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Volunteer Nation Podcast2023-04-11T14:41:41-04:00

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

079 – Nonprofit SEO: How to Get Found on Google

By |October 12th, 2023|Categories: Build, Envision, featured, Grow, Scale, Sustain, Volunteer Experience, Volunteer Impact, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Nation Podcast, Volunteer Training|Tags: |

October 12, 2023 Episode #79: Nonprofit SEO: How to Get Found on Google In this episode of our podcast, Tobi Johnson dives deep into the world of nonprofit SEO and how it can revolutionize your volunteer recruitment efforts. SEO might sound like [...]

078 – Finding Skills-Based Volunteers the Easy Way with Tyler Manley

By |October 5th, 2023|Categories: Build, Envision, featured, Grow, Scale, Sustain, Volunteer Experience, Volunteer Impact, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Nation Podcast, Volunteer Training|Tags: |

October 5, 2023 Episode #78: Finding Skills-Based Volunteers the Easy Way with Tyler Manley In this episode, Tobi sits down with Tyler Manley, an expert in skills-based volunteering from Catchafire, to delve into the topic of finding skills based volunteers the easy [...]

077 – Engaging Communities in Social Change with Vichi Jagannathan

By |September 28th, 2023|Categories: Build, Envision, featured, Grow, Scale, Sustain, Volunteer Experience, Volunteer Impact, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Nation Podcast, Volunteer Training|Tags: |

September 28, 2023 Episode #77: Engaging Communities in Social Change with Vichi Jagannathan In this episode,  Tobi has a fascinating discussion on engaging communities in social change with Vichi Jagannathan. Vichi shares her personal journey and experiences in working towards social change [...]

076 – Flipping the Script on Nonprofit Fundraising with Sandy Rees

By |September 21st, 2023|Categories: Build, Envision, featured, Grow, Scale, Sustain, Volunteer Experience, Volunteer Impact, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Nation Podcast, Volunteer Training|Tags: |

September 21, 2023 Episode #76: Flipping the Script on Nonprofit Fundraising with Sandy Rees In this episode, Tobi engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Sandy Rees, CEO of Get Fully Funded, about innovative strategies for nonprofit fundraising success. Sandy Rees is Founder [...]

075 – How to Recruit Volunteers Using Social Media with Julia Campbell

By |September 15th, 2023|Categories: Build, Envision, featured, Grow, Scale, Sustain, Volunteer Experience, Volunteer Impact, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Nation Podcast, Volunteer Training|Tags: |

September 14, 2023 Episode #75: How to Recruit Volunteers Using Social Media with Julia Campbell In this episode, Tobi sits down with Julia Campbell, a seasoned expert in nonprofit marketing and communications. Together, they explore proven strategies for attracting and engaging volunteers [...]

074 – Secrets to Retaining Volunteers Revealed

By |September 7th, 2023|Categories: Build, Envision, featured, Grow, Scale, Sustain, Volunteer Experience, Volunteer Impact, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Nation Podcast, Volunteer Training|Tags: |

September 7, 2023 Episode #74: Secrets to Retaining Volunteers Revealed In this episode, Tobi delve into the crucial topic of volunteer retention. As the pandemic has left many feeling tired and exhausted, people have become more selective in how they spend their [...]

073 – Vital Lessons for Nonprofit Leaders from Women’s World Cup

By |August 31st, 2023|Categories: Build, Envision, Grow, Scale, Sustain, Volunteer Experience, Volunteer Impact, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Nation Podcast, Volunteer Training|Tags: |

August 31, 2023 Episode #73: Vital Lessons for Nonprofit Leaders from Women's World Cup In this episode, Tobi dives deep into the world of sports and extract valuable lessons that nonprofit leaders can apply to their organizations. Just like the US Women's [...]

072 – Volunteer Surveys – Are You Making These Mistakes?

By |August 24th, 2023|Categories: Build, Envision, Grow, Scale, Sustain, Volunteer Experience, Volunteer Impact, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Nation Podcast, Volunteer Training|Tags: |

August 24, 2023 Episode #72: Volunteer Surveys - Are You Making These Mistakes? In this episode, Tobi talks about the common mistakes organizations make when conducting volunteer surveys. Drawing from years of experience and the success of their own surveys, Tobi provides [...]

071 – Partnering with Funders to Support Volunteer Engagement with Jane Justis & Betsy McFarland

By |August 17th, 2023|Categories: Build, Envision, Grow, Scale, Sustain, Volunteer Experience, Volunteer Impact, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Nation Podcast, Volunteer Training|Tags: |

August 17, 2023 Episode #71: Partnering with Funders to Support Volunteer Engagement with Jane Justis & Betsy McFarland In this episode, Tobi explores the fascinating world of partnering with funders to support volunteer engagement. We will learn about the critical role of [...]

070 – How to Organize a Volunteer Services Department of One

By |August 10th, 2023|Categories: Build, Envision, Grow, Scale, Sustain, Volunteer Experience, Volunteer Impact, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Nation Podcast, Volunteer Training|Tags: |

August 10, 2023 Episode #70: How to Organize a Volunteer Services Department of One In this episode, Tobi dives into the essential strategies and techniques to effectively structure and manage your volunteer program, even with limited resources. Whether you're a nonprofit executive, [...]

069 – Why Are Volunteers Important … or Are They?

By |August 3rd, 2023|Categories: Build, Envision, Grow, Scale, Sustain, Volunteer Experience, Volunteer Impact, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Nation Podcast, Volunteer Training|Tags: |

August 3, 2023 Episode #69: Why Are Volunteers Important ... or Are They? In this episode, Tobi explore the question that lies at the heart of it all: "Why are volunteers important?" We'll delve into the crucial role volunteers play in the [...]

068 – Match Volunteers for Joy & Purpose

By |July 27th, 2023|Categories: Build, Envision, Grow, Scale, Sustain, Volunteer Experience, Volunteer Impact, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Nation Podcast, Volunteer Training|Tags: |

July 27, 2023 Episode #68: Match Volunteers for Joy & Purpose In this episode, Tobi dives into the art of how to match volunteers and how it can transform the volunteer experience. We know how important it is for organizations to ensure [...]

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