The new issue of Engage is out now and the free Points of View piece is a treat this issue.
Sue Carter-Kahl, Erin Spink, Jessica Pang-Parks and I discuss Volunteer Impact: “Who Cares?” in a video we recorded a few weeks ago.
Check it out at engagejournal.org/article/apri...
“All activism is volunteering in that it's done above and beyond earning a living and deals with what people really care passionately about. Remember, no one gets paid to rebel. All revolutions start with volunteers.”
— Susan J. Ellis
“Since the beginning of time, humans have helped humans - it's in our nature. Since modern time, we have mechanised that "helping" into volunteering”
— Monica Jasso
"Volunteers are a workforce, not a workload"
— Sarah Sukhram
“The art of life is to deal with problems as they arise, rather than destroy one’s spirit by worrying about them too far in advance”
— Cicero
“What side of the border do you come from matters less than what you bring to the table?”
— Stanley Tucci
"Power is the ability to achieve purpose and bring about change"
— Martin Luther King Jr
"Volunteering is not a task but a reflection of our shared humanity”
— Tracey O'Neill
“Diversity is you. Because you are unique. Inclusion is accepting you. Because you matter.”
— Furkan Karayel
Some are about volunteering, some aren’t.
Please add your favourites below, I’d love to read them.
I love quotations.
In 2022, I shared nine of my favourites. Last year I shared ten more.
Here some new ones.
This new #200WordTuesday thread will, I hope, provide some inspiration and challenge through the wisdom of others I have quoted. Enjoy!
#LOVols #VolMgmt #Quotations
Great to see the sport I have loved for decades (F1) doing meaningful research into, and making strong investment, in volunteer engagement.
www.motorsport.com/f1/news/new-...
Has the well-intentioned withdrawn from having a local presence by many large national nonprofits post-pandemic hurt their volunteer engagement efforts? That's something I seek to explore in this new blog article.
robjacksonconsulting.wordpress.com/2026/04/10/l...
Four cards in brown and pink tones in the shape of speech bubbles with question marks, on a brown background
What do you do if you encounter problem behaviour from volunteers, have an uncomfortable team dynamic, or hear of inappropriate activity or behaviour?
Whether you're a trustee, staff member or volunteer, don't miss this session with @robjconsulting.bsky.social
bit.ly/47TL53k
With the constant changes in the world today, the go-to solutions that have always worked in the past are not as effective as they once were. Things that were "best practices" even four years ago, simply don't work anymore. New challenges require new solutions, and that means creative thinking.
Wise words from Karen Knight
It’s time to #ShoutVolunteering
Almost thirty years on from Arlene’s workshop, I still run a session on “The Philosophy Of Volunteering”. It’s a great way to challenge us to rethink volunteering & its place in society.
Send me a message and let me know if you’d like me to run it for you.
That is true of the nonprofit sector too, where we also see more of a need to centre our work in community rather than deliver top-down “we know best” solutions for those our organisations serve.
We will simply never have the public funds for the state to deliver everything it once did through paid staff.
Today, more than ever, I think we need to be challenged about what we believe about volunteering.
The economic and cultural context in which we all live and work is radically different from 1998.
At the 1998 Institute For Advanced Volunteer Management, the late Arlene Schindler ran a three-hour workshop titled, “The Philosophy Of Volunteering”. It forced the twenty-four-year-old know-it-all me to challenge some of my core beliefs about volunteering.
Things were never the same after that.
Early in my career, I attended a conference workshop that changed my life.
What is volunteering, really? In 1998, a three-hour workshop stopped me in my tracks and made me rethink everything I believed about it. Nearly 30 years later, I think we need that challenge more than ever. New #200WordTuesday thread👇
If you've come to wonder if people still want to volunteer, stop. People do want to volunteer. They are volunteering right here, right now. But they are doing so on their own terms. If you are a part of a nonprofit organization, know that our community members WANT to volunteer. It's your job to make that flexible, accessible, and with systems that move at the speed of community and volunteer values.
Wise words from friends at MAVA
This time on the Rob Jackson Consulting Ltd blog, it's a trip into the archive with some tips on education new employees about volunteer engagement.
What would your top tips be?
robjacksonconsulting.wordpress.com/2026/03/27/4...
A graphic that says "Encouraging and enabling intergenerational volunteering" above the Volunteer Organisers Network logo.
How can intergenerational volunteering strengthen communities and preserve heritage skills?
Join our next event to explore how different generations can learn from each other, build stronger connections and help tackle skills loss.
Book your free spot: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/encouragin...
The question is no longer just how to recruit more volunteers, but how to completely rethink what recruitment even means in a society that's changed.
So true
The next Rob Jackson Consulting Ltd newsletter is due out on 1 April.
Make sure you are subscribed to get your free copy in your inbox.
robjacksonconsulting.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...
#LOVols #VolMgmt #Nonprofits #Charities
Give people a sense of purpose, a mission to pursue, a channel for their passions, and see how they respond.
So, how are you promoting your cause?
In what ways is your marketing and outreach seeking to inspire people about the purpose of your organisation?
Does this messaging lead your volunteer recruitment efforts, or do you jump straight in to what you want people to do?
