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Volunteer Nation
Episodes
214 episodes
214. Defending National Service & Community Resilience with Kaira Esgate
Advocacy for volunteerism can't wait until a crisis hits. Sometimes the crisis arrives without warning, and the relationships you've built with policymakers determine whether your program survives.In this episode, host Tobi Johnson welco...
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213. Impact Lab POV - Community-based Volunteer Networks with Kristi Sebald
Strengthening volunteer engagement isn't always about doing more with your own program. Sometimes it's about letting go of the need to hold onto every volunteer and instead building connections across your entire community.In this episod...
212. Impact Lab POV - Volunteer Training Programs Made Easy with Dana Litwin
Effective volunteer training is more than checking a box; it builds confident, engaged volunteers who stay longer and deliver greater impact. Yet many organizations rely on long, one-size-fits-all sessions that frustrate volunteers and miss cha...
211. Best Practices & Community Spirit with Volunteering New Zealand
Volunteer engagement doesn't exist in a vacuum—it's deeply shaped by community values, national infrastructure, and a spirit of collective care. In New Zealand, where over 115,000 not-for-profits operate and most are volunteer-led, best practic...
210. Impact Lab POV – Better Volunteer Offboarding with Ruth Leonard
Volunteer engagement doesn’t end when service concludes. In fact, how organizations say goodbye to their volunteers can have a lasting impact on relationships, reputation, and future support. Yet, volunteer offboarding is often overlooked or tr...
209. Impact Lab POV: Leadership and Influence with Megan Vixie
Leadership in volunteer engagement is not defined by title or workload, but by the ability to influence, align, and inspire others toward a shared vision. Many leaders stay busy managing day-to-day tasks, yet struggle to step into a more visibl...
208 – How to Build a Volunteer Ambassador Program to Attract Support
Word of mouth is one of the most powerful ways nonprofits attract new supporters, but what if you could harness it more intentionally? Without a clear strategy, many organizations miss the opportunity to turn passionate volunteers into active p...
207. Is Your Volunteer Application Process Broken?
A slow or confusing volunteer application process can cost organizations more than time. It can lead to missed opportunities, frustrated applicants, and fewer volunteers joining your mission. In this episode, Tobi Johnson explains w...
206. Essential Volunteer Software - The Tech Stack You Can’t Afford to Skip
Volunteer managers often rely on a mix of spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes to keep programs running. But as volunteer programs grow, those systems can quickly become overwhelming and difficult to manage. In this episode, T...
205. My Top Time Management Tips for Overwhelmed Volunteer Managers
Managing volunteers often means juggling a wide range of responsibilities. From responding to emails and coordinating schedules to planning events and maintaining relationships, volunteer leaders frequently feel pulled in many directions at onc...
204. Transforming Your Volunteer Strategy: A Case Study with ScholarMatch
Strengthening a volunteer strategy is not always about fixing a struggling program. Sometimes it is about preparing a successful program for growth.In this episode, Tobi Johnson is joined by Lisa Lopez and Paola Gonzalez from ScholarMatc...
203. Preventing Volunteer Burnout - New Research with Paul Clarke
Volunteer burnout is not always caused by time, workload, or lack of commitment. In many cases, it happens when leaders begin to feel less effective in their roles. As confidence and enjoyment decline, even experienced volunteers may start to d...
202. Volunteer Events without the Headaches - My Training Takeaways
Volunteer events can be some of the most powerful tools nonprofits have, but they can also be some of the most stressful. In this episode, Tobi Johnson shares key takeaways from a recent high-energy training inside the Volunteer Pro...
201. How a Lead Magnet Can Help You Recruit On-Demand Volunteers
What if you never had to panic-recruit volunteers again? Scrambling to find 25 volunteers by next week is stressful, reactive, and exhausting. In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson shares a smarte...
200. 10 Lessons from 200 Episodes - The Volunteer Nation Through the Years
The 200th episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast marks a major milestone. After four years, hundreds of conversations, and insights from volunteer leaders around the world, Tobi Johnson takes a step back to reflect on what has chan...
199. The Future of Volunteerism - Trends & Predictions Part 2
In this episode of The Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson continues her deep dive into the future of volunteerism with Part 2 of her trends and predictions series. Building on the first three trends covered in Ep...
198. The Future of Volunteerism - Trends & Predictions Part 1
In this episode of The Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson shares Part 1 of her 2026 trends and predictions for the future of volunteerism. This is the first half of a two-part series exploring 8 major shifts shaping how comm...
197. Behind the Scenes of 10 Years of Industry Research with Allison Russell – Part 2
In part 2 of our behind-the-scenes series on the Volunteer Management Progress Report, Tobi Johnson returns with Allison Russell, Assistant Professor of Public & Nonprofit Management at the University of Texas at Dallas, for a powerful conv...
196. Behind the Scenes of 10 Years of Industry Research with Pam Kappelides & Allison Russell – Part 1
To mark 10 years of the Volunteer Management Progress Report (VMPR), Tobi Johnson hands the mic to nonprofit scholar Allison Russell for a behind-the-scenes conversation about what it really takes to produce a decade-long, global research study...
195. The Top 10 Volunteer Nation Podcast Episodes for 2025 - Our Countdown
As we step into a brand-new year, Tobi takes listeners on a reflective walk through the most popular Volunteer Nation Podcast episodes of 2025, sharing key insights and takeaways from each. Think of this as a Reader’s Digest–sty...
194. Beyond the Performative - The Price of Nice with Amira Barger
In this episode of Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson welcomes back Amira Barger, award-winning communications executive, educator, and author of The Price of Nice: Why Comfort Keeps Us Stuck and Four Actions for Real Change. ...
193. Building Influence with Impact with Chris Wade and Matthew Cobble
How do volunteer leaders move from being seen as “extra hands” to strategic drivers of mission success? In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson is joined by Chris Wade and Matthew Cobble, co-hosts of t...
192. Respect the Work: How to Protect Copyright in the Age of Sharing
In this episode of The Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson tackles a topic that’s becoming increasingly urgent in the nonprofit and volunteer engagement world: copyright, intellectual property, and the ethics of sharing content.&nbs...
191. Who is Ultimately Responsible for Your Org's Volunteer Culture?
In this episode of Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson breaks down a common misconception in the nonprofit world: Who is ultimately responsible for shaping your organization’s volunteer culture? After receiving pushback from a ne...
190. 5 Principles for an Unforgettable Volunteer User Experience
In this episode of Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi dives deep into what makes a truly exceptional volunteer user experience — from the very first moment someone encounters your organization, through onboarding, active service, and beyond. <...