Keizer volunteers: committee narrows pen design, slogan and production plan for recognition items

The Keizer Volunteer Coordinating Committee on Sept. 11 narrowed choices for a volunteer recognition giveaway and agreed next steps for production and budgeting.

Committee members reviewed vendor samples and compared prices and features. Sample pricing discussed during the meeting ranged from about $0.69 to $3.39 per item depending on features; the committee identified a mid-priced pen (not the cheapest and not the most expensive) with a grippy barrel and an optional flashlight as the preferred choice. One member said the preferred pen would cost roughly $2.50–$3.00 once setup and shipping are included; committee staff estimated a total purchase of 250 pens would keep expenses under the committee’s roughly $1,000 budget line for volunteer items.

Members discussed ink color (blue vs. black) and whether to print a year on the pen; they favored avoiding a year so items would not become obsolete. Several short slogan options were presented; the committee narrowed the field to brief phrases including "Keizer values every volunteer," "Keizer honors our volunteers," and "Keizer grows stronger with volunteers." Members also asked staff to provide logo mock-ups in a vector format to ensure good print quality and asked Dawn to obtain vendor layouts for the next meeting or to circulate by email for final approval.

The committee confirmed it wants some extra stock for city events and quarterly volunteer recognition plaques (the committee previously spent about $300 on volunteer clocks in past years). Staff will prepare mock-ups and a final cost estimate and will proceed with vendor communication; the committee left production timing flexible and agreed to finalize ordering by early 2026.