703. People Power: How to Turn Volunteers Into Core Capacity - Sara Lomelin, Nicole Stewart, Nicole R. Smith, CVA, and Susan McPherson

We're living in the loneliest moment in modern history. And at the same time, people have never been hungrier for hope, for joy, for meaningful connection. Your volunteers are at the center of that tension. And if you're not treating people power as a strategy, you're leaving your mission's most powerful asset on the table.Recorded live at the We Are For Good Summit, this conversation brings together four extraordinary leaders: Susan McPherson, founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies and author of The Lost Art of Connecting; Nicole Stewart, Executive Director of Boston CASA; Nicole R. Smith, Executive Director of ALIVE, the National Professional Association for Leaders in Volunteer Engagement; and Sara Lomelin, CEO of Philanthropy Together.In this episode, you'll hear:What ALIVE's data shows about organizations that treat volunteers as strategy vs. afterthought: 80% more volunteers, 60% higher engagement, and donors who are twice as likely to giveBoston CASA's three non-negotiables for scaling a volunteer program without burning people out: exceptional training, strong supervision, and a mission-anchored cultureHow to operationalize people power right now: from launching a giving circle to giving volunteers a role, not a receiptWhy skills-based volunteering is surging even as companies go quiet on CSR, and what that means for nonprofitsPeople are looking for hope. They're looking for joy. They're looking for meaningful connections. You are the one they've been waiting for. 🩵Episode Highlights:How volunteer expectations have shifted post-Covid (3:00)People want belonging, not transactions (4:09)Volunteers as your best marketing money can't buy (8:21)Volunteers as ambassadors, donors, and storytellers (10:42)Boston CASA's non-negotiables for scaling without burnout (16:37)CSR in 2026: skills-based volunteering and what companies are doing quietly (22:58)Operationalizing people power: giving circles, storytelling, clarity (24:11)Episode Shownotes: https://www.weareforgood.com/episode/703Join us at The Spread!Givebutter's biggest innovation event of the year is here — The Spread, built entirely around co-creating with nonprofits like yours. 💛We Are For Good is joining forces with GB to host in-person hackathon meetups on Friday, Oct. 2, in New York, Seattle, LA, Denver, and Indianapolis, so you can build alongside other nonprofits in the community.Learn more and save your free spot today. //Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.comSay hi 👋LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter