Pro RoundUp: Five Innovative Nonprofit Thought Leaders

In last month’s Pro Roundup, we shared the stories of five pioneering volunteer leaders from the past. This month we’re continuing the theme and sharing insights from some of today’s most innovative and influential nonprofit thought leaders.

We believe in the message and the mission of each leader included below, and we’re excited to share the stories of their unique organizations with you.

Nonprofit Thought Leader in Emerging Trends: Rob Jackson

Rob Jackson is the director of Rob Jackson Consulting Ltd, a consultancy and training company that helps “engage and inspire people to bring about change.”  With almost 30 years of experience in the sector, this nonprofit thought leader has held a variety of strategic development and senior management roles focused on leading and engaging volunteers.  

Rob is passionate about the future of volunteerism, and he has a keen eye on emerging trends and how we can learn, adapt, and strategically move forward post-pandemic. Rather than focusing on the negative effects that Covid shutdowns had on nonprofit organizations, Rob views this window of time as an opportunity to press the reset button around volunteerism in general and bring “disruptive innovation” to many of the tired processes and systems surrounding traditional nonprofit models.

In addition to his in-demand speaking, training, and consulting services, Rob has co-authored The Complete Volunteer Management Handbook and From The Top Down (UK Edition). Rob is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Engage Journal, an online journal of content and resources “for volunteer engagement leaders around the world who want to be informed and challenged about volunteering trends and issues.”

We love Rob for the wealth of experience and knowledge that he brings to the volunteer sector, and for the passion and unabashed enthusiasm he shares about the future of volunteering.

Want to hear more about Rob’s passion about the future of volunteering? Listen to Volunteer Nation Eps #14, New Volunteer Vision with Rob Jackson HERE>>

Nonprofit Thought Leader for Executive Boards: Joan Garry

Joan Garry is an internationally recognized champion for the nonprofit sector and a highly sought-after executive coach for CEOs at some of the nation’s largest organizations.  She is also the founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, the online education and community portal she leads for nonprofit board members and staff leaders of small nonprofits. 

In her work with thousands of nonprofits all across America, and through her own experience as the Executive Director of GLAAD and board experience as a committee chair, this nonprofit thought leader learned first-hand the challenges that nonprofit leaders face every day.  The Nonprofit Leadership Lab was founded to address those challenges and fill a gap, especially for board and staff leaders at smaller nonprofits that need advice, suggestions, and experts to help them go from messy to thriving. 

We’re excited to launch a new affiliate partnership with Joan Garry and the Nonprofit Leadership Lab and share access to the Lab’s resources with the nonprofit executives and board members in our audience (full disclosure: we may earn a commission if folks click on our link).

Since its launch in 2017, the Nonprofit Leadership Lab has educated and supported thousands of nonprofit board members and staff leaders from all around the world. Nonprofit boards often work behind the scenes and outside the regular daily routine of volunteer coordination. Board members donate significant time and resources toward major projects, fundraising, and donor development. They give of themselves generously but unfortunately are often overlooked as volunteers.   

We love Joan for focusing her message and expertise on this unique subset of volunteers, and we’re thrilled to partner with her as an affiliate of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab to help equip those valued team members with the resources to succeed.

Want to hear more about how Joan is helping nonprofit boards and executive leadership succeed in their organizations’ goals? Listen to Volunteer Nation Eps #16, Nonprofit Boards with Joan Garry HERE>>

Nonprofit Thought Leader in Service Learning: Brian Halderman

As the Senior Director of Success & Outreach for GivePulse Inc., Brian Halderman shares his passion and experience in connecting people to local organizations to serve the local community and “advance the common good.”

Brian is a strong advocate for service learning and all the ways this type of volunteering can contribute to the overall worldview of the students who participate, as well as how those opportunities can become a catalyst for wider social change. Brian believes that “experiential education is critical for a student to be prepared and successful in society and the workplace.”

The practical benefits for student volunteers, their schools, and the host organizations are immediate and obvious. However, when done well, service learning can also become a literal training ground for the next generation of volunteer and civic leaders.   We love Brian for reminding us that it is both the responsibility and the privilege of today’s volunteer leaders to show service learners how to become those future leaders successfully.

