Tobi Johnson Archives

Earlier this month, we helped facilitate an event that brought Tobi Johnson to the UK.

Now, if you don’t know who Tobi Johnson is, you should get to know. Especially if you work with volunteers.

Tobi is an internationally sought-after expert, consultant, and master trainer in volunteer management and engagement. She is known for her modern thought leadership, highly practical evidence-based strategies, and innovative, “big hat” thinking around engaging, supporting, and acknowledging the work of volunteers.

Tobi’s work has resulted in the development of Tobi Johnson & Associates, a consulting firm, and VolunteerPro, an online training and networking community for volunteer managers. They can offer some amazing resources to anyone working with volunteers so be sure to check them out!

The Event

‘Beyond The Big Help Out: How to Recruit Your Volunteer Dream Team with a Solid Plan for Action’

We were so excited to sponsor this event, hosted by AVM. We were even happier when it turned out that Manchester Metropolitan University were supporting it, meaning we didn’t have to travel very far!

Chris Martin (*Director of TeamKinetic*), Ruth Leonard (*Chair of AVM*)

During the workshop, Tobi challenged pre-existing ideas of what a good volunteer strategy looks like. Building an environment that gives volunteers a sense of connection and community while providing clarity, respite and equity is vital. If someone can find trust, meaning and purpose in the work they’re doing, they are likely to stay engaged and volunteer for longer.

Thanks to Tobi, all attendees were able to create volunteer personas to help reshape the way they create and advertise volunteering opportunities. These personas were based on psychographic information rather than demographics.

Of course, the demographics matter, but volunteering is all about emotional motivations. Finding out why your volunteers do it helps you create opportunities that will be fulfilling for them – you’re giving them a sense of trust, meaning and purpose.

Based on this, Tobi helped everyone build better core messaging, focusing on what’s in it for the volunteers and what the effect of their actions will be. This involved building a 6-step formula to build messaging that engages and compels audiences to take action.

Need help with your volunteer management?

Now, we can’t give away all of Tobi’s tips! But we hope this taster is enough for you to go and find out more about what Tobi can offer to help you boost your volunteer management. However, we also have a few tips of our own to offer, see our blogs below for more:

Review and Refresh your Volunteer Management

A Fresh Look at Digital in Volunteer Management

Inclusivity is a Necessity: Enabling Volunteers with Disabilities

How You Can Measure Volunteer Impact

Prioritising Volunteer Feedback