Volunteer Nation
Nonprofit leadership author, coach, and expert Tobi Johnson shares weekly tips to help charities build, grow, and scale exceptional volunteer teams. Discover how your nonprofit can effectively coordinate volunteers who are reliable, equipped, and ready to help you bring about BIG change for the better. Rather than continuing to “do more with less,” achieve abundance for your organization by engaging community talent that helps you do more with more. Society is evolving and so, too, is volunteerism. With over 25 years of experience working in nonprofits, public sector agencies, and grassroots campaigns Tobi is known for her modern “big hat” thinking and straight talk about what it takes to achieve success in today’s world. You will learn how to coordinate volunteers, improve the volunteer experience, recruit volunteers, appreciate volunteers, and do it all more efficiently with the right volunteer management software and digital tools. It’s a mix of interviews and solo shows you’re not going to want to miss. So, if you’re ready to ditch the stress and harness the power of people to fuel your good work, you’re in exactly the right place. Hit subscribe and let’s DO this!
Latest episodes
Dec 21, 2023 • 44min
89. Strategic Volunteer Recruitment Ideas for 2024
In this episode, the host discusses practical tips and big ideas to attract and retain volunteers. They address challenges in volunteer recruitment, offer strategies to enhance recruitment efforts, and stress the importance of capturing immediate interest. They also explore effective tactics for volunteer recruitment, emphasize flexibility and creativity in volunteering, and discuss the benefits of a Google grant for advertising.
Dec 14, 2023 • 52min
88. Research on Volunteer Participation What You Need to Know with Helen Tourle
Helen Tourle, senior consultant at NCVO, discusses the Time Well Spent research series, focusing on volunteer experiences among the global majority. Key takeaways, impact of emotions on volunteers, and strategies for enhancing volunteer engagement are explored, providing crucial insights for creating inclusive and fulfilling volunteer opportunities.
Dec 6, 2023 • 32min
87. Volunteer Research: Sector Trends & Our Latest Survey
The podcast explores the Volunteer Management Progress Report, highlighting key trends from past surveys, the push for diversity and inclusion, correlations between resources and capacity, the tech-maturity of volunteer managers, challenges faced by leaders, and the importance of volunteer experience and innovation in volunteer management.
Nov 30, 2023 • 28min
86. Converting Episodic Volunteers into Long-term Supporters
Learn strategies for retaining episodic volunteers by creating a culture of commitment, purposeful onboarding, and delegation. Explore the concept of journey mapping to improve the volunteer experience. Discover the value of converting episodic volunteers into long-term supporters and engaging communities in your cause.
Nov 22, 2023 • 27min
85. BIG Volunteer Goals for 2024 – Four Examples
Learn about the importance of goal-setting in volunteer engagement and hear about four big volunteer goals for 2024, including boosting capacity, improving the volunteer experience, integrating technology, and upgrading recognition.
Nov 17, 2023 • 59min
84. Building an Inclusive Culture at Your Volunteer Organization with Advita Patel
Advita Patel, an expert in internal communications and inclusive workplaces, joins the podcast to discuss building an inclusive culture at volunteer organizations. They talk about challenges in articulating expectations, empowering underrepresented women, and the impact of expenses on volunteer retention. The importance of recognizing different backgrounds and experiences, data collection, effective communication, and addressing shame and vulnerability are also highlighted.
Nov 9, 2023 • 1h 1min
83. Make the Most of Corporate Partnerships with Alyson Gallaher
Expert Alyson Gallaher and host Tobi discuss corporate-nonprofit collaborations, impact demonstration, successful partnerships, and engaging volunteers. They emphasize the value of effective volunteer experiences, building lasting relationships with corporate partners, and strategies for maximizing mutual benefits. They also explore liberal arts degrees, community engagement, pain points in corporate partnerships, preparing for success, volunteer management and communication, and building community involvement.
Nov 3, 2023 • 45min
82. Nonprofit Strategic Planning for 2024 in 3 Simple Steps
Learn how to create a vision for the future and a clear blueprint for success in nonprofit strategic planning. Join VisionWeek 2024 to ditch uncertainty and build a plan to engage volunteers in just 5 days. Discover the importance of effective planning, a bold vision, and the steps involved in creating a strategic plan for nonprofit organizations. Get tips on implementing the plan, managing fears and doubts, and preventing burnout as a leader.
Oct 27, 2023 • 1h 3min
81. How Vol Services & Nonprofit Marketers Can Work Together with Kivi Leroux Miller
Kivi Leroux Miller, an expert in nonprofit marketing, discusses the importance of collaboration between volunteer services and nonprofit marketers. They emphasize the crucial role of marketing in volunteer recruitment and highlight the need for cooperation between these two essential teams. The speakers also explore the challenges faced by communications directors in poorly run organizations and stress the importance of consistent branding and messaging.
Oct 20, 2023 • 31min
80. A Sneak Peek of My New Book for Volunteer Leaders
Tobi provides a sneak peek into her upcoming book for volunteer leaders, discussing her personal journey and insights. She explores the vital role volunteer leaders play in building thriving communities and the significance of their contributions to society. The podcast also covers the process of writing the book, the concept of leadership in volunteerism, and resources for developing and supporting volunteer leaders.
