I’ve been working in volunteer leadership positions since 1989, and I can count on one hand the number of current colleagues who’ve also been leading and supporting volunteers for that length of time.
Suffice to say, over the years I’ve seen many Volunteer Engagement Professionals (VEPs) come and go. I’ve seen countless resources developed, picked up plenty of tricks of the trade, written books on good volunteer leadership, and been fortunate enough to speak about best practices at conferences and workshops around the world.
In this piece, I’m hoping to share a lifetime of tips, insights and resources to help make your volunteer engagement journey a productive and fulfilling one. Whether you’re brand new to this wonderful field or have been around for a while, having the right tools at your fingertips can make all the difference. Let’s get you pointed to some of the most common strategies and resources—centred around four key pillars: Attitude, Education, Community, and Tools—to help you thrive in your role and contribute to strengthening the volunteer sector as a whole.
If there's one lesson I've learnt that still holds true today, it’s this: attitude is everything.
Attitude can take many forms, but a common denominator I’ve observed in all truly great volunteer engagement professionals is their deep understanding of the importance of the work they do. They see it as more than ‘just a job’ and are committed to their own self-development.
When we truly grasp the impact we have—not just in helping our own agency achieve its mission, but in shaping the lives of the volunteers we support—volunteer leadership roles can transcend the boundaries of a weekly pay packet. They become something greater: a platform for creating meaningful change.
One personal story stands out. For nearly twenty years, I led the volunteer program at a large regional hospital. During that time, I was often asked to speak at the funerals of volunteers who had passed on. Being one of only two people asked to speak—alongside the Minister—was a profound reminder of just how meaningful our work can be. Think about that for a moment. When the gravity of this realisation struck me, I found even more ways to invest in my own development and to build deeper, more meaningful relationships with my team—which, in turn, created stronger outcomes for my organisation’s mission.
Your mindset drives everything. Embrace your role as an agent of change and never stop investing in your growth. Without the desire to grow, all the tools and resources in the world won’t amount to much.
We’re fortunate to live in an era rich with learning opportunities for VEPs. Whether formal or informal, digital or in-person, there’s something for every learning style and budget.
While volunteer engagement is at its core a ‘leadership’ profession, and we can learn a lot from the many generic leadership resources out there, let’s never forget that there are unique dynamics at play when we are trying to lead a workforce whose primary motivation is not a pay packet.
Whether you are just starting out as a VEP or if you have already embarked upon your volunteer leadership journey, there are many key resources to be aware of and make use of. Here are just a few:
Attending a volunteer management conference is one of the easiest, best and most fun ways to quickly immerse yourself into learning new topics, challenge yourself to different ways of thinking and hear of best practices in the world of volunteer engagement.
While the thrill of being in a new city or simply getting out of the office to attend a conference can be refreshing, never take the conference experience for granted – as many new learning and educational opportunities will be available to you.
My advice: Make the most of every conversation, take lots of notes, attend the networking opportunities that avail themselves to you, introduce yourself to others. Learn, learn, learn!
Most important of all - follow up with the connections you make, the ‘to do’ notes you made and the action points you promised yourself to undertake. Set yourself a goal that in time, you might be in a position to present at a conference and share the innovative things that you are achieving.
Explore top conferences for VEPs in your region
While conferences do not come around every day, there is an increasing number of both online and local face-to-face training and workshop opportunities available to VEPs, no matter where they reside. Often free (or available at a very low cost), workshops, webinars and other training options allow for our continued professional development. A first step in making the most of these opportunities is to identify what’s available and, where possible, subscribe to updates from agencies offering these sessions.
Even if a session takes place outside of your usual workday, simply subscribing will often mean you receive a recorded version to watch at a time that suits you best.
Find upcoming Events and Webinars here
Enrolling in a formal certification program as a Volunteer Engagement Professional is a great way to have your learning formally recognised and bring structure to your development. It helps you stay focused, meet deadlines, build a well-rounded knowledge base, and connect with fellow VEPs for collaborative study.
Learn about VEP certification options
Outside of attending formal conferences or enrolling in certification programs, more informal and self-driven learning is also available—with reading, of course, topping the list! Over the years, literally hundreds of books have been published on the topic of sound volunteer engagement, and these days they’re more accessible than ever.
Check out Better Impact’s Book Bites for concise reviews of top reads in volunteer leadership. Prefer journal-style reading? Explore resources like ENGAGE journal or the comprehensive Ellis Archive site.
If full-length books or scholarly articles aren’t your thing, never fear—there are plenty of shorter, easier ways to keep learning. Volunteer management blogs are increasingly popular and perfect for reading on your commute, during a workout, or while juggling other tasks.
