April 15-21, 2012 "Hospice Volunteers: We Listen, We Care"

Established as a national week of recognition in 1974, National Volunteer Week is celebrated by hospices across the country and provides an important opportunity to honor volunteers and engage with the broader community.

“We Listen, We Care” – the theme for the 2011-2012 Outreach Materials released this past fall, carries over to 2012 National Volunteer Week. For those using the 2011-2012 outreach materials, these new volunteer materials will allow you to maintain consistency with outreach efforts.  However, providers should feel comfortable using any volunteer themes that might already be integrated into your program’s materials.  NHPCO encourages members and coalitions to be as creative as possible and adapt the materials we offer in any way that will support the important work you are doing in your community.

Recognition Ideas & Outreach Suggestions

• Recognition & Outreach: ideas and examples from providers (PDF)

Document Templates

• Press Release (Word)
• Media Alert, for an event (Word)
• Suggested Op-ed (Word)
• Letter to the Editor (Word)
• Public Service Announcements (Word)
• Proclamation (Word)

Volunteer Facts & Statistics

• Volunteering and Hospice: Facts from NHPCO (PDF)
• US Department of Labor: Volunteering in the US in 2010
• Points of Light Institute: Facts on Volunteering (PDF)

Ad Slick/Poster for Volunteer Recognition

NHPCO has developed two ad slicks recognizing National Volunteer Week. Please feel free to customize these high resolution PDF files in any way that would be helpful in your outreach.

Volunteer Week Ad #1

Volunteer Week Ad #2

 Graphic Logos

The following graphics are available and may be used on volunteer materials of your own creation.

	Hospice soaring bird (jpg image)
	Volunteer Hands & Heart (jpg image)
	Hospice Butterfly  (jpg image)

NHPCO Marketplace

The Marketplace features a range of items that celebrate the work of your volunteers. We invite you to look over some of the available Marketplace Volunteer Recognition items. You can visit Marketplace online at nhpco.org/marketplace or call 1-800-646-6460.

New Hospice T-shirt – Torrey DeVitto, actor, volunteer and NHPCO hospice ambassador has designed a t-shirt that honors the passion found at the heart of all hospice volunteers and supporters. The front of the shirt carries the message “comfort – love – respect” while the back reminds people that hospice is “about how you live.” Proceeds from the t-shirt will all go to benefit consumer awareness and engagement. This t-shirt makes a terrific gift for volunteers of all ages.  Visit the Marketplace to order – or download this order form.

Other Suggested Resources

Volunteering in America – Interactive site from the Corporation for National and Community Service, offering data on volunteering, rankings of states and cities, and volunteer trends and demographic information for every state and 162 large and mid-sized cities. 

Hands on Network – The Hands on Network is affiliated with The Points of Light Institute and promotes National Volunteer Week. Its theme for 2011 is Celebrating People in Action. For more information, free downloadable graphics and a volunteer resource kit, are available online.

Corporation for National & Community Service – This federal organization is dedicated to strengthening communities and fostering civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year they produces a number of reports and publications that look at volunteering from many angles, including age, gender, economic status, education level, and geography.

Caring Connections – a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, Caring Connections is a national consumer and community engagement initiative to improve care at the end of life. A wide range of materials that include brochures, fact sheets, and outreach materials are available at the Caring Connections Web site.

We Honor Veterans - Resources and materials to help hospices serve veterans at the We Honor Veterans website. See information about "Veteran to Veteran Volunteer Programs."

National Heathcare Decisions Day - National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16; a day to focus on advance care planning. This year, NHDD will mark its fifth anniversary. Every year momentum builds. For more information and a wealth of outreach materials, visit National Healthcare Decisions Day website.