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What is an appropriate $ amount for year end gifts for volunteer staff?

Friendly Face Posts: 256 **12/22/16 12:18 am**

Does your church give Christmas gifts to thank volunteers? For example church musicians, teachers, etc. what is an appropriate $ amount for a church of 100 that has a full time pastor and the church is financially comfortable?

Last Sunday the head of the music ministry at a friends church gave each musician and praise team member (about 10 people) a bag with a gift that consisted of an plastic M&M candy cane and a 4oz tin can of store bought cookies. The total cost for each bag would have been at most $5.00. This is the only item they received to thank them for their service during the year. One of the receivers of this gift mentioned to me that he was stunned and hurt.

My opinion is that is would have been better to have given no give then to have given such a thoughtless gift. I think an appropriate gift would have been in the $25 to $50 range, and something that was not from the dollar store.

What is your opinion? What does your church do? Am I wrong?

Friendly Face Posts: 268 **12/22/16 4:11 pm**

I took my volunteers and their spouse/significant other to dinner and gave them $25 gift cards.

Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology Posts: 6385 **12/22/16 4:31 pm**

Our Church gave My wife and I a $50 gift card for a restaurant. We really didnt want or expect anything but they do this every year.

Golf Cart Mafia Capo Famiglia Posts: 4682 **12/23/16 8:51 pm**

Varying amounts will be shared and the volunteers will receive an average of $50.
Key leadership will receive more due to their strong commitment to the ministries of FCC.

Just as an idea,
If a small church can be disciplined to the point where they set aside a $20 bill every Sunday for the whole year they will have enough set aside to be a blessing to a basic volunteer staff at Christmas time.

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Acts-celerater Posts: 586 **12/24/16 12:07 am**

When I pastored a smaller congregation, we would try to give all our volunteer leaders $50

Hey, DOC Posts: 88 **12/24/16 9:39 am**

We run about 80 people for Sunday morning worship and have steady and solid tithe and offering income. Each Christmas, we give the clerk/secretary, youth pastor, and kids pastor $100.

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 14803 **12/24/16 3:42 pm**

My opinion is that it is good form to be gracious about a gift no matter how small. A gift is not a payment, requirement, or obligation. If the music minister is unpaid or paid little, I wouldn't expect him or her to take $250 to $500 out of his or her own pocket for gifts. If money for the gifts comes out of the church budget, the church should decide how much they want to budget for gifts. "Appropriate" is going to mean different things to different people, but if the other praise team members don't appreciate their gifts either, I hope the music minister just uses the $50 next year to take his or her significant other out for a nice dinner.
Hey, I'll sing for peanuts (M&M's)!
That said, our church does give gifts in the $25 to $50 range, but I'm trying to think back to other churches I've been to. I don't recall the churches I grew up in giving volunteers gifts (and maybe they did and I just didn't know about it). Of course, that was back in the dark ages when the congregation all sang songs out of the songbook. No weeknight practices were required because we all knew the songs. I daresay the song leader and piano player would not have expected a gift for what they did, and they probably considered it an honor to do what they did.
What I said about graciousness notwithstanding, I'll trade that hurt and stunned friend of yours a "Your Best Life Now Journal" or a "100 days of prayers for teachers" devotional for those M&M's and cookies.

Volunteer Luncheon

Acts-celerater Posts: 875 **12/27/16 9:47 am**

Every January we have a Volunteer Luncheon to honor all of our volunteers from the previous year. The meal is catered. At the end, we have a drawing for five very nice gifts that have been purchased for the event. The gifts total about $500 in value. Last year we gave away a Samsung Tablet, set of Bose Headphones, and various other gifts. Electronics go well! The first name drawn gets to choose what they prefer. People love it! We are a church of about 325 and last year 116 volunteers attended the luncheon.

For staff, I determine a bonus based on merit. This year my Associate Pastor and Minister of Music received $250 each but my Youth Pastor and Business Administrator received $500 each. Hope this helps someone who needs an idea.

I got it!

Acts Mod Posts: 25305 **12/28/16 12:52 pm**

A scratchers lottery ticket each. If one hits it big, just think of the huge tithe increase. Laughing

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Doctor of Bovinamodulation

Acts Enthusiast Posts: 1865 **12/28/16 1:21 pm**

We don't have any hard/fast rules for that. We have five paid staff members and countless volunteers. Usually it is left up to each committee how they want to recognize their leaders. I do my best to affirm and encourage all throughout the year.