Thank You.
Thank you. These two little words are so important
to the success of NALS.
To make a great impression, write a thank you note. Thank and you are two of
the rarest words volunteers hear and are among the two words they most want to
hear. To say thank you tells someone that their work was appreciated and
that they made a difference to the organization. Thank you is the only "pay" volunteers
receive for their efforts.
But how often do we let an implied thank you do the job of a formal one? Unfortunately,
volunteers are not mind readers; they do not always know when we appreciate their
work. Without a formal thank you, many volunteers feel their work is unappreciated
and unnoticed.
I have learned how important it is to say thank you and
to be told thank you. I have learned that each and
every member is important to NALS. As chapter president,
I have learned the importance of every member who took
on a task to make our chapter successful this year. Whether
that member did one small thing, took on one huge project,
or filled in the gaps and did whatever needed to be done,
that member is important. I learned how important
it is to thank each member every chance I get for being
a member, coming to a meeting, or taking on a task. Without
these members our chapter would fall flat.
As marketing chairman, I have learned that we not only
market our programs, our services, and our products to
non-members and the legal community, but we market to our
members. It is important to stress to our members
how important they are to our association. We do
this not only to retain members, but because everyone needs
to feel appreciated. If our members know their efforts,
whether large or small, successful or unsuccessful, are
appreciated, they will keep trying. The word "appreciation" means
to be thankful and express admiration, approval, or gratitude.
It also means to grow or appreciate in value. As we appreciate
life, we become more valuable—both to ourselves and to
others. So as we appreciate each other, we develop
members who are more willing to participate.
It is not earth-shattering, but people really appreciate
and respond to personal notes. When I was Region
3 Director, one year I sent out personal handwritten notes
to all those in my region who passed the July certification
exams. This simple act had a way of turning the table
on me to make me feel appreciated too because I received
responses from those who told me how much they appreciated
my personal note. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending
on how you look at it) I did find this to be an enormous
job, so the next time, the notes were typed. A
personal thank you, an e-mail thank you, or an old-fashioned
note card thank you, whatever method you choose, has a
positive effect on the receiver and lets them know their
efforts did not go unnoticed.
Never let an opportunity go by to say thank you. Always
take the time to say thank you. When you send an
e-mail asking your committee members, officers, fellow
members, or anyone to do something, always end with thank
you. When a job has been done, send the member a
note or a special thank you. Recognize that member
in your newsletter, in your meeting minutes, or even on
your meeting agenda.
Specifically, when should you write thank you notes? Write
thank you notes to:
- People who speak at your monthly meetings.
- Reporters who contribute to your chapter newsletter.
- Volunteers:
- After they complete a job, no matter how small. For
example, write thank you notes to people who staff
the registration table at monthly meetings as well
as the committee members who organized the meetings.
- When they reach a major milestone in a long project,
as a means of encouraging them to complete the job.
- Officers:
- After they reach a major milestone in their work.
- After they complete their term.
The chapter leaders who are responsible for a task should
feel obligated to write a thank you note. For example,
the newsletter editor should feel obligated to write a
thank you note to each person who contributes an article
to the newsletter. But other chapter officers can
also send thank you notes. For example, the president should
write thank you notes to speakers, in addition to the thank
you note written by the program organizer. Volunteers appreciate
all the thank you notes they receive. The old adage
applies here--the more the merrier.
Recognition and thanks go a long way to success. You
can’t say thank you enough. So my thanks to each of
you for taking the time to read this article.
