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🎒Stop Nonprofits' #1 Back-to-School Myth
3-Min Video on High School VolunteersLet's talk about the V-word: volun-tell. You know the drill. A teenager needs 40 hours to graduate, so an adult "volun-tells" them into a role, and everyone quietly assumes the kid is only there for the hours. Clock in, clock out, never to be seen again. Except... that's not actually what the research says. In this video, I'm torching that myth with real data from a youth-led research project. Check out: Community Engagement Book ListI love books! (Honestly I'm running out of physical space for books in my home). My friend and fellow co-conspirator in ethical volunteer engagement, Breauna Dorelus, shared her list of six books to read about giving, power, and belonging via LinkedIn. She asked for other book recommendations that would help leaders of volunteers in unexpected ways, and I shared:
Breauna Stapleton Welch has added these books to her amazing list on community engagement. I've read a few and I'm ready to read a few more! If you love books too, enjoy the list and hit reply to let me know what you're checking out from the library next. Where You'll Find MeSeptember 14: Presenting fresh perspectives on volunteer engagement to library and museum folks. This is a FREE event! September 16: Sharing insights on Employee Volunteering as a Partnership Strategy with Heather Nelson as part of CharityVillage's Volunteer Week. This is a FREE event! September 23: Speaking virtually for Forum for Volunteer Administrators on Beyond Burnout: Rebuilding Energy, Meaning, and Momentum in Volunteer Engagement. October 3: Speaking in-person at the Halton Nonprofit Congress in Milton, Ontario on Ethical AI for Leaders of Volunteers. This workshop was developed with Ethical AI expert, Meena Das. October 20: Presenting Nostalgia Is Not a Strategy: Leading Volunteer Engagement Through Change at the 2026 Volunteer Management Hybrid Conference. Thanks for reading, Jessica |
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1.5 Mins on the REAL Skills and Experiences Jessica is speaking into a silver microphone, wearing a striped blue blazer, dark red lipstick and earrings, with the text “Being nice is overrated” displayed above her head. Hit play to watch! Almost a decade ago, my mentor Erin Spink challenged a room full of volunteer engagement professionals to be less nice. That moment stuck with me. In this video, I share why it's just as relevant today. Because, to be honest... I'm still seeing job postings...
My 3-min Response to Some Recent Pitches After months of chats with nonprofit folks near and far, I’ve got a new #HotTake on volunteer recognition. I recently connected with two social enterprise founders at two different events. They both created platforms where volunteers can win vacations or redeem points for gadgets. Their clients? Nonprofits. Who were they pitching? Folks just like you. Want ethical, meaningful recognition ideas? My YouTube Shorts Playlist on this topic has five videos...
The Latest from my Blog Who is a volunteer... really? In my latest blog post, I chat with Brianna Stapleton Welch from Little Free Library about how her work bridges formal and informal volunteerism: from app users who casually share books, to stewards who’ve never thought of themselves as “volunteers.” We dig into how to build flexible systems, collect meaningful stories, and honour real community contributions. It’s full of insights for anyone thinking about how people show up. Go to my...