By highlighting the people that make the organization successful we can start building a culture that supports our youth best.