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 Highly Effective People.’    Tobi emphasizes the importance of mindset, setting healthy boundaries, strategic thinking, knowing your numbers, sharing the workload, dedicating time to work on your program, and continuously learning and growing. The episode is packed with insights and tips on how volunteer ..read more

April 4, 2024 Episode #104: The WOW! Volunteer Experience  In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson discusses the importance of providing a wow volunteer experience. She emphasizes that beyond traditional methods of appreciation, designing a well-run program plays a crucial role in volunteer satisfaction.  Tobi also shares a personal story to illustrate the impact of outstanding service and introduces the ‘WOW’ acronym to break down the components of a great volunteer experience: Warm, Optimistic, and Well-designed. It’s an insightful discussion that shows y ..read more

March 28, 2024 Episode #103: Win-Win Community Service Projects  In this episode of the Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson discusses how you can create win-win community service projects, and delves into the different types of community service, outlining effective strategies for designing quality projects, and maintaining good relationships with referring organizations.  Tobi discusses the nuances of managing community service projects, particularly those that are court ordered, the ethical considerations and practical aspects of integrating such projects into volunteer programs, e ..read more

March 21, 2024 Episode #102: 3 Keys to an Irresistible Volunteer Offer  In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi shares the 3 keys to an irresistible volunteer offer. Tobi highlights the need for organizations to align with the anticipatory and excited headspace of new volunteers, emphasizing the importance of adding to their experience rather than dampening it.  Tobi stresses why organizations should be shifting their perspective from organization-centric to volunteer-centric approaches, underlining the transactional, relational, and transformational nature of volu ..read more

March 14, 2024 Episode #101: Tap the Power of Psychological Contracts with Pam Kappelides  In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi invites Pam Kappelides onto the show to talk about the power of psychological contracts and its critical importance in understanding and managing volunteer expectations within organizations.  Their discussion uncovers how mismatches between volunteer expectations and their actual experiences can lead to early volunteer turnover and affect volunteer retention; practical tips for organizations to address and prevent breaches in psychologi ..read more

March 7, 2024 Episode #100: Fan Faves from 100 Volunteer Nation Episodes In the 100th episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson takes a moment to reflect on the journey of creating 100 Volunteer Nation Episodes since its start on April 11, 2022. To celebrate, Tobi revisits some of the past episodes, offering insights and highlights for new and long-time listeners alike.   This milestone episode includes a special countdown of the top 10 most downloaded episodes, covering a range of topics such as volunteer engagement, recruitment strategies, and innovative models in volun ..read more

February 29, 2024 Episode #99: Volunteer Retention Strategies: Two Big Mistakes In this episode of the Volunteer Nation, Tobi discusses how non-profit organizations can utilize psychology for volunteer retention strategies. She explains the importance of using positive social proof and emotive communication to encourage volunteers to keep coming back.  Tobi emphasizes the need to light up the brain by generating emotions, using clear contrast imagery, visually stimulating content, and focusing on beginnings and endings. She also highlights the two key mistakes organizations make when ..read more

February 22, 2024 Episode #98: How to Meet Volunteer Needs with 7 Solid Pivots In this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast, Tobi Johnson discusses the crucial need for organizations to meet the needs of their volunteers in order to sustain their operations. Tobi addresses the common issue of dwindling volunteer engagement, exacerbated by the pandemic, warning that if change is not embraced, organizations risk losing even more momentum and volunteers.  Within this episode, Tobi also proposes seven pivotal mindset shifts in volunteer management and how adopting these shifts will en ..read more

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! They discuss the transformative shifts happening in volunteer management, and the need for 21st-century organizations to rethink their approach to volunteers.   Martin shares his insights on how organizations can better leverage their volunteer talent by selling the impact of volunteering, reconstructing roles for wider engagement ..read more

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 paid roles in areas such as legal definitions, pay structures, motivations, behavior, roles, expertise and identity.  Tobi also emphasizes that the decision must be strategic and respectful to the volunteers, and how roles involving high-risk scenarios or handling of sensitive information may be better suited for paid staff, tha ..read more