In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, host Tobi Johnson delves into volunteerism statistics for 2024, sharing insights from the latest Volunteer Management Progress Report. Tobi discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volunteer capacity, the challenges of recruitment and retention, and provides a detailed look at trends in active volunteer numbers and volunteer hours. Additionally, Tobi highlights the importance of understanding organizational goals and progres...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson delves into the undervalued yet powerful tactic of running effective volunteer Q&A sessions. Tobi discusses the goals of a good Q&A, including making volunteers feel heard, offering relevant information, and gathering valuable insights. She provides practical tips for conducting high-impact Q&A sessions, such as leaving your ego at the door, setting aside ample time, showing empathy, and telling stories. She also ...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson delves into the vital topic of new volunteer orientation. Tobi offers detailed insights on what to include and what to avoid, ensuring a successful onboarding process that fosters long-term commitment.She emphasizes the importance of addressing both informational and emotional needs of volunteers, integrating confidence-building activities, socialization opportunities, and inspirational storytelling. Tobi also shares practical tips...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi explores the use of psychographics over demographics in volunteer recruitment, emphasizing the importance of understanding prospective volunteers' beliefs, values, interests, and attitudes to create more effective marketing strategies. Tobi shares personal anecdotes to illustrate the power of targeted advertising, drawing parallels to recruiting volunteers who align with an organization's cause, and guides you through creating volunteer pe...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, host Tobi Johnson discusses the widespread issue of scarcity mentality within the nonprofit sector and how it limits organizations' ability to grow and engage volunteers effectively. Tobi emphasizes that this mentality leads organizations to focus on constraints rather than opportunities, hindering investment in volunteers and the infrastructure supporting them. She highlights the importance of viewing spending on volunteer programs as an...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson delves into the nuanced and often overlooked topic of clearly defining a volunteer and why it matters to be precise. Tobi shares insights into the definitions provided by various authoritative bodies like the Department of Labor in the U.S., the United Nations, and the implications for nonprofits in handling volunteers according to labor laws and tax regulations. She also advises non-profit organizations to consult with labor...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson celebrates National Volunteer Week 2024, and shares insights into the history and significance of volunteerism! Tobi also highlights the challenges facing the nonprofit sector, including a decline in donor contributions, a labor shortage crisis impacting mission delivery, and decreased volunteer rates. Tobi emphasizes the promise and impact of an engaged community in supporting nonprofits, how the nonprofit sector can innovate...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson shares insightful tips on how to create smarter volunteer program assessments, without the need for expensive external consultants. Tobi discusses the importance of learning from assessments to grow volunteer programs and shares her step-by-step plan for performing a DIY program audit.   Tobi also discusses the importance of learning from assessments to grow volunteer programs and shares her step-by-step plan for performing a...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi explores the seven habits that make volunteer managers highly effective, inspired by Stephen Covey's famous book 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.'   Tobi emphasizes the importance of mindset, setting healthy boundaries, strategic thinking, knowing your numbers, sharing the workload, dedicating time to work on your program, and continuously learning and growing.  The episode is packed with insights and tips on how volunteer...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson discusses the importance of providing a wow volunteer experience. She emphasizes that beyond traditional methods of appreciation, designing a well-run program plays a crucial role in volunteer satisfaction. Tobi also shares a personal story to illustrate the impact of outstanding service and introduces the 'WOW' acronym to break down the components of a great volunteer experience: Warm, Optimistic, and Well-designed. It’s an...

In this episode of Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson discusses how you can create win-win community service projects, and delves into the different types of community service, outlining effective strategies for designing quality projects, and maintaining good relationships with referring organizations.  Tobi discusses the nuances of managing community service projects, particularly those that are court ordered, the ethical considerations and practical aspects of integrating such projects...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi shares the 3 keys to an irresistible volunteer offer. Tobi highlights the need for organizations to align with the anticipatory and excited headspace of new volunteers, emphasizing the importance of adding to their experience rather than dampening it.  Tobi stresses why organizations should be shifting their perspective from organization-centric to volunteer-centric approaches, underlining the transactional, relational, and...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi invites Pam Kappelides onto the show to talk about the power of psychological contracts and its critical importance in understanding and managing volunteer expectations within organizations.  Their discussion uncovers how mismatches between volunteer expectations and their actual experiences can lead to early volunteer turnover and affect volunteer retention; practical tips for organizations to address and prevent breaches in psychological...

