F. Recognition/Awards/Unity

1. Recognition/Awards

When working in the community, there are questions that are either always or never asked, “What am I doing this for? Does anyone notice?” Everyday heroes exist everywhere — different people working hard to create better communities and lives for friends and strangers. Recognition is often a great motivator for anyone who is committed to a task; it rewards the work and rekindles the spirit for everyone involved. Recognition can create awareness, be the first step in creating coalitions of people working on the same issue, be used as a recruitment tool, and nourish the soul.

Below are a few examples of recognition strategies:

• In recognition of service on campus and the Bonner Scholars Program, DePauw University has secured a full page in their school newspaper which once a week recognizes a “Volunteer of the Week” along with service related articles. A Bonner Scholar is selected to write the articles for the school newspaper, as well as articles for the Bonner Scholars Newsletter.
• The University of Richmond continues its “Story Awards” tradition honoring faculty and staff people who have exemplary lifestyles of service. The freshman class of Bonner Scholars organizes this event in an effort to not only unify them as a class of Scholars, but to also share accomplishments and motivate, kindle or rekindle the spirit of volunteerism on campus.
• Davidson College has a little note that says “We have seen what you have done, we appreciate it...” that goes out to periodically to acknowledge students' work at the school, in the community, or with the Bonner Program.

2. Unity

Building a community among Bonner Scholars is a challenge at every school. Keeping motivation for hard work and intensive learning experiences is also difficult. When unity and motivation are intact, they can serve as the most vital ingredients for a successful program.

Below are a few examples of strategies to build unity in the Bonner Scholars Program:

• Oberlin Bonner Scholars took advantage of the great outdoors when several first-year students participated in an overnight camping retreat off-campus. Taking the retreat away from the "taking care of business" atmosphere on campus helped Scholars to relax and reflect, and created space to let them gain a better understanding of one another. As their Bonner Director wrote, "the retreat served to remind us that there can be large benefits from the small sacrifice of making time to sit down together and just talk. A goal for next semester is to build this component into a formal structure."
• West Virginia Wesleyan has started an annual initiation ceremony in which all Bonner Scholars sign the "Bonner Book," which contains every signature of every Bonner Scholar at the West Virginia Wesleyan College.This tradition reinforces that the Bonner Scholars are an identifiable group on campus with a distinct history and tradition of working together to better the Buckhannon and surrounding communities.

3. Public Relations

It is very important that we take time to celebrate the accomplishments of our programs, both privately and publicly. Creating respect for the program on campus will aid your campus in using the Bonner Program as both a recruitment and retention tool. An additional benefit is that good PR is beneficial not only for your campus reputation, but also for the morale and self-esteem of your members. You can publicize current projects, upcoming service and training events, national service days, and member success stories. Try to connect with your campus public relations professionals early in the year to develop a strategy for promoting awareness and interest in the Bonner Program on your campus.

Potential avenues for coverage include:

(a) Local Media Coverage

One of the best ways to increase awareness and support for your program is to work effectively with your local media for coverage on TV or radio, in newspapers, and in magazines to let people know about your service accomplishments. Good news can get coverage, too!!

(b) Campus Coverage

Take advantage of campus avenues for advertising your Program as well. Ways of doing so include:

• Campus Website
• Campus Newspaper
• Campus Bulletin Boards in Student Activities Centers
• Campus Radio station
• Campus TV station

Many programs have thought of creative ways to publicize, highlight, and celebrate individual Bonner Leaders directly. Some examples include:

• Creating pamphlets featuring individual Bonners and their placements and hang them around campus
• Asking the President to host a dinner in honor of the Bonner Leaders at your campus
• Sending newsletters or one-time fliers to campus mail boxes celebrating Bonner work
• Creating bulletin board displays about your Bonners and posting them around campus
• Hosting a community partner/Bonner Leader luncheon and to celebrate mutual success stories

Note: Program directors must have the written consent of members before disclosing their names or photographs to the press or releasing personal information about them.