Giving money to volunteers can cause problems in two areas:
1) Legal status of the volunteer as non employee
2) Motivation and productivity of the volunteer

First, there is the question of definition - if you gift money to a volunteer, does that payment for services then create an employee-employer relationship?  If the corporation is a non-profit, payments to volunteers could risk the non-profit status.  If a paid volunteer later has some problem, for example, an injury or death on the task, will the volunteer or their family claim employee status and seek further compensation?  By paying volunteers, there could be a legal question regarding their status as employees (or not) of the corporation.

Second, a volunteer acts, in most cases, on a self appreciating or altruistic basis.  That is, the work or service is performed not for personal monetary gain, but for self esteem and a desire to help others.  By paying this volunteer money, several things could occur.  The volunteer may become less motivated to serve as they look at the “pay scale” and realize how underpaid they are for their “work”, as the volunteerism morphs into work.  This would be counterproductive to the task at hand as well as the benefits to the corporation.  Another possibility would be that the volunteer actually performs at a lesser level as they receive a lower altruistic benefit.  The task becomes just another facet of working.

While it may seem that a corporate money gift for volunteers might be a thoughtful idea, it would be better to provide the volunteer with some sort of status gift, a small token, or even a donation to one of a few charities selected by the corporation in that volunteer’s name.  The goal is to expand the donation of time and skill and energy that the volunteer is already freely giving, thereby increasing the volunteer’s self-satisfaction and feeling of contributing to the cause(s).

If a corporation insists on giving a money gift for volunteers, it should be kept minimal, a token.  And, run the idea past legal or tax counsel prior to activating the gifting to be positive the corporation neither jeopardizes its standing as a non-profit, or it’s employer-employee standing or lack of standing with the volunteers.

It is always better to be prepared by investigating the possible ramifications of corporate actions prior to acting. This can save not only grief later on, but time and money in the long run. Many corporations offer volunteers a “thank you” luncheon or program of recognition in lieu of money gifts. The volunteers do not expect payment for their services, and enjoy the recognition programs.

Years of Service Plaque
You can get these in acrylic, glass or just about any other material you would like. You can personalize these per person or you can just have the company name on it. Many come with special sayings and some type of clipart that has the amount of years of service. These range from $20-$70 and are very practical.

Memory Lane Photo

These are a bit pricier, but defiantly a cool 30th corporate anniversary gift. These are large poster pictures that have all your progress on them. The beginning of the picture would have things like the building designs, car designs, and anything else your corporation started with from the very beginning. The memory lane continues to show picture on how the company continued to grow, until you reach the end, where you show how the company looks now. It’s really a neat poster. These can cost a few hundred dollars.

Personalized Heart Paperweight
These paperweights are unique and can be personalized. Most will come with a note, so you can also personalize that. The heart can usually fit a few lines of text on there. The heart is silver, so it doesn’t look cheaply made. They only cost around $20, so you can purchase a lot if needed.

Leather Folders
These can be purchased in large quaintly and you can personalize these with your company logo and a few lines of text. Great for companies who do a lot of computer work or something where a folder would come in handy. Can be purchased for a decent price when ordering a large amount. You can also get a discount on matching pens, if you would like to have a pen and a folder. Pens can come in many types including sterling silver or leather to match the folder.

Dinner
For your 30th corporate anniversary gifts, stay away from the traditional gifts or add a small gift to a dinner package. You can set up a family dinner at a banquet hall, or if your company is smaller, you could rent part of a pool hall and eat and play pool. Using your judgment will be best here, but employees love having a paid for dinner with their family and co workers.

Cookie Baskets
Individual cookie baskets can be made up with your company name on the package and some places will even place the company name on the cookie. You can choose how big you want your baskets to be, and what type of cookies you want. I have seen some places ordered these baskets for everyone, and the basket has the companies name, logo and a funny line of text about the companies. Then the cookies have the anniversary number on them.

