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PODCAST

Volunteer Nation

Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA

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

business non-profit

All Episodes

32:03

202. Volunteer Events without the Headaches - My...

Volunteer Nation ·

2026/02/19

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 Impact Lab, where she taught nonprofit leaders how to run volunteer events that create real impact without chaos or burnout. Whether you’re hosting corporate teams, community groups, or special one-time volunteer days, this episode will help you rethin...

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40:28

201. How a Lead Magnet Can Help You Recruit On-Demand...

Volunteer Nation ·

2026/02/12

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 smarter approach: build a volunteer pipeline before you need it using simple marketing tools like lead magnets, nurture emails, and even interactive quizzes. Instead of chasing people at the last minute, you’ll learn how to create a steady stream of mission-aligned...

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57:59

200. 10 Lessons from 200 Episodes - The Volunteer...

Volunteer Nation ·

2026/02/05

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 changed in volunteer engagement and what today’s organizations must do differently to build stronger, more sustainable volunteer programs. From strategy and systems to recruitment, retention, and leadership influence, this episode distills the most importan...

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34:40

199. The Future of Volunteerism - Trends &...

Volunteer Nation ·

2026/01/29

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 Episode 198, Tobi explores how wellness, technology, data, and evolving models of giving are reshaping how volunteers engage and what leaders need to prepare for next. Inspired by futurist Faith Popcorn’s question, “If you knew everything about tomorrow, what would you d...

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28:43

198. The Future of Volunteerism - Trends &...

Volunteer Nation ·

2026/01/22

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 communities show up, how volunteer-driven organizations build trust, and what leaders of volunteers must pay attention to in the year ahead. Tobi dives into the first three big trends: accountability, mutual aid, and new psychological insights into belonging and comm...

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58:32

197. Behind the Scenes of 10 Years of Industry...

Volunteer Nation ·

2026/01/15

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 conversation on practitioner research and what it can teach us about the volunteer engagement profession. Allison steps into the interviewer role again as they dig into what the VMPR revealed over a decade of surveying volunteer engagement leaders and...

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55:54

196. Behind the Scenes of 10 Years of Industry...

Volunteer Nation ·

2026/01/08

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, without grant funding, institutional backing, or a full research team. Joined by longtime research partner Pam Kappelides, this episode explores why volunteer engagement research matters more than ever, how practice-informed research gets done, ...

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37:28

195. The Top 10 Volunteer Nation Podcast Episodes for...

Volunteer Nation ·

2026/01/01

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–style recap of the ideas, strategies, and conversations that resonated most with volunteer engagement leaders over the past year and a powerful resource to help you start 2026 with clarity, connection, and momentum! Full show notes: 195. The Top 10 Volunteer N...

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62:20

194. Beyond the Performative - The Price of Nice with...

Volunteer Nation ·

2025/12/24

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. Together, they explore how “niceness” often operates as a form of social control, especially in workplaces, nonprofits, and volunteer-driven organizations, and why prioritizing comfort can come at a steep cost to individuals, teams, and missions. This conversat...

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65:59

193. Building Influence with Impact with Chris Wade...

Volunteer Nation ·

2025/12/18

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 the Time for Impact Podcast in the UK, for a practical and thought-provoking conversation about building influence through impact. Together, they explore why volunteering needs to be reframed as community participation and talent, not just unpaid labor and how le...

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43:55

192. Respect the Work: How to Protect Copyright in...

Volunteer Nation ·

2025/12/11

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. As a content creator, trainer, and consultant, Tobi has seen a growing wave of copyright misuse, most often unintentional, but still harmful. From lifted slide decks to copied models to repurposed blog posts, the misuse of intellectual property not only creat...

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30:09

191. Who is Ultimately Responsible for Your Org's...

Volunteer Nation ·

2025/12/04

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 newsletter statement, Tobi walks us through the deeper nuance of volunteer culture, how it forms, why it goes wrong, and most importantly, why the CEO, not the volunteer manager, is the true culture owner. Whether you’re a leader of volunteers or a senior...

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19:37

190. 5 Principles for an Unforgettable Volunteer User...

Volunteer Nation ·

2025/11/27

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. Tobi breaks down the five core UX principles nonprofits must master — clarity, consistency, ease, empathy, and delight and explains how they shape volunteer satisfaction, retention, and commitment. You’ll also learn how to walk the path through yo...

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21:50

189. How to Use a Communications Audit to Recruit...

Volunteer Nation ·

2025/11/20

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 from the community; it’s that your communication isn’t connecting, isn’t clear, or isn’t consistent across platforms. Tobi walks through the three core areas to examine when evaluating your volunteer recruitment efforts and explains how even small refinements...

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59:55

188. Let's Talk Volunteering with Weave: the Social...

Volunteer Nation ·

2025/11/13

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 community-centric approach adopted by Kinship, emphasizing mutual aid, trust, and relationships over traditional transactional models of volunteerism. Tobi and Jennifer discuss the challenges and strategies involved in fostering a sense of community amon...

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60:42

187. Bold Leadership – Celebrating IVMDay with Nicole...

Volunteer Nation ·

2025/11/06

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 — “Be Bold and Make Change.” Nicole brings a wealth of experience and insight to the conversation, sharing what it really takes to lead boldly in today’s volunteer management landscape. From strategic advocacy and clear communication to accountability and c...

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28:41

186. Strategy vs Tactics - How to Include Both in...

Volunteer Nation ·

2025/10/30

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 mission forward and what to do instead. If you're ready to shift from “busy and reactive” to “focused and strategic,” this episode is packed with inspiration and actionable guidance. Plus, Tobi introduces Vision Week 2026, a hands-on, five-day planning ex...

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58:14

185. To Burnout & Back - My Secret Struggle with Long...

Volunteer Nation ·

2025/10/23

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 physical and emotional challenges she faced, the lessons learned along the way, and the radical self-care practices that helped her heal. She also reflects on what this experience taught her about compassion, resilience, and the hidden toll of chronic conditions. ...

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40:31

184. The Experience Economy – Are Nonprofits Keeping Up?

Volunteer Nation ·

2025/10/16

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson unpacks how the experience economy is reshaping the way nonprofits engage and retain volunteers. Building on last week’s discussion about the evolving volunteer marketplace, Tobi explains why it’s no longer enough to simply offer opportunities — today’s volunteers expect meaningful, memorable, and transformative experiences. If you’re ready to meet modern volunteer expectations and create experiences that truly stand ou...

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50:28

183. The New Reality - Volunteers Don't Need You

Volunteer Nation ·

2025/10/09

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson tackles a bold question: has the volunteer–nonprofit relationship changed for good? As societal expectations and volunteer trends evolve, Tobi explains why today’s landscape looks more like a buyer’s market, where volunteers have countless options and expect meaningful, flexible, and well-designed experiences. She explores the rise of informal volunteering, the growing need for adaptable roles, and the impact of digital engag...

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202 results

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