The Olympics have been full of excitement and surprise thus far. From seeing Michael Phelps become the most decorated Olympic athlete thus far to watching Gabby Douglas pull in the Gold medal after a stellar performance. It is hard not to be captivated by these athletes’ amazing strength and endurance.

How can we take insight from these spectacular athletes in the nonprofit world? We can take away their message of teamwork. Whether you remember the spectacular performance Jordyn Wieber gave to her team or the undeniable friendship between Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt. We must model this dedicated teamwork when we volunteer in order to be successful!

1. Support every volunteer: Volunteers come with different background experiences, education, and skill levels. We must left up our fellow volunteers when they are feeling down or commend them for a good job. When a volunteer is ready to give up come to their defense and help them finish the job whether they need an extra hand or a little message of motivation. When someone does a good job, let them know!
2. Don’t steal someone’s spotlight: If another volunteer is doing a great job, do not take credit for their work. Let your organization know how awesome this individual is whether you are giving them a shout out in a newsletter or discussing their performance at an organizational meeting. It is important to let others know about the awesome work your volunteers are doing.
3. Make sure volunteers have everything they need: To be successful, a team must have all the necessary components to succeed. Just like a swimmer needs goggles, a bathing suit, and a swimming cap to be successful in the water, a volunteer needs basic materials as well. Make sure you supply volunteers with the necessities such as gloves if they are working outside. Also, supply water bottle and snacks to replenish hard-working volunteers.
4. Thank you goes a long way: Let your volunteer team know how thankful you are for their service. They will be more willing to support your organization if you let them know how appreciative you are. Just saying individual thank you during and after the project makes a big difference. Also, writing hand written thank you notes is a great way to show your appreciation, as well.
5. Give them the gold: Discuss having a volunteer of them month award at your organization to recognize extraordinary performance. You can also hold a volunteer award ceremony. These incentives will make your volunteers want to continue playing on your team.

We can learn a lot from our Olympic athletes. Not only do they give back to charities, but they display great team practices, overall. Thank you for representing America so well and teaching us all so much!

What are your favorite Olympic events? We would love to hear about the lessons that you have learned this far during the games in the comments section below!