Flutterbye – Blog & Webinars

You are standing in front of your board, arguing for next year’s volunteer program funding, and you have nothing to show them. That is not a […]

The theme for this years’ International Volunteer Manager’s Day (IVMDay 2021) is ‘What is Excellence? – Pushing us beyond the ordinary’. When I think of excellence […]

International Volunteer Managers Day on the 5th November is fast approaching and the theme for this year is ‘what’s next?’ The COVID-19 global pandemic has challenged […]

Giving Australia (2017) has highlighted the strong connection between volunteers and philanthropy and noted that volunteers have a higher giving participation rate and a higher average […]

Employee Supported Volunteering (ESV), also referred to as corporate volunteering has the potential to accelerate the capability and capacity in not-for-profits (NFP). For clarity, when discussing […]

To increase the sustainability of volunteer involvement, a leader of volunteers is required to utilise resources in the most efficient way possible. Embracing technology provides an […]

Introducing group interviews to your volunteer recruitment process is a valuable way to increase engagement with applicants and volunteers. Done well, group interviews are an effective […]

As volunteer engagement professionals, we aspire for volunteers to be appreciated for their important role in our communities. We strive to increase our understanding of the […]

Having difficult conversations and managing conflict is an unfortunate reality for a leader of volunteers. These discussions can be awkward, challenging and may create anxiety for […]

Everyday there is an opportunity for leaders of volunteers to develop and improve their leadership capabilities and this doesn’t necessarily need to involve expensive training, specialist […]

Australia celebrates National Volunteer Week from May 21st to 27th this year. Recognition during that week matters, but your volunteers need to feel valued every day […]

A volunteer strategy gives your organisation a framework to build a strong, sustainable volunteering culture. It connects volunteer involvement directly to your strategic direction, so every […]

Most volunteer programs run on the dedication of a small core group. When that group thins out, or when your coordinator is drowning in admin, the […]

Being a leader of volunteers certainly comes with many complex challenges. For many, one particularly difficult challenge is discovering ways to increase the effectiveness of the […]

A sense of community and connectedness is likely the strongest influencer in determining how long a volunteer remains with your organisation. Fostering a sense of a […]

Today, November 5th is International Volunteer Managers Day and Flutterbye’s first birthday. The premise for Flutterbye is ‘sustainable volunteering’ with the aim of increasing the long […]

Regardless title, if you lead and manage volunteers you’re in a position which requires the continuous development, refinement and improvement of your leadership skills. Through your […]

When your board asks you to justify the volunteer program budget, what do you show them? A spreadsheet of hours? A headcount? If you are relying […]

The use of data and analytics to support informed and evidence based decision making is a powerful tool to employ when improving a volunteer program. Recognising […]

The emerging discipline of risk management is a growing organisational requirement that leaders and managers of volunteers have increasingly been expected to address more and more […]

Dale Carnegie’s ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ contains timeless insights which can be beneficial for those managing and leading volunteers. Fostering positive relationships with […]

An effective and sustainable volunteer program should utilise resources in the most effiective way possible to support the achievement of organisational strategic objectives. Simultaneously it is […]

Leaders and managers of volunteers often experience frustration and annoyance specific to the lack of awareness about their role. How often have you told someone you […]

Have you ever thought about considering a volunteer as though they were your customer? Do they have an expectation about your volunteer program? Yes, absolutely. It […]

Have you ever been responsible for developing and launching a new program, procedure, system or guideline across your organisation and to your volunteers? What about volunteer […]

For over ten years now I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working in Volunteer Management across the not-for-profit and local government sectors. Working alongside volunteers who […]