We've put together a list of top volunteer management podcasts.
Similarly, there are a myriad of great VEP-focused blogs being published online every day—so many, in fact, that it can be hard to know where to start. Blogs allow us learn in consumable ‘chunks’ and hear from a variety of voices and experience levels across the globe.
Subscribe to Better Impact's Blog.
I mentioned at the outset that a key ingredient in moving from being a good VEP to a great one is understanding the difference we make and having a desire to share that knowledge, passion and ambition with others in our sector. To that end, creating and building a community of like-minded people around yourself is fundamental to sustaining your enthusiasm, energy levels and awareness of the latest trends.
Here are just a few ideas for how you can achieve this for yourself:
Since as far back as the early 1960s, VEPs have come together to collaboratively build on the strength of their members and to promote volunteer engagement as a profession that makes a difference—one that deserves to be treated with due respect.
Professional associations are often the bodies that host conferences, run workshops, and publish educational resources about the profession and its latest trends.
Membership in a professional association is a great way to meet new people, explore new ideas, and feel part of something ‘bigger’. These associations can operate independently or be hosted by local Volunteer Centres.
Regardless of how they’re structured, membership is always highly recommended. To help you get started, we’ve put together a quick guide to some of the leading professional associations around the world.
What’s important is to learn about and find networking opportunities that align with your values and interests. Join those groups, collaborate, and contribute! And don’t forget that networking can also be much less formal than that. Never overlook the value of meeting a single colleague (or two) for a monthly coffee catch-up. If you’re travelling to a new region, reach out to the VEP from a similar agency in that area and invite them for a catch-up.
Networking ensures we stay ahead of the game, and in a role that can often feel quite isolated, it gives us a support network—people we can turn to when sharing both our struggles and our successes.
To get you started in your networking journey, we have compiled a short list of well established VEP networking groups globally: join a local or virtual volunteer manager network.
The role of Volunteer Engagement Professionals is formally recognised on November 5 each year, when International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMDay) is celebrated. It’s a great opportunity to connect with other VEPs in your community and host a celebratory event—or use the day as a chance to educate upwards and outwards about the important role we all play. Learn more about IVMDay.
Volunteer Engagement Professionals around the world are recognised at various times of the year through a range of local, national, and international awards. Why not aspire to one day be a recipient of one of these?
You can learn more about VEP awards from around the world in this article we've put together on this important topic—find VEP awards near you.
One of the most unique features of working as a Volunteer Engagement Professional is the sense of ‘giving’ that exists across our global sector.
Volunteer management professionals—whether they’ve been in the game for a minute or a lifetime—are always willing to share their experiences, expertise, and knowledge with others in the field. Never be afraid to reach out and ask a question; after all, what’s the very worst that could happen?
To get you started on learning from more ‘mature’ voices in the field, we canvassed a few experienced VEPs and asked them to share some words of wisdom—which you can read right here.
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the years, it’s that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time. Having the right tools at your fingertips can free you up to focus on what really matters—building relationships, inspiring volunteers, and making an impact.
Whether it’s using volunteer management software to simplify scheduling and communication, borrowing a tried-and-tested email template, or marking key sector dates on your calendar—these practical resources can save hours of admin time and help you feel more in control of your day-to-day.
Platforms like Better Impact streamline scheduling, communication, and reporting—freeing you up to focus on the parts of the job you love most. If you're curious to see what's out there or how different tools compare, check out our blog post: 18 Best Volunteer Management Software Tools for Nonprofits.
From volunteer handbooks to email templates, policies, and waivers—having these kinds of resources on hand can save you hours of time and effort. They offer a practical starting point and free you up to focus on building relationships and supporting your volunteers.
Plenty of helpful templates are just a quick search away, many of them created by others in the sector who’ve faced the same challenges. Whether you're setting up new processes or updating existing ones, these ready-to-use tools can help you move forward with confidence and clarity.
Keep track of important days and campaigns that matter in volunteerism.
Visit this calendar of important days
So there you have it – four key pillars to success!
It’s important to remember that these elements often work together. For example, the more connected you become, the more educational opportunities you’re likely to discover. Joining an association might lead you to cutting-edge data, a committee to join, a new workshop, or tools that make your role a little less challenging. Reading a blog, listening to a podcast, or picking up a book could open up powerful new ways of thinking.
The secret is to START.
Getting started can feel like the biggest hurdle—especially when the workload already feels overwhelming. But your own self-development and wellbeing are just as important as those of your volunteer team.
So, take one action today—any action—and let’s get your volunteer engagement train rolling to the next station!
Start building your volunteer engagement toolkit today.
Talk to us about Volunteer Impact and discover how we can help you manage, retain, and empower your volunteers with ease.
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