192. Respect the Work: How to Protect Copyright in the Age of Sharing Artwork

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!

All Episodes

Volunteer Nation

192. Respect the Work: How to Protect Copyright in the Age of Sharing

December 11, 2025 • Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA

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.

As a content creator, trainer, and consultant, Tobi has seen a growing wave of copyright misuse, most often unintentional, but still harmful. From lifted slide decks to copied models to repurposed blog posts, the misuse of intellectual property not only creates legal risks but erodes trust within our professional community.

This episode is your practical, plain-language guide to understanding copyright, protecting your organization’s intellectual property, and respecting the creative work of others, staff, volunteers, and sector leaders alike.

Full show notes: 192. Respect the Work: How to Protect Copyright in the Age of Sharing

Protect Copyright - Episode Highlights

00:53 Understanding Copyright and Intellectual Property
01:41 Copyright Quiz: Legal, Ethical, or Neither?
04:17 Real-Life Copyright Infringement Examples
09:06 Why Copyright Matters for Nonprofits
09:54 Common Misconceptions About Copyright
11:55 How to Protect Your Copyright
18:05 Avoiding Copyright Infringement
35:22 What to Do If Your Work is Stolen

Helpful Links

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast. If you enjoyed it, please be sure to subscribe, rate, and review so we can reach more people like you who want to improve the impact of their good cause.

For more tips and notes from the show, check us out at TobiJohnson.com. For any comments or questions, email us at WeCare@VolPro.net.

Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA

Host