There’s been lots of chatting about ideas of gifts to give to volunteers. Some prefer to stick to much-appreciated snacks throughout the week, while others like to give something that will last a little longer. I’ve perused various sites and gathered up a list of gift ideas for varying budgets and interests. Everything included here is something that I saw recommended specifically by someone in the Scuba VBS world! If you have other gift ideas, please share them in the comments below.
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PERSONAL NOTES
EASY-TO-ORDER GIFTS
CREATIVE APPRECIATION IDEAS
HOMEMADE/CRAFTING GIFTS
REGARDING AFFILIATE LINKS…
As I’ve said, I am 100% committed to freely sharing every resource on this site. I want anyone sharing Jesus with kiddos to be able to use whatever they find helpful here. But the question has been looming for me—Do I add affiliate links or not? After prayerful consideration, I did decide to add links with the hope that eventually they may help to cover some of the costs associated with having a website. So, if you decide to make a purchase of a product I’ve highlighted, please know that I am not shamelessly advertising random things for my personal benefit. Any commission I receive is going to a good cause! With that in mind, if you do decide to purchase something mentioned on my site, I’d sure appreciate if you’d connect through these links. It’s a way to support this ministry at no cost to you.
Now for the official disclosure…
Full Disclosure: I don’t charge for anything on this site, but as an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases (at no cost to you).
A PERSONAL NOTE
Most agree that nothing expresses true appreciation quite like a personal, handwritten note. These undersea themed thank you notes allow plenty of space for writing while carrying on the Scuba theme.
Whaline 30 Pack Under the Sea Thank You Cards with Envelopes Stickers Watercolor Ocean Animal Thank You Cards 4 x 6 Inch
Whaline 30 Pack Watercolor Ocean Greeting Cards Turtle Whale Jellyfish Stationery Cards with Envelopes Stickers 4 x 6 Inch
My personal favorite!
Note Card Cafe Thank You Cards with Aqua Blue Ocean Envelopes | 24 Pack | Blank Inside, Glossy Finish
The Best Card Company – 10 Blank Animal Cards Boxed (4 x 5.12 Inch) – Sunset Dolphins
This is a smaller set (10 cards), but the photography is amazing.
EASY-TO-ORDER GIFTS
Sieral 36 Packs Stainless Steel Tumbler Bulk with Lid Vacuum Double Wall Insulated Travel Coffee Mug
Love the colors! These tumblers cost about $5 each.
Honoson 18 Pieces Employee Appreciation Gift Plastic Clip Boards
Definitely something that can be used over and over. These are less than $2 each.
If you have Crumbl Cookies in your area, this is always a much-appreciated treat! To make it even better, add a card that says “VBS would CRUMBL without you!”
BeeGreen Sea Turtle Gifts Bags Animals Reusable Grocery Bags Shopping Bags 12 Pack
These totes are practical and right on theme! For less than $2 each, they make a nice gift. You could even add the Turtle-y Fantastic Volunteer card found here!
Got a local car wash near you? Pick up free car wash certificates for your volunteers. You might even be able to get them donated or discounted. Who doesn’t appreciate when someone ELSE washes their car?!
Instead of printing your own Starfish Story card, you can purchase these notepads and pens for less than $1 each. These come in a set of 50.
Tondiamo 24 Sets Starfish Story Gifts Appreciation Gift “You Make a Difference” Starfish Shaped Lapel Pins
Here’s another Starfish Story option including a pin and card in an organza bag for about $1 each.
50 Sets Starfish Story Gifts with Starfish Wristbands Inspirational Silicone Bracelets Cards Gifts
And yet another Starfish Story gift–it all depends on your budget and which style you think your volunteers would like best. This is another meaningful gift option for less than 50 cents each.
Sweet Candy Original Salt Water Taffy Assortment
Salt water taffy is definitely keeping with the theme! Here’s a 3 lb. bag (about 210 pieces).
10 Pcs Employee Appreciation Burlap Tote Bags Reusable Jute Bag Thank You Gift Tote
“Thank you for being Awesome” tote (about $3.50 each) would be super cute with the blue starfish keychain below adding a splash of color.
36 Pcs Starfish Story Keepsake Starfish Appreciation Gifts
Less than 50 cents each, these Starfish keychains and stories could be a stand-alone gift or they could be added to the totes above.
Gift cards are a classic gift that are always a big hit. Amazon, Starbucks, Coldstone Creamery…you know what your volunteers like most!
After pouring over all the suggestions posted about thank you gifts for Scuba, the theme that reappeared the most was sweet treats throughout the VBS week…Swedish Fish being the most popular! If you decide to go this route, there are a variety of printable cards available here.
CREATIVE APPRECIATION IDEAS THAT ARE NOT A TRADITIONAL GIFT
Appreciation can be expressed in many different ways. A hand-written note is always a nice touch, whether or not a gift was included. Here are some other ideas for letting your volunteers know how much their time and effort is appreciate by you and your church.
- Host a swim party after VBS is over
- Schedule a food truck and/or ice cream truck to come on the last day to provide a treat for all the volunteers
- Invite all the volunteers to a restaurant for a meal
- Have an ice cream Sundae party at the church or at a local ice cream parlor
- Have a soda bar with all the fixings
- Host a pizza party
- Provide a breakfast before the last day of VBS (or a dinner if for an evening VBS)
- If you give the kids certificates, publicly present your volunteers with one too
- Solicit local businesses for gift cards, donations, treats, etc. Then have a drawing to give each volunteer one of those special gifts.
HOMEMADE OR CRAFTING OPTIONS
If you can find the time, homemade gifts show heartfelt appreciation. Your volunteers are sure to notice the time you spent making sure they know they are valued.
Make a jar candle with items that can often be found at Dollar Tree or similar stores (sand for the bottom, seashells, blue glass, jute rope around the top).
Make a Sea Salt Scrub to gift to your volunteers. There are tons of recipes online. This picture came from Country Hill Cottage where they have provided a recipe with directions. http://www.countryhillcottage.com/diy-salt-scrub-recipe/
You might be able to find jars at Dollar Tree that would work for this. If not, you could snag these for just over $2 each:
Rosebudschocolate.com has this adorable gift bag available. You can order directly from them, but you could also make your own candy or chocolates with molds from Amazon. I ordered the molds and bags below and they are the perfect size to include a starfish and one of the shells. I’ll pick up some blue sugar/sprinkles and bows locally.
3 responses to “Scuba Volunteer Thank You Gift Ideas”
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These resources are AWESOME! Thank you for sharing, it is a blessing to your partners in Ministry! 🙂
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I agree entirely! We are all blessed when we partner in ministry and share our resources! So glad you can use some of these. Thank you for taking the time to comment. May the Lord bless your ministry!
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Thank you for this list! It was super helpful and saved me a ton of time!
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