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
097 – Transforming How We Lead Volunteers with Martin J Cowling
February 15, 2024 Episode #97: Transforming How We Lead Volunteers with Martin J Cowling In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, host Tobi interviews global change management expert Martin J. Cowling on how we can transform how we lead volunteers! [...]
096 – Volunteer Work or Staff Position? How to Decide!
February 8, 2024 Episode #96: Volunteer Work or Staff Position? How to Decide! In this episode, Tobi discusses how organizations can decide whether a role should be volunteer work, or paid position. She discusses the key differences between volunteer work and [...]
095 – 6 Ways to Immediately Boost Volunteer Signups
February 1, 2024 Episode #95: 6 Ways to Immediately Boost Volunteer Signups In this episode of the podcast, Tobi shares six tactical strategies to boost volunteer signups. These strategies involve diagnosing what's currently working and what's not, increasing the number of [...]
094 – How to Make the Shift from Doer to Nonprofit Leader with Patricia Gentry
January 25, 2024 Episode #94: How to Make the Shift from Doer to Nonprofit Leader with Patricia Gentry Interested in becoming a more effective nonprofit leader or wondering if leadership is right for you? You're in the right place! In this [...]
093 – The 5 Phases of Successful Volunteer Coordination
January 18, 2024 Episode #93: The 5 Phases of Successful Volunteer Coordination In this episode, host Tobi examines the mode of operating a successful volunteer coordination initiative. Highlighting the struggle to rebuild volunteer strength amid the pandemic, Tobi elaborates on the [...]
092 – How to Mobilize Volunteers by the Thousands with Dr. Chris Lambert
January 11, 2024 Episode #92: How to Mobilize Volunteers by the Thousands with Dr. Chris Lambert In this episode, host Tobi is joined by special guest Dr. Chris Lambert, CEO of Life Remodeled. Together, they dive into the transformative power of [...]
091 – 6 New Years Resolution Ideas for Nonprofits
January 4, 2024 Episode #91: 6 New Years Resolution Ideas for Nonprofits It’s that time of the year, when people are setting goals and aspirations for the new year. In the spirit of intention setting and renewal, host Tobi Johnson shares [...]
090 – Improving Volunteer Experiences & Raising More Funds with Kristina Carlson
December 28, 2023 Episode #90: Improving Volunteer Experiences & Raising More Funds with Kristina Carlson In this episode, guest Kristina Joy Carlson and host Tobi Johnson share valuable insights on improving volunteer experiences through the power of the KIND method. From [...]
089 – Strategic Volunteer Recruitment Ideas for 2024
December 21, 2023 Episode #89: Strategic Volunteer Recruitment Ideas for 2024 Looking for fresh volunteer recruitment ideas? Look no further. In this episode, Volunteer Nation host Tobi Johnson provides practical tips and big ideas to attract and retain volunteers, drawing from [...]
088 – Research on Volunteer Participation What You Need to Know with Helen Tourle
December 14, 2023 Episode #88: Research on Volunteer Participation What You Need to Know with Helen Tourle In this episode, host Tobi Johnson sits down with special guest Helen Tourle, a senior consultant for volunteering at the National Council for Voluntary [...]
087 – Volunteer Research: Sector Trends & Our Latest Survey
December 7, 2023 Episode #87: Volunteer Research - Sector Trends & Our Latest Survey In this episode, Tobi reviews the history and impact of the Volunteer Management Progress Report, a global state-of-the-industry survey spanning 9 years and encompassing insights from leaders [...]
086 – Converting Episodic Volunteers into Long-term Supporters
November 30, 2023 Episode #86: Converting Episodic Volunteers into Long-term Supporters In this episode, host Tobi Johnson talks about the challenge of retaining episodic volunteers who step up to help during the holiday season but often disappear afterwards. Tobi shares a [...]