In the 100th episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson takes a moment to reflect on the journey of creating 100 episodes since its start on April 11, 2022. To celebrate, Tobi revisits some of the past episodes, offering insights and highlights for new and long-time listeners alike.   This milestone episode includes a special countdown of the top 10 most downloaded episodes, covering a range of topics such as volunteer engagement, recruitment strategies, and innovative models in...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation, Tobi discusses how non-profit organizations can utilize psychology for volunteer retention strategies. She explains the importance of using positive social proof and emotive communication to encourage volunteers to keep coming back.  Tobi emphasizes the need to light up the brain by generating emotions, using clear contrast imagery, visually stimulating content, and focusing on beginnings and endings. She also highlights the two key mistakes...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson discusses the crucial need for organizations to meet the needs of their volunteers in order to sustain their operations. Tobi addresses the common issue of dwindling volunteer engagement, exacerbated by the pandemic, warning that if change is not embraced, organizations risk losing even more momentum and volunteers.  Within this episode, Tobi also proposes seven pivotal mindset shifts in volunteer management and how adopting these...

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, host Tobi interviews global change management expert Martin J. Cowling. They discuss the transformative shifts happening in volunteer management, and the need for 21st-century organizations to rethink their approach to volunteers.   Martin shares his insights on how organizations can better leverage their volunteer talent by selling the impact of volunteering, reconstructing roles for wider engagement, maximizing flexibility, and embracing...

In this episode, Tobi discusses how organizations can decide whether a role should be a volunteer, or paid position. She discusses the key differences between volunteer work and paid roles in areas such as legal definitions, pay structures, motivations, behavior, roles, expertise and identity.  Tobi also emphasizes that the decision must be strategic and respectful to the volunteers, and how roles involving high-risk scenarios or handling of sensitive information may be better suited for paid...

In this episode of the podcast, Tobi shares six tactical strategies to boost volunteer signups. These strategies involve diagnosing what's currently working and what's not, increasing the number of personal asks, tracking and radically decreasing response time.   Tobi also delves into paid advertising and public service announcements to garner attention, utilizing website pop-ups and banners, and making presentations in places frequented by potential volunteers. Listen to the full episode to...

In this episode, Tobi is joined by Patricia Gentry, who is the strategy advisor at VolunteerPro. They discuss the importance of moving from in-program work to strategic planning, focusing on the wider vision, the need to shift mindsets, and why building relationships, creating accountability, and cultivating self-reflection are key for leadership. Tobi and Patricia also debate the pitfalls of imposter syndrome, rescuer mentality and why we should be celebrating our wins more often. The...

In this episode, host Tobi examines the mode of operating a successful volunteer initiative. Highlighting the struggle to rebuild volunteer strength amid the pandemic, Tobi elaborates on the five phases that Volunteer Pro teaches: Envisioning the Future, Building the Foundation, Growing Engagement, Sustaining Involvement, and Scaling Leadership. Tobi explains these strategies in detail, stressing the importance of a comprehensive volunteer strategy that involves not just paperwork but people...

In this episode, host Tobi is joined by special guest Dr. Chris Lambert, CEO of Life Remodeled. Together, they dive into the transformative power of volunteerism, by working with communities, not for communities. They explore the grassroots to grass tops approach, sharing power, and educating volunteers about systemic root causes of community challenges. The episode delves into the approaches of Life Remodeled to engage of thousands of volunteers in meaningful, sustainable ways through their...

It’s that time of the year, when people are setting goals and aspirations for the new year. In the spirit of intention setting and renewal, host Tobi Johnson shares some New Years resolution ideas for nonprofits in this episode, specifically about how they can better engage the community in their good works. From cultivating gratitude and setting healthy boundaries to enhancing wellness and personal growth, this episode is packed with actionable insights to kick-start your nonprofit's success...

In this episode, guest Kristina Joy Carlson and host Tobi Johnson share valuable insights on improving volunteer experiences through the power of the KIND method. From navigating turbulent times to cultivating deep commitment even in conflict, they offer practical strategies for nonprofit success and creating meaningful connections with volunteers and donors. Their conversation also highlighted the potential for volunteers and donors to connect and contribute to causes that resonate with...

Looking for fresh volunteer recruitment ideas?  Look no further. In this episode, Volunteer Nation host Tobi Johnson provides practical tips and big ideas to attract and retain volunteers, drawing from volunteer experiences and the current landscape of volunteerism as reflected in comments of a recent Washington Post article. Tobi also addresses the systemic issues in volunteerism, such as organizational inefficiency, lack of appreciation, and the need for skilled leadership. He shares...