181. The 8 Volunteer Policies That Are Killing Your Mission 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

181. The 8 Volunteer Policies That Are Killing Your Mission

September 30, 2025 • Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA

0:00 | 25:29

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson uncovers eight common volunteer policies that could be hurting your mission. From poor first impressions and slow communication to overly complicated screening processes, inflexible commitments, dull training, micromanagement, lack of recognition, and difficult exit procedures, Tobi breaks down the pitfalls that can frustrate and disengage volunteers.

You’ll get real-world examples of these challenges and actionable strategies for creating a more volunteer-friendly culture. Plus, Tobi shares a practical self-assessment checklist so your organization can identify problem areas and make improvements that boost volunteer engagement, satisfaction, and impact!

Whether you’re running a small nonprofit or a large organization, this episode is packed with insights to help you retain and inspire the people who make your mission possible.

Full show notes: 181. The 8 Volunteer Policies That Are Killing Your Misson

Volunteer Policies - Episode Highlights

[04:40] - Volunteer Policy #1: The Terrible First Impression
[05:44] - Volunteer Policy #2: The Communications Black Hole
[06:33] - Volunteer Policy #3: The FBI Level Screening Process
[07:45] - Volunteer Policy #4: The Marriage Contract Commitment
[13:47] - Volunteer Policy #5: Death by PowerPoint
[17:11] - Volunteer Policy #6: The Micromanagement Trap
[18:31] - Volunteer Policy #7: The Recognition Vacuum
[19:53] - Volunteer Policy #8: The Exit Interrogation

Helpful Links

Tobi Johnson announces the 90-Day Recruitment Roadmap, a focused course in which you will learn how to build a high-converting, repeatable system that floods your organization with quality, committed volunteers and firmly establishes your nonprofit as the “go to” place to serve. Join here at: https://volpro.mykajabi.com/recruitment-roadmap

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.

Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA

Host