Want to learn some practical tips on how to successfully implement service learning at your organization? Listen to Volunteer Nation Eps #10, Service Learning with Brian Halderman HERE>>

Nonprofit Thought Leader in Volunteer Recruitment: Jennifer Bennett

Jennifer Bennett is the Director of Education and Training at VolunteerMatch. This nonprofit thought leader joined VolunteerMatch in 2007 with a focus on formalizing and managing the organization’s volunteer engagement program. With her breadth of experience, she is well-qualified to help VolunteerMatch’s community of nonprofits better recruit and engage volunteers.   

Recruiting people is an ongoing challenge for most volunteer-driven organizations, and online recruiting can feel uniquely daunting. Crafting an aspirational “story” for each volunteer opportunity is a vital but often overlooked aspect of volunteer job posts, and Jennifer shares her knowledge on how to successfully recruit and retain volunteers through webinars found on the VolunteerMatch learning center, in newsletters and blog entries, and at conferences around the country.

Jennifer also co-hosts the Time+Talent podcast with Tobi Johnson, which tells the inspiring stories of volunteer leaders and local volunteer-driven organizations. 

We love Jennifer for her strong belief in the importance of engaging volunteers in meaningful work, and for her transparent generosity in sharing the practical how-to’s to effectively recruit those volunteers to our organizations. 

Want to hear Jennifer’s specific tips to better format and phrase your online volunteer opportunities? Check out Volunteer Nation Eps #15, Recruiting Volunteers Online with Jennifer Bennett HERE>>

Nonprofit Thought Leader in Digital Maturity: Beth Kanter

Beth Kanter is an internationally recognized trainer in workplace resilience, virtual facilitation, and digital transformation in the nonprofit workplace. Named one of the most influential women in technology and “master of social media fundraising” by Fast Company and recipient of the NTEN Lifetime Achievement Award, this nonprofit thought leader has over three decades of experience in designing and delivering training programs for nonprofits and foundations.

Beth is a strong proponent for the use of digital tools in today’s volunteer strategy. In her blog, books, and keynote speeches, Beth shares her expertise in online marketing strategy, social media branding and recruiting, future digital trends like artificial intelligence and bots, and how to use technology effectively to reduce workload and burnout.

Beth is a prolific author, including the research report AI4Giving – Unlocking Generosity with Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Giving, and her most recent book The Smart Nonprofit: Staying Human-Centered in an Automated World.

We love Beth for showing us new ways to use digital technology to successfully fundraise and advance the cause of our volunteer-driven organizations, and also for advancing the concept that nonprofit tech is directly linked to the future of sustainability of our space and is the key to unlocking our connections with communities.

Want to learn more about Beth’s resources to become a more “Happy, Healthy Nonprofit?” Check out her website HERE>>

Need Help Envisioning a Volunteer Recruitment Plan for Your Nonprofit? 

Try Our Volunteer Recruitment Accelerator Coaching Program 

This focused, private Volunteer recruitment Accelerator Coaching Program is specifically designed to help charities, causes, and public sector organizations attract enthusiastic, reliable volunteers, at will, and on demand in as little as three months. 

Stop guessing about what to do next and wasting time hunting and pecking for half-baked answers. 

Instead, work directly with a strategic advisor with years of boot-on-the-ground experience in both volunteerism and today’s outreach and marketing tactics. 

Start re-building your volunteer base more quickly with these four program components –  

1. A quick start call to get you oriented to the program 

1. An audit of your current volunteer recruitment strategy and digital presence to find low-hanging fruit for immediate action 

1. Our self-paced Volunteer Recruitment That Works online course and bonus lessons 

1. 8 private implementation coaching calls focused on a purposeful set of program deliverables designed to get up to speed quickly. 

Interested in learning more? 

Book a free, no-obligation 30-minute discovery call, where we will drill down on the essential “what’s working now” tactics you must get right to grow your volunteer team and share how we can help you get from here to there more quickly. 

LEARN MORE & BOOK YOUR CALL >> 

We only accept a handful of private coaching clients each year, so don’t delay!