Nonprofit volunteer management transforms how organizations create community impact. In this episode of The Nonprofit Counsel Podcast, host May Harris interviews Rachael Orose, Executive Director of Words Alive, about mobilizing 800+ volunteers annually for her San Diego literacy program. Rachael reveals strategies for meaningful volunteer recruitment, integrating volunteerism with philanthropy, and building a strong nonprofit board of directors from your existing volunteer base. Discover proven approaches to community engagement, creating clearly defined volunteer roles, and building mission-aligned board development processes that support nonprofit leadership during challenging times.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:
How to implement effective nonprofit volunteer management systems that create meaningful service opportunities and prevent volunteer burnout through clearly defined role descriptions
Strategies for successful volunteer recruitment and retention by leveraging your existing volunteer base and creating pathways from volunteerism to philanthropic engagement
The secret to building a strong, mission-aligned board of directors by recruiting from your volunteer community and fostering educational nonprofits' best practices
Ways to navigate nonprofit strategy challenges during shifting philanthropic landscapes while centering joy and social impact in your mission-driven organization
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Rachael shares her journey into the nonprofit sector and discusses nonprofit volunteer management and San Diego's literacy crisis
06:27 Building a volunteer base: How Words Alive mobilizes 800+ volunteers through meaningful community engagement and narrow role descriptions
10:29 Integrating volunteer recruitment with philanthropic engagement and equipping volunteers to experience the impact of their efforts
16:16 Nonprofit leadership challenges: Navigating shifting philanthropic landscapes and maintaining social sector stability during resource constraints
21:21 Board development strategies: Recruiting mission-aligned directors from existing volunteer pools and fostering nonprofit board effectiveness
28:54 Keeping the work joyful is key to a successful nonprofit
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Volunteer management success requires creating narrowly scoped, meaningful roles with written descriptions that directly tie to your mission—avoiding burnout while showing volunteers the clear path their work creates to change lives
Two-thirds of Words Alive's board of directors came from existing volunteer roles, proving that recruiting from your engaged volunteer base creates mission-aligned nonprofit leadership with deep organizational understanding
Literacy programs can solve San Diego's crisis, where half of the children don't read at grade level, but the solution requires love, time, and one-on-one reading programs with caring adults building children's literacy skills
Successful nonprofit strategy integrates volunteer coordination with donor cultivation—when volunteers also become donors, it creates deeper philanthropic engagement and a more substantial commitment to your mission
ABOUT THE GUEST:
Rachael is a social sector leader with over 25 years of experience in community collaboration, social entrepreneurship, and strengthening low-income communities. She has coordinated the distribution of more than 20 million books and educational resources valued at over $100 million to children from low-income families, including developing an innovative model that empowers high school vocational programs to serve as national distribution points. As Executive Director of Words Alive, a San Diego-based nonprofit, she leads a team that mobilizes 900+ volunteers annually to connect more than 5,000 children, teens, and families to the power of reading. Originally from Michigan, Rachael is also a mom, avid traveler, reader, two-time cancer survivor, and National Parks enthusiast who now lives in San Diego with her family.
Rachael Orose - Executive Director at Words Alive | LinkedIn
For Profit Law Group - Website
