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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!
Episodes
180 episodes
180. 3 Smart Ways to Design Volunteer Service Awards
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson explores smart, research-backed frameworks for designing meaningful volunteer service awards. Instead of relying on traditional recognition tactics, she shows how to align a...
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39:21
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179. Transformative Service Experiences with Frederick J. Riley and Jackie Wolven
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson dives into the topic of transformative service experiences with guests Frederick J. Riley, Executive Director of Weave the Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute, and ...
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1:05:39
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178. 6 Ways to Help Program Volunteers Avoid Compassion Fatigue
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson dives deep into the critical issue of compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress among program volunteers. These frontline heroes play vital roles in tutoring, hospic...
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39:49
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177. Manage Volunteers Like a Pro: 7 Rookie Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson dives into the 7 common rookie mistakes non-profits make when managing volunteers and shares practical strategies to help volunteer managers reduce stress and rediscover the...
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37:46
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176. Beyond Pizza Parties: Innovative Appreciation Ideas for Volunteers
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson discusses the importance of strategic volunteer appreciation. Moving beyond traditional gifts and certificates, she explores how to recognize and value volunteers in ways th...
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25:47
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175. Outputs vs Outcomes: Why Counting Hours Isn’t Enough
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson dives into why it’s time to move beyond traditional volunteer metrics like hours logged and retention rates. She unpacks the difference between outputs and outcomes, sharing...
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35:03
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174. Write Volunteer Emails Volunteers Actually Read (and Love)
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson shares expert tips on how to craft volunteer emails that truly connect and convert. From attention-grabbing subject lines to warm, welcoming salutations and easy-to-read con...
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24:32
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173. Is Your Volunteer Website Turning People Away?
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson shares valuable insights on how nonprofits can improve volunteer websites to attract and engage more volunteers effectively. Addressing common issues such as unclear value p...
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46:55
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172. How to Give Clear Volunteer Feedback with Confidence
Do you find it uncomfortable giving feedback to volunteers? You're not alone! In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson walks you through how to deliver clear, confident feedback to your volunteers in a way that fo...
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26:37
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171. Practical Community Building Tips for Your Volunteer Team
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson dives into the heart of what makes a volunteer team truly thrive: community. Drawing from both personal experience and well-established sociological principles, Tobi explores five essen...
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28:25
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170. My Top Takeaways from Giving USA 2025
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson dives into the key findings from the Giving USA 2025 report and uncovers the powerful link between volunteerism and philanthropy. Tobi explores how individual donors and voluntee...
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38:18
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169. How to Meet 3 Core Volunteer Needs Right from the Start
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson dives into the essential human needs that drive a meaningful and rewarding volunteer experience—safety, connection, and purpose. Tobi explores how creat...
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31:51
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168. Note to Nonprofit Execs - Supporting Volunteers is Everyone's Job
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson addresses a persistent and deeply rooted challenge in the nonprofit sector: the lack of buy-in and active support for volunteers across entire organizations—not just within volunteer de...
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27:45
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167. Keeping Civic Engagement Alive Despite Funding Cuts with Sam Fankuchen
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson is joined by Sam Fankuchen, founder and CEO of Golden, about how nonprofit organizations can stay resilient and keep civic engagement alive amid uncertainty, disasters, and radical fund...
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1:03:10
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166. Train Volunteers with This Simple 4-Step Framework
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson shares a simple yet powerful four-step framework to help you train volunteers more effectively. Drawing on decades of experience in instructional design and facilitation, Tobi breaks do...
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26:42
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165. Let's Make Volunteering Accessible for All with Allyson Ferrari
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson is joined by Allyson Ferrari, Director of Connections at Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, to explore how organizations can make volunteering more inclusive and accessible...
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1:00:09
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164. Moving from Volunteer Compliance to Building Your Nonprofit Community
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson unpacks a powerful mindset shift in the nonprofit world: moving beyond volunteer compliance and toward building a thriving volunteer community. Tobi explores the delicate ba...
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38:58
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163. New Research from Points of Light with Jennifer Sirangelo
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson sits down with Jennifer Sirangelo, President & CEO of Points of Light, to explore why volunteerism is not just a “nice to have”, it’s a necessity. Jennifer shar...
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54:22
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162. The #1 Secret to Deep Volunteer Participation
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson dives into one of the most powerful, yet often overlooked, tools for volunteer engagement: human connection. Tobi reminds us that it's not tech tools or training manuals that drive true...
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43:08
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161. Leadership Principles for Sparking Change – Part 2 with Jenni Field
In this powerful follow-up episode of The Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson continues her insightful conversation with Jenni Field, diving deeper into the leadership principles that drive meaningful change, especially for those ma...
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44:08
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160. Leadership Principles for Sparking Change – Part 1 with Jenni Field
In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson sits down with leadership and communications expert Jenni Field for an insightful conversation about what it really takes to lead with credibility in the nonprofit world. Je...
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45:56
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159. How to Hire a Future Proof Volunteer Coordinator
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson breaks down exactly what it takes to hire a future proof volunteer coordinator who can lead with confidence and adaptability. Given how vital this role is in representing yo...
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48:27
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158. Nonprofit Capacity Building with the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond
In this episode of The Volunteer Nation Podcast, host Tobi Johnson sits down with Diana Villarreal and Gail Cavallaro from the Community Foundation for greater Richmond to explore how strategic volunteer engagement is shaping the futur...
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1:09:26
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157. A Fresh Take on Volunteer Position Descriptions
In this episode of The Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson challenges the status quo of traditional volunteer position descriptions. She explores why the standard, task-heavy approach often falls flat and shares how a simple shift i...
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30:48
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156. People-first Leadership & Strengthening Teams with Dr. Rob Lion
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson invites Dr. Rob Lion onto the show to discuss people-first leadership and fostering stronger collaboration between paid staff and volunteers. Dr. Rob Lion is a professor, co...
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1:13:33
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