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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
187 episodes
187. Bold Leadership – Celebrating IVMDay with Nicole Smith
In this inspiring episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson celebrates International Volunteer Managers Day with special guest Nicole Smith, Executive Director of Alive. Together, they dive into this year’s powerful theme —...
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1:01:49
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186. Strategy vs Tactics - How to Include Both in Your Volunteer Planning
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson breaks down one of the biggest pitfalls in volunteer planning: confusing strategy with tactics. She explains why a plan that’s just a long list of tasks will never move your...
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28:41
185. To Burnout & Back - My Secret Struggle with Long COVID
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson steps away from her usual format to share her journey through long COVID, from the first onset of symptoms to the long road of recovery. Tobi opens up about the ...
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58:14
184. The Experience Economy – Are Nonprofits Keeping Up?
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson unpacks how the experience economy is reshaping the way nonprofits engage and retain volunteers. Building on last week’s discussion about the evolving volunteer ...
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41:38
183. The New Reality - Volunteers Don't Need You
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson tackles a bold question: has the volunteer–nonprofit relationship changed for good? As societal expectations and volunteer trends evolve, Tobi explains why today...
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51:35
182. The 8 Game-Changing Policies That Make Volunteers Say WOW!
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson builds on her previous conversation about harmful volunteer policies by introducing eight transformative strategies to attract and retain passionate volunteers.
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23:26
181. The 8 Volunteer Policies That Are Killing Your Mission
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson uncovers eight common volunteer policies that could be hurting your mission. From poor first impressions and slow communication to overly complicated screening processes, in...
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25:22
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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37:33
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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1:03:50
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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38:01
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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38:53
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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26:54
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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36:10
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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25:39
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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48:02
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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27:44
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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29:32
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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39:25
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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32:58
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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28:52
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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1:04:17
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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27:49
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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58:21
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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37:10