Pro Roundup: 51 Superhero Volunteer Appreciation Quotes to Celebrate
Looking for some great volunteer appreciation quotes to acknowledge the work of volunteers and the power of volunteerism? Look no further!
April is Global Volunteer Month and National Volunteer Week is April 17-23, Now is a wonderful time to celebrate the impact of superhero volunteers and their unique contributions to causes around the world.
Whether you are writing personal notes, creating a video, launching media campaigns, or hosting special events, adding in some inspirational volunteer appreciation quotes can spice up your communications and take them to the next level.
In this blog post, we’ve curated some of our favorite volunteer appreciation quotes in one place for easy reference. Save it and return to it all year long to quickly pull out a quote that’s exactly right for your special moment.
If you are a nonprofit executive, board member, volunteer coordinator, or volunteer leader these quotes can both help you get into the spirit of gratitude and inspire others to live their best lives through volunteer service.
For more ideas and prompts to inspire you, check out National Volunteer Week 2022: Resources & Ideas for Your Nonprofit HERE >>
Volunteer Appreciation – Why Gratitude Matters
To kick off our list of quotes, below is some inspiration for you, the giver of thanks, the person who is expressing gratitude (who’s a superhero, too!).
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.” ~ John F. Kennedy
“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” ~ Oscar Wilde
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie
“When you are grateful, fear disappears, and abundance appears.” ~ Anthony Robbins
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” ~ Voltaire
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ~ Leo Buscaglia
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
“When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” ~ Vietnamese Proverb
Volunteer Appreciation Quotes for Your Superhero Celebrations
Below are some inspired volunteer appreciation quotes that are about the power of volunteerism, but also motivational quotes and those about the generosity of the human spirit. Volunteers have super powers – let’s celebrate them!
We hope you enjoy them!
For more quotes along a myriad of themes – and a simple four-step formula for writing an exceptional volunteer appreciation speech – check out How to Crush Your Next Recognition Speech with These Volunteer Appreciation Quotes HERE >>
Volunteer Appreciation Quotes: For Service
“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands — one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” ~ Audrey Hepburn
“In proportion as one renders service, he becomes great.” ~ Booker T. Washington
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ~ Winston Churchill
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ~ Gandhi
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” ~ Arthur Ashe
“There is no better exercise for your heart than reaching down and helping to lift someone up.” ~ Bernard Meltzer
“Supporters want to be part of something bigger than themselves. Service expands not reduces, our world view.” ~ Tobi Johnson
“Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have.” ~ Jim Rohn
“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” ~ Kahlil Gibran
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” ~ Dr. Seuss
“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” ~ Muhammad Ali
“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” ~ H. Jackson Brown Jr.
“The quality of your life will be determined by the quality of your contribution. When you work to improve the lives of others, your life improves automatically.” ~ Kurek Ashley
“Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.” ~ Dolores Huerta
“We are not going to dwell on those things that divide us. We are going to rejoice in those things that keep us together to make this a better country- to reach down and back to touch every young person in need!” ~ Gen. Colin Powell 
Volunteer Appreciation Quotes: For Volunteerism
“Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else’s help.” ~ Heather French Henry
“Volunteerism is the voice of the people put into action. These actions shape and mold the present into a future of which we can all be proud.” ~ Helen Dyer
“Volunteering is so pervasive it’s invisible. We take for granted all the things that have been pioneered by concerned, active volunteers.” ~ Susan J. Ellis
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they have the heart.” ~ Elizabeth Andrew
“Volunteering is an act of heroism on a grand scale. And it matters profoundly. It does more than help people beat the odds; it changes the odds.” ~ William J. Clinton
“Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.” ~ Sherry Anderson
“Rather than solely the act of ‘lending a hand,’ volunteerism is a kind of self-actualization. It represents a profound and personal search for meaning in the world.” ~ Tobi Johnson
“Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another.” ~ Erma Bombeck
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” ~ Elizabeth Andrew
“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” ~ Author Unknown
“What volunteers bring is the human touch, the individual, caring approach that no government program, however well-meaning and well-executed, can deliver.” ~ Edward James Olmos
“Don’t ever question the value of volunteers. Noah’s Ark was built by volunteers; the Titanic was built by professionals.” ~ Author Unknown
Volunteer Appreciation Quotes: For Collective Impact
“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” ~ Margaret J. Wheatley
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” ~ Coretta Scott King
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” ~ Helen Keller
“In the modern world, collaboration is the new competition. We can do so much more as a community than as an individual.” ~ Tobi Johnson
“Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs
“There is immense power when a group of people with similar interests gets together to work toward the same goals.” ~ Idowu Koyenikan
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” ~ Michael Jordan
“None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.” ~ Mother Teresa
“You are responsible for the energy that you create for yourself, and you’re responsible for the energy that you bring to others.” ~ Oprah Winfrey
“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” ~ Amy Poehler
“If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel with others.” ~ African Proverb
“Community organizing is all about building grassroots support. It’s about identifying the people around you with whom you can create a common, passionate cause. And it’s about ignoring the conventional wisdom of company politics and instead playing the game by very different rules.” ~ Tom Peters
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” ~ Barack Obama
“Heroes didn’t leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an outstretched hand; they didn’t wear boots and capes. They bled, and they bruised, and their superpowers were as simple as listening, or loving. Heroes were ordinary people who knew that even if their own lives were impossibly knotted, they could untangle someone else’s. And maybe that one act could lead someone to rescue you right back.” ~ Jodi Picoult
FREE Tool: Volunteer Thank You Letter Sample Cheat Sheet
Volunteer appreciation doesn’t have to be difficult. And, often the simplest ideas are the most heartfelt and appreciated.
If you’re looking for quick ideas on how to write creative, meaningful thank you notes, check out our free Volunteer Thank You Letter Sample Cheat Sheet!
Use this guide to write notes of appreciation for volunteers. Don’t wait until the end of a big project or event. You can also send thank you notes to spouses, partners, bosses, and kids for supporting the volunteer in their community work!
This Cheat Sheet includes a list of research-based motivations you might want to reinforce in your letters. Also, we share our Four-Part Power Volunteer Thank you formula and offer an example of how to use it in a thank you letter.
If you struggle to know just what to express in your letters or are looking for a little extra inspiration, this freebie is for you!
