Episode 32 – How to Effectively Mobilize Your Nonprofit Volunteers
Host: May Harris, Esq.
Guest: Rachael Orose
“Here's the thing about literacy. We can solve this one. There are so many problems we can't solve. Literacy is one that we can solve. The catch is: it takes love and it takes time.”
- Rachael Orose
In This Episode
Rachael reveals the secret to building a strong, mission-aligned board of directors by recruiting from your volunteer community and fostering educational nonprofits' best practices
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.
Key Takeaways
Insightful moments and lessons from the conversation.
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
Guest Bio: Rachael Orose
Rachael Orose 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.
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