171. Practical Community Building Tips for Your Volunteer Team Artwork

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!

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Volunteer Nation

171. Practical Community Building Tips for Your Volunteer Team

July 17, 2025 • Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA

In this episode of Volunteer Nation, Tobi Johnson dives into the heart of what makes a volunteer team truly thrive: community. Drawing from both personal experience and well-established sociological principles, Tobi explores five essential pillars that foster a sense of belonging and connection among volunteers and between volunteers and staff.

This episode is a must-listen for volunteer leaders who want to create a more collaborative, motivated, and mission-driven team. Whether you're just getting started or looking to reinvigorate your program, you’ll walk away with simple, actionable steps to strengthen your community and boost engagement.

Full show notes: 171. Practical Community Building Tips for Your Volunteer Team

Community Building - Episode Highlights

[04:36] - The Importance of Community in Volunteer Organizations
[05:31] - Five Pillars of Community Building
[07:23] - Pillar 1: Membership
[10:01] - Pillar 2: Influence
[12:35] - Pillar 3: Integration and Fulfillment of Needs
[14:37] - Break and Resource Promotion
[17:46] - Pillar 4: Shared Emotional Connection
[22:13] - Pillar 5: Shared Responsibility and Commitment

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Thanks for listening to this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast. If you enjoyed it, please be sure to subscribe, rate, and review so we can reach more people like you who want to improve the impact of their good cause.

For more tips and notes from the show, check us out at TobiJohnson.com. For any comments or questions, email us at WeCare@VolPro.net.

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Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA

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