.jpg)
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
207 episodes
207. Is Your Volunteer Application Process Broken?
A slow or confusing volunteer application process can cost organizations more than time. It can lead to missed opportunities, frustrated applicants, and fewer volunteers joining your mission. In this episode, Tobi Johnson explains w...
•
33:09
.jpg)
206. Essential Volunteer Software - The Tech Stack You Can’t Afford to Skip
Volunteer managers often rely on a mix of spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes to keep programs running. But as volunteer programs grow, those systems can quickly become overwhelming and difficult to manage. In this episode, T...
•
45:43
205. My Top Time Management Tips for Overwhelmed Volunteer Managers
Managing volunteers often means juggling a wide range of responsibilities. From responding to emails and coordinating schedules to planning events and maintaining relationships, volunteer leaders frequently feel pulled in many directions at onc...
•
39:02
204. Transforming Your Volunteer Strategy: A Case Study with ScholarMatch
Strengthening a volunteer strategy is not always about fixing a struggling program. Sometimes it is about preparing a successful program for growth.In this episode, Tobi Johnson is joined by Lisa Lopez and Paola Gonzalez from ScholarMatc...
•
1:05:11
203. Preventing Volunteer Burnout - New Research with Paul Clarke
Volunteer burnout is not always caused by time, workload, or lack of commitment. In many cases, it happens when leaders begin to feel less effective in their roles. As confidence and enjoyment decline, even experienced volunteers may start to d...
•
1:03:36
202. Volunteer Events without the Headaches - My Training Takeaways
Volunteer events can be some of the most powerful tools nonprofits have, but they can also be some of the most stressful. In this episode, Tobi Johnson shares key takeaways from a recent high-energy training inside the Volunteer Pro...
•
32:03
201. How a Lead Magnet Can Help You Recruit On-Demand Volunteers
What if you never had to panic-recruit volunteers again? Scrambling to find 25 volunteers by next week is stressful, reactive, and exhausting. In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson shares a smarte...
•
40:28
200. 10 Lessons from 200 Episodes - The Volunteer Nation Through the Years
The 200th episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast marks a major milestone. After four years, hundreds of conversations, and insights from volunteer leaders around the world, Tobi Johnson takes a step back to reflect on what has chan...
•
57:59
199. The Future of Volunteerism - Trends & Predictions Part 2
In this episode of The Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson continues her deep dive into the future of volunteerism with Part 2 of her trends and predictions series. Building on the first three trends covered in Ep...
•
34:40
198. The Future of Volunteerism - Trends & Predictions Part 1
In this episode of The Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson shares Part 1 of her 2026 trends and predictions for the future of volunteerism. This is the first half of a two-part series exploring 8 major shifts shaping how comm...
•
28:43
197. Behind the Scenes of 10 Years of Industry Research with Allison Russell – Part 2
In part 2 of our behind-the-scenes series on the Volunteer Management Progress Report, Tobi Johnson returns with Allison Russell, Assistant Professor of Public & Nonprofit Management at the University of Texas at Dallas, for a powerful conv...
•
58:32
196. Behind the Scenes of 10 Years of Industry Research with Pam Kappelides & Allison Russell – Part 1
To mark 10 years of the Volunteer Management Progress Report (VMPR), Tobi Johnson hands the mic to nonprofit scholar Allison Russell for a behind-the-scenes conversation about what it really takes to produce a decade-long, global research study...
•
55:54
195. The Top 10 Volunteer Nation Podcast Episodes for 2025 - Our Countdown
As we step into a brand-new year, Tobi takes listeners on a reflective walk through the most popular Volunteer Nation Podcast episodes of 2025, sharing key insights and takeaways from each. Think of this as a Reader’s Digest–sty...
•
37:28
194. Beyond the Performative - The Price of Nice with Amira Barger
In this episode of Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson welcomes back Amira Barger, award-winning communications executive, educator, and author of The Price of Nice: Why Comfort Keeps Us Stuck and Four Actions for Real Change. ...
•
1:02:20
193. Building Influence with Impact with Chris Wade and Matthew Cobble
How do volunteer leaders move from being seen as “extra hands” to strategic drivers of mission success? In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson is joined by Chris Wade and Matthew Cobble, co-hosts of t...
•
1:05:59
192. Respect the Work: How to Protect Copyright in the Age of Sharing
In this episode of The Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson tackles a topic that’s becoming increasingly urgent in the nonprofit and volunteer engagement world: copyright, intellectual property, and the ethics of sharing content.&nbs...
•
43:55
191. Who is Ultimately Responsible for Your Org's Volunteer Culture?
In this episode of Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson breaks down a common misconception in the nonprofit world: Who is ultimately responsible for shaping your organization’s volunteer culture? After receiving pushback from a ne...
•
30:09
190. 5 Principles for an Unforgettable Volunteer User Experience
In this episode of Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi dives deep into what makes a truly exceptional volunteer user experience — from the very first moment someone encounters your organization, through onboarding, active service, and beyond. <...
•
19:37
189. How to Use a Communications Audit to Recruit More Volunteers
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson breaks down why it’s one of the smartest, most powerful tools nonprofits can use to attract more aligned, motivated volunteers. Often, the issue isn’t a lack of interest fro...
•
21:50
188. Let's Talk Volunteering with Weave: the Social Fabric Project
In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson shares a webinar featuring Jennifer Bennett of Idealist and Travis Sternhagen, Volunteer Manager at Kinship Community Food Center. The episode delves into the transformative communit...
•
59:55
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 —...
•
1:00:42
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...
•
27:34
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 ...
•
57:07