Making a Ruckus

When Volunteering Ends

In the Season 1 finale of Making a Ruckus, Tracey O’Neill reflects on one of the most overlooked moments in volunteer engagement: what happens when volunteering ends.Too often, the end of a volunteer role is treated as an administrative exit — rosters updated, keys returned, surveys sent, and relationships quietly closed. But what if this moment holds more possibility than we realise?In this episode, Tracey explores why the way organisations approach the end of volunteering can either weaken or deepen connection. Drawing on a community-centred lens, she invites listeners to reconsider “exit” and to imagine what becomes possible when relationships are stewarded with care, curiosity, and intention.This conversation isn’t about expecting lifelong service. It’s about recognising that when people feel welcomed, valued, listened to, and part of meaningful change, their connection doesn’t simply disappear when a role finishes — it evolves.When volunteering ends, the relationship doesn’t have to.Stay bold, stay curious — and keep making a ruckus.Connect:Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠⁠Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@tracey.oneill.cva⁠⁠⁠Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting

Rob Jackson: Three Decades In — Still Making a Ruckus

For our very first interview on Making a Ruckus, I’m joined by someone who has shaped the thinking of volunteer engagement professionals around the world for more than 30 years — Rob Jackson.In this wide-ranging and deeply energising conversation, we look back at three decades of volunteer engagement:what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what still desperately needs a rethink.Rob reflects on the biggest shifts he’s seen — the hopeful ones and the uncomfortable ones — and together we unpack some of the assumptions, biases, and long-running debates that continue to hold our sector back.We dive into:The myths and mental models that refuse to dieWhy some conversations from the 90s are still happening todayWhat volunteer involvement could look like if we stopped trying to fit people into outdated boxesThe risks and possibilities of AI for our fieldRob also reads his powerful reflection Stewards of Hope — a moment that will stay with you long after the episode ends.And we debut the Ruckus Round, a rapid-fire set of questions that invites Rob to share what he’s rethinking, what he’s wrestling with, and the one ruckus he believes we must still make.If you’re ready for a conversation that honours where we’ve been and challenges where we’re heading, this episode is for you.Stay bold, stay curious — and keep making a ruckus.Mention:Rob Jackson Consulting websiteRob Jackson's podcast; Advancing the ProfessionRob Jackson Consulting's blogRob's LinkedIn reflection; Stewards of HopeRob's blog post: Three reasons why it's time to stop talking about amateurs and professionalsEngage JournalRahim Hirji's newsletter, Box of AmazingConnect:Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠⁠Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@tracey.oneill.cva⁠⁠⁠Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting

Recognition Isn’t Enough: The Part We’re All Missing

This year’s International Volunteer Day launches the 2026 UN International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development — and there has never been a more important time to rethink how we recognise and value volunteers.In this episode, Tracey O’Neill flips the script on traditional volunteer appreciation. Instead of asking “How do we thank volunteers for what they do?”, she asks the bigger question:“How do we honour who volunteers are — and the strengths they bring that shape culture, community and impact?”Drawing on more than 25 years of experience, Tracey introduces her Four Pillars of Volunteer Appreciation — Recognition, Reward, Participation and Progression — and explores how leaders of volunteer engagement can move beyond morning teas and certificates to activate strengths, shift systems and influence organisational culture.She unpacks how Participation and Progression aren’t just ways to value volunteers, but powerful practices that position leaders of volunteer engagement as cultural leaders — shaping belonging, voice, inclusion and leadership across the organisation.Here’s the shift we’ve been waiting for: seeing volunteer engagement as culture work, not administrative work.If we want a more inclusive, equitable, community-centred future, then Participation and Progression must sit at the heart of our recognition practices.If you’re ready to shift from “thank-you strategies” to practices that elevate voice, leadership and belonging, this episode will spark new ways of thinking.Every contribution matters. Every contribution begins with strengths. And recognition is only the beginning.Stay bold, stay curious — and keep making a ruckus.Connect:Learn more: ⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠@tracey.oneill.cva⁠⁠Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting

How Do We Define Volunteering? I’m Not Sure Anymore.

For most of my career, I thought I knew exactly what volunteering meant.  A clear definition. A neat set of boundaries.A shared understanding across our sector. But the more I paid attention to how people actually show up for each other in community, the messier — and more interesting — the word became.  In this episode, I explore why volunteering has never had a single agreed definition — not in research, not in practice, and certainly not in everyday community life.I dig into decades of debate, my own subconscious bias, the rise of consumer language in volunteer engagement, and the shift toward seeing volunteers as citizens rather than customers.  At its core, I’m realising volunteering is far less about programs, roles, and organisational pathways… and far more about belonging, identity, connection, and our deeply human desire to contribute to something that matters. And once you see volunteering as a human behaviour — not just a sector construct — the old definitions begin to unravel.  I don’t land on a neat answer in this episode. I’m not sure I want to.Because the real question I’m sitting with now is:If volunteering lives in community, not just in organisations... then who gets to define what it means?  Join me in the messy middle as I rethink one of the most fundamental words in our field… and maybe invite you to rethink it too. Mentioned:Cnaan, Handy & Wadsworth; Defining Who is a Volunteer: Conceptual and Empirical Considerations (1996)D.J Cronin; Let's Not Kill Volunteering (2011)Andrew Hoffman; Volunteers ARE Consumers — Part 2 (2015)Annette Maher; The Evolution of the Volunteering Infrastructure and Volunteering Australia (2015)Susan J. Ellis; That Pesky Word Volunteer (2017)Laurie Mook; Volunteer as 'Consumer:' A Marketing Perspective to Understanding Volunteer Choice (2020)Ruth Leonard; Ethical Considerations Framing Volunteers as Consumers or Citizens (2024)Connect:Learn more: ⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠Follow on Instagram: ⁠@tracey.oneill.cva⁠Follow on Facebook: ⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting

Elephant Paths: Why Volunteers are Choosing Their Own Way

What if volunteers aren’t walking away — they’re just choosing a path that feels right for them?In Episode 3 of Making a Ruckus, Tracey O’Neill explores the metaphor of Elephant Paths — those natural shortcuts peoplecarve when the “official path” just doesn’t make sense for them. And what these paths tell us about volunteer behaviour today.Instead of seeing low recruitment conversion or disengagement as a sign that people don’t want to volunteer, Tracey reframes it: people are volunteering — they’re just stepping around the hoops, delays, and rigid processes. They’re choosing paths that feel intuitive, meaningful, flexible — paths that fit with their real life.You’ll hear:Why many people start the journey to volunteer…and then step awayHow delays, friction, rigid processes andmisaligned roles shape these “paths”Why informal volunteