Welcome to the Volunteer Nation Podcast!
Weekly interviews, big hat thinking, quick wins, and smart strategy to help you
engage your community and make a bigger impact.
Welcome to the Volunteer Nation Podcast!
Weekly interviews, big hat thinking, quick wins, and smart strategy to help you
engage your community and make a bigger impact.
The Volunteer Nation Podcast
Join Tobi and her special guests each week to learn how charities, causes, campaigns, congregations, and companies leverage the power of volunteerism to create a better world.
About the Show
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!
Your Host
Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA is an internationally sought-after expert, consultant, advisor, and master trainer in volunteer engagement. She is known for her modern thought leadership, highly practical evidence-based strategies, and innovative, “big hat” thinking around engaging, supporting, and acknowledging the work of volunteers. She is the President of Tobi Johnson & Associates, a consulting firm whose mission is to help nonprofit organizations make connections with remarkable volunteers. In 2015, she founded VolunteerPro, an online training and networking community for leaders of volunteers. She is also co-host of the Time + Talent Podcast with Jennifer Bennett of VolunteerMatch.
Tobi has over 30 years direct experience in nonprofit management, program development, program coordination, training delivery and learning design across a wide range of charities and government agencies. She wrote Chapter 1 of Volunteer Engagement 2.0: Ideas and Insights for Transforming Volunteer Programs in a Changing World. Each year, her firm also conducts the Volunteer Management Progress Report, a global state-of-the-industry survey. In 2022, over 1,300 professionals from 28 countries participated.
A native of the Pacific Northwest, Tobi is a graduate of the University of Washington and has a master’s degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She now lives in East Tennessee with her husband and feline office assistant, Bailey.
Latest Episodes
116 – New Ways of Thinking About Volunteer Data & Tech with Chris Martin
June 25, 2024 Episode #116: New Ways of Thinking About Volunteer Data & Tech with Chris Martin In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi invites Chris Martin onto the show to discuss the new ways of thinking about volunteer data [...]
115 – Your Quick Guide to Amazing Volunteer Events
June 20, 2024 Episode #115: Your Quick Guide to Amazing Volunteer Events In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, host Tobi Johnson offers a comprehensive guide on planning successful volunteer events. Tobi shares her insights and favorite tips on how to [...]
114 – Volunteerism Statistics for 2024: Insights from Our Latest Research – Part 2
June 13, 2024 Episode #114: Volunteerism Statistics for 2024: Insights from Our Latest Research - Part 2 In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson discusses the findings from the Volunteer Management Progress Report. This is part two of a [...]
113 – Volunteerism Statistics for 2024: Insights from Our Latest Research – Part 1
June 6, 2024 Episode #113: Volunteerism Statistics for 2024: Insights from Our Latest Research - Part 1 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 [...]
112 – How to Run a Value-Packed Volunteer Q&A
May 30, 2024 Episode #112: How to Run a Value-Packed Volunteer Q&A 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 [...]
111 – New Volunteer Orientation: What to Include, What to Leave Out
May 23, 2024 Episode #111: New Volunteer Orientation: What to Include, What to Leave Out 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 [...]
110 – Using Psychographics to Improve Your Volunteer Recruitment Appeals
May 16, 2024 Episode #110: Using Psychographics to Improve Your Volunteer Recruitment Appeals In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi explores the use of psychographics over demographics to improve your volunteer recruitment appeals, emphasizing the importance of understanding prospective volunteers' [...]
109 – When a Scarcity Mentality Becomes a Habit
May 9, 2024 Episode #109: When a Scarcity Mentality Becomes a Habit 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 [...]
108 – Definition of a Volunteer – Why It Matters to Be Precise
May 2, 2024 Episode #108: Definition of a Volunteer - Why It Matters to Be Precise 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 [...]
107 – Celebrating National Volunteer Week 2024!
April 25, 2024 Episode #107: Celebrating National Volunteer Week 2024! 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 [...]
106 – Smarter Volunteer Program Assessment
April 18, 2024 Episode #106: Smarter Volunteer Program Assessment 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 [...]
105 – 7 Habits of Highly Effective Volunteer Managers
April 11, 2024 Episode #105: 7 Habits of Highly Effective Volunteer Managers In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson explores the seven habits that make volunteer managers highly effective, inspired by Stephen Covey's famous book 'The Seven Habits of [...]