One of the benefits of buying corporate gift baskets online is the convenience of choosing and sending these gift baskets from the comfort of your own home or office rather than driving all over the town and finally settling on something simply because you?re tired of searching. You can browse several stores in a comparatively short period of time to find a corporate gift basket you want to send at a price that will leave you feeling good.

When buying corporate gift baskets online it is important to select a store with the best deals. Most of the online corporate gift baskets are filled with a range of delicious food items and may include collections of cheese, wine, chocolates, candies, meats, appetizers, seasonal fruits and seafood. Other popular items that can be included in corporate gift baskets are key chains, ties, cufflinks, leather purses, t-shirts elegant pens, pen holders, calculators, desk clocks or a pair of sunglasses. If you are aware of the receiver?s preference, you also have the option to customize your online corporate gift baskets.

Once you?ve chosen an online corporate gift basket, simply place your order and have the gift basket delivered to the recipient. The total cost of the gift basket includes associated shipping and handling charges. Most companies accept major credit cards, online checks and Paypal as modes of payment. Once you have ordered your gift basket keep a record of the order number so you can check on the status. Several stores also offer a money back guarantee if the corporate gift baskets do not meet the customer?s expectations and standards.

The holiday season is upon us, and Christmas is just around the corner. It’s the perfect time to show your appreciation to your important business clients and employees!

Whether you are a small business owner or a corporate employee charged with holiday gift purchasing this year - you want to send something unique and memorable.

Chocolate corporate gift baskets range from the smaller budget baskets to the grand, luxurious gift baskets, so you should be able to find a chocolate corporate gift basket within your budget and preferences.

You don’t need to spend a fortune for a quality, delicious chocolate corporate gift basket. For example, an impressive gourmet chocolate gift basket with Ghirardelli chocolates is reasonable at about $35.

On the other hand, if you’re out to impress your important clients, you could send a luxurious chocolate corporate gift basket, filled with high-end gourmet sweets in a grand, elegant presentation. For example, a large, luxurious Godiva gift basket will cost about $118 - $320.

Your clients and employees will light up with joy when they receive a chocolate corporate gift basket. For the chocolate lover, it’s a thoughtful and appreciated gift. As a chocoholic myself, I know it’s the first gift basket I would tear into.

So make an impression this holiday season with a unique, memorable chocolate corporate gift basket that will delight and impress all your clients and employees.

Corporate gifts vary from various products such as promotional pens, promotional calculators, promotional mugs, promotional mouse mats, USB, and many more. But it is ‘promotional keyrings’ that outshine most promotional items. Since 2005, it has been observed that there is a 71% rise in giving corporate gifts from businesses of all sizes and genres. Before you actually go for buying corporate gifts, try to make sure that you buy them from an authentic source.

The only hindrance in gifting corporate products is that many companies and government offices have a gift acceptance policy. As per this policy they are only allowed to accept gift of a particular value. Be sure to crosscheck with your client to determine the limitations of gift giving. Majority of offices and government organisations easily accept promotional printed keyrings as corporate gifts. Now you can even customise keyrings by getting your company logo and message imprinted on it.

According to the leading experts, before you go for corporate gifts try to consider cultural differences. Each country and culture has its own rules for corporate gift buying. Hence it is wise to do a research before zeroing on any corporate gift. Whatever corporate gift you give, be sure about the quality, since any corporate gift you send will reflect the image and quality consciousness of your company.

If you have decided to go for promotional keyrings, you can get them attached with an USB. These USB products are riding high on popularity these days. They are not only inexpensive but also very helpful. The bottom-line is to purchase quality products without breaking your budget.

For more information on corporate gifts, promotional keyrings, and promotional gift check out the leading online suppliers.

Who can you give corporate gifts to?

· Clients

· Employees

· Business Associates

Which occasions is corporate gift giving best suited to? Practically any occasion:

· To promote your company and its products and services

· To say “thank you” and show your appreciation to employees, clients, or someone who has referred business to you.

· To motivate and to encourage employees and clients

· To celebrate and congratulate on a promotion, retirement, wedding, new addition to family, etc.

· To welcome new employees

· Company anniversary

· Holiday gifts

· Personal achievements

· Company achievements

· Sympathy and “get well”

Other important corporate gift giving guidelines

· Before giving any corporate gift, check and be sure that corporate gift giving is allowed with the company of your client or potential client.

· Do not give any personal gifts. Instead, stick to mainstream gifts that anyone can enjoy, like food gift baskets, desk accessories, tickets to sporting events or the theater, restaurant gift certificates, electronic gifts, etc.

· Do not give gifts in order to compensate your employees for poor wages. A corporate gift should be something given in addition to, above and beyond, the wage or salary of an employee.

· Try to avoid holiday corporate gift giving mishaps: find out the religious and cultural backgrounds of recipient before sending Christmas gifts, for instance.

· When possible, consider giving the gift in person. Be sure to check with the schedule of the recipient, first.

If you want to assemble a gift basket yourself then you will need to do some research to find out what items make the right impression for your corporation. Unlike most other types of gift baskets a corporate gift basket often takes on a different image. You may be trying to impress a client or add some perks to your staff.

You should first decide if your gift basket will be based on the theme of your company. Of course, this is not always appropriate for many corporations, but if it does seem fitting you can add items that your corporation produced.

The most popular types of corporate gift baskets are usually wine and cheese gift baskets. There are many companies online that will ship these gift baskets to a prospective client or employee for you. Most are a bit expensive, but usually the quality is outstanding. One twist you could add to this gift basket idea might be to have bottles of wine that are the same age as your corporation. You could also get some custom labels for the cheese wrappers that promote your corporate logo or name.

You may want to contact some other companies to get recommendations of companies they have used to create their corporate gift baskets. If this is not possible you can find plenty of information for a corporate gift basket online.

Corporate gifts can be broadly categorised into internal and external branding. Internal branding can be achieve by acquiring gifts to be given to staffs within the company. This will help to foster the common identity to build that family spirit and morale which will increase productivity.

However I personally believe that external branding is by far the most important benefit of corporate gift giving between the two. Ultimately businesses are build around customers support. Therefore it is important to send signature corporate gift to customers to set your company apart and reinforce visual identity. Successful businesses are build on relationships that is base on the service that they provide more than the products they sell. It is this relationship that helps to seal the next project regardless of the price!

Personalised corporate gift which can be made affordable is used as a gentle reminder that your company still exist and re-established the business again! Whenever possible, promotional or seasonal corporate gift are best sent to thank customers for the business support.

Corporate gifts and souvenirs are also prudently employed to launch new company at trade show to create their branding and target any possible new clients.

Corporate business gifts can range from corporate gift baskets, wines, personalized gifts and any other unique corporate gift ideas. Personalized corporate gifts may include an array of silver-plated mouse pads, wine stoppers or money trees. Corporate gifts like horseshoe key chains, leather catchalls or a personalized travel case can make unique incentives. Some businesses also offer food baskets or special gourmet food collections, with assorted chocolate-covered strawberries, pear, cheese gift basket and fresh-baked cookies. A company can also present exquisite gift items like wine and cigar collections, which can also be used as holiday corporate gifts.

Flower and plant collections also make nice corporate gifts for people who enjoy gardening. Money trees, orchids and bonsai trees are some popular corporate gifts, which are not only affordable but are also unique presents for corporate clients or employees. Another popular corporate business gift option is the personalized gifts that express appreciation for your clients, employees and partners.

An appropriate corporate business gift conveys an accurate and outstanding reflection of your value and appreciation for your clients and employees. Thus, a business house should always choose a unique and comprehensive collection of upscale professional quality presents for corporate gifting.