Church Volunteer Gifts in Canada, Priced in CAD
It's the Sunday before Christmas. In the church kitchen, a woman who has poured coffee every week since September is rinsing the last mug, and nobody has said thank you.
Short answer: for church volunteers in Canada, give something small, useful and personal, between about $10 and $25, and order a church-sized batch early.
She isn't waiting for a ceremony. Most volunteers aren't. What stays with them is being noticed by name, by someone who knew which room they worked in and which Sunday they covered when another person was sick.
That's the real job of a volunteer gift. The object matters less than the name on it, and the name matters less than the person who handed it over looking them in the eye. So the picks below are small on purpose. Each one gives you a way to say "I saw you" without a budget meeting.
Every price here was checked on 23 Oct. Where a seller prices in US dollars, we say so, because your card will be charged in Canadian dollars at the bank's rate.
Five gifts for church volunteers
Names of Christ Mug, from our shop, $25 (our price on 23 Oct). The names given to the promised child at Christmas are stacked around the mug in graded type, and you can add a name at the base. That makes it a gift for one person and not a pile of identical ones. Best for: a volunteer who'll drink from it at the church kitchen sink. Not for: anyone who'd rather have something that isn't a mug.
Kenojuak Ashevak Boxed Notecards, from the National Gallery of Canada Boutique, CA$18.95 (checked 23 Oct). Twelve blank notecards with envelopes, two each of six prints, made in Canada according to the listing. Give a box to the person who coordinates your volunteers, so the thank-you notes get written. Best for: a church office or a team lead. Not for: anyone who wants Scripture printed on the card. Ships within Canada.
Jackie Traverse 2027 Wall Calendar, from the National Gallery of Canada Boutique, CA$19.95 (checked 23 Oct). Twelve artworks by the Anishinaabe artist Jackie Traverse, printed in Canada, bilingual, 9 by 12 inches. A staff or Christmas gift for people who like looking at art all year. Best for: a team that shares an office wall. Not for: anyone wanting religious art. Ships within Canada.
Beeswax Taper Candle Pair, from the Monastery of the Virgin Mary the Consolatory, CA$10 (checked 23 Oct). A pair of tapers, about 21.5 cm each, which the listing says are pure Canadian beeswax. It works as an Advent candle or a small housewarming gift, and it's the cheapest pick on this list. Best for: a long list of volunteers on a tight budget. Not for: anyone who wants scented candles.
Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ, by Timothy Keller, from Penguin Random House through Christianbook, US$9.15 (checked 23 Oct). A paperback-sized Advent read. Christianbook's shipping chart lists Canada. Best for: an adult volunteer who reads. Not for: children.
When you need forty of the same thing
Some churches can't buy five different gifts. They need one gift, forty times, with a name on each.
That's what our church page is for. You choose the gifts and quantities, from 10 to 200 pieces, and say who they're for. We send a quote and a proof within one business day, and the proof is the exact artwork with your names on it. Nothing is made and nothing is charged until you approve it, and then you pay by card.
The price per piece comes down as the quantity goes up. We don't publish a per-piece table yet, so the exact numbers arrive in your quote, and the quote doesn't change after you approve it. Shipping is one box to one address, quoted for your postal code, plus HST for your province. For the latest day to order, see the order-by dates on the churches page. They're worked out from production time plus a buffer, so we don't type a date here that could go out of date.
How we chose
We put our own gifts first because we can stand behind them: on a church order you see the exact proof before you pay. The others are chosen by hand, from sellers that state their shipping, and we check the price on the day shown. We leave out anything whose listing doesn't tell us enough to describe it honestly. Some links earn us a small commission at no cost to you. How we pick, and what we earn, is on our disclosure page.
A word before you order
Paul wrote to people who were tired of doing good, and he told them the harvest would come.
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9, KJV)
Volunteers can run out of steam long after the holidays are over. A small gift now is nice. A note in February is better.
Questions people ask
- How much should a church spend on a volunteer gift? There's no standard amount. The gifts above run from CA$10 to $25, and many churches pair a small gift with a handwritten note. Choose a number you can repeat for every volunteer.
- Can we order the same gift for our whole team? Yes. Church orders start at 10 pieces and go up to 200. Use the quote form on the churches page and we reply with a quote and a proof within one business day.
- When do we need to order for Christmas? See the order-by dates on the churches page. They're worked out from production time plus a buffer, and shipping time is on top of that.
- Do the gifts from other sellers ship to Canada? Each pick says where it comes from. The National Gallery of Canada Boutique items ship within Canada, the candle pair ships across Canada, and Christianbook's shipping chart lists Canada. You can check the seller's page before you buy.
- What if we have a hundred volunteers and almost no budget? Write each one a note by hand and add the smallest gift you can afford. A named note from the pastor will be remembered longer than a gift from a catalogue.
Browse more in our pastor and staff gifts, or send a church quote request.