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  • 1.  Inexpensive volunteer thank you gifts?

    Posted 04-29-2015 11:41

    I like to give my parent volunteers a thank you gift at our the end of the year celebration/thespian induction.  Anyone have ideas for inexpensive but thoughtful gifts?  I've done a ceramic coffee mug that all the kids signed.  That gift was a big hit but it's too soon to do that one again.  I'm considering a similar idea with a xmas ornament but it seems very unseasonal.

    Any ideas welcome!

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    Sandra Dietel
    Blythewood SC
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  • 2.  RE: Inexpensive volunteer thank you gifts?

    Posted 04-29-2015 11:50
    I've put programs from the shows in a nice frame after having all of the kids sign them. Or maybe having an artistic kid create an original drawing that incorporates the volunteer name with your shows? 

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    Shira Schwartz
    Chandler Unified School District
    Chandler AZ
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  • 3.  RE: Inexpensive volunteer thank you gifts?

    Posted 04-29-2015 11:50

    The Amazon sells a job lot of 24 Oscar-style mini-statuettes for under 25 dollars. The charm is in the tackiness, and you can go even tackier by Dymo-labeling it with something individualized.

    Food? Some sort of cup cake with a personalized message on a flag-stick? A free ticket to any future shows? A picture frame with cast pictures in it, signed by the cast?

    My students overwhelmed me with one of the nicest cast-signed cards I've ever gotten, probably due to just one student in particular who was eloquent and very generous in her praise, as well as writing a personal letter to my 4 year old daughter, who was her partner in the production for a ballet skit. Sometimes words of affirmation are the nicest thing. But some people like gifts.

    Hope this helps!

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    Phillip Goodchild
    Ruskin FL
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  • 4.  RE: Inexpensive volunteer thank you gifts?

    Posted 04-30-2015 11:19

    Last year I gave my Drama Booster Board small boxes of gourmet cookies along with a card signed by the drama kids.  (We have a local company who are well known for these.)  I did this because I don't think they want a framed photo or poster from the show.  Flowers are nice, but well, they die after a few days.  I don't imagine parents putting their "thank you" on display in their home.

    Thank you for posting.  I'm looking forward to other responses...or it might just be cookies again this year.

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    Cindy Skelton
    Drama Teacher
    San Mateo Union High School District
    Burlingame CA
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  • 5.  RE: Inexpensive volunteer thank you gifts?

    Posted 04-30-2015 11:40

    I try to rotate the parent gifts every six years or so as I have many returning volunteers. Most of my gifts are ordered at our trophy store where they keep our department logo. I have had various kinds of key chains made (engraved wood, metal w/logo, plastic w/logo), luggage tags with our logo (stole that idea from the EdTA Store), small marble paperweights with our logo, plastic insulated drink cups with the logo, and clear glass paperweights with our logo. I have also spent the year getting good onstage and backstage shots of the Booster parents kids and framing those as gifts. That is much more time consuming, but always appreciated by the parents.

     When I order the items from the trophy store I never include the year and always order extra for those last minute forgotten thank yous, and to have on hand throughout the year. We usually take these same gifts to our school board for our annual Theatre department presentation and give to the board and entire district office senior staff. 

     If you use a department logo you are branding your program and every person who sees those key chains, paperweights, etc are seeing both your logo and name (thanks Jay Seller), which will also go a long way in marketing your program.

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    Krista Carson Elhai
    California
    Claremont CA
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  • 6.  RE: Inexpensive volunteer thank you gifts?

    Posted 04-30-2015 12:17

    I recently discovered this neat tool online, Tagul, that you can use to build word clouds. You can make them any shape and use any words you want, then have them printed on tote bags, t-shirts, mugs, posters, etc. I made one for my grandparents in the shape of a tree and filled it in with the names of every family member, plus words to describe our family like "noisy," "loveable," "warm," etc. You could do something similar with volunteers. Maybe use a drama mask shape or school logo and fill it in with the volunteers' names, names of shows they've worked on, words to describe them. The website is:

    https://tagul.com/
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    Ginny Butsch
    Community Manager
    Educational Theatre Association
    Alexandria KY
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  • 7.  RE: Inexpensive volunteer thank you gifts?

    Posted 05-01-2015 10:44
    For fun trophies, I had our local trophy company save broken pieces from various trophies throughout the year. The trophy company owners had laughs when they created random trophies, with a broken sports leg sticking up or the head of an Oscar like medal man with a bat coming out of his head. My officers created titles for the trophy, similar to "paper plate awards." Each was a small affordable one-of-a-kind award. ------------------------------ Gai Jones Ojai CA ------------------------------
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  • 8.  RE: Inexpensive volunteer thank you gifts?

    Posted 05-03-2015 08:22

    This fall I ordered some simple tote bags from 4Imprint.  I included our troupe logo and they turned out quite nice.  I will be presenting them to our parents this year.  It is the first time I have done this in years, but I've had such an amazing group of parents that I want to make sure I recognize them. 

    I also have awesome mason jar sippers - you know, they have the lid and straw?  Not too expensive and awesome to have out there.  At the start of the school year, our troupe decorated the teacher's lounge and gave donates to the entire staff and faculty.  I put out several of the mugs filled with candy and they were gone quickly!  It is fun to see teachers and staff using our mugs!

    Krista's idea of buying extra is brilliant! 

    No matter what you give them, they will appreciate the gesture! 

    My best!

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    Carolyn Cork Greer
    Owensboro KY
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  • 9.  RE: Inexpensive volunteer thank you gifts?

    Posted 05-14-2015 19:32

    If you are still looking for ideas, type in zazzle.com theatrical gifts. A wealth of items will pop up. 

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    Nancy Bernhard
    Salinas CA
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