Volunteer Nation
Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA
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!
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 11, 2024 • 48min
92. How to Mobilize Volunteers by the Thousands with Dr. Chris Lambert
Dr. Chris Lambert, CEO of Life Remodeled, and host Tobi discuss the transformative power of volunteerism and the grassroots to grass tops approach. They explore engaging communities, repurposing vacant school buildings, aligning volunteer roles with organization goals, and creating authentic experiences for volunteers. They also delve into the power of mindset and hope in mobilizing volunteers.
Jan 4, 2024 • 30min
91. 6 New Years Resolution Ideas for Nonprofits
Learn about New Year's resolution ideas for nonprofits, including finding balance, setting intentions, identifying wins, setting boundaries, and choosing meaningful resolutions for the new year.
Dec 28, 2023 • 46min
90. Improving Volunteer Experiences & Raising More Funds with Kristina Carlson
Kristina Joy Carlson discusses improving volunteer experiences through the KIND method. They explore cultivating deep commitment, creating meaningful connections with volunteers and donors, and boosting fundraising results. They also highlight the potential for volunteers to unite people from diverse backgrounds for common causes, transcending divisions. A must-listen for anyone passionate about exceptional volunteer experiences and positive change.
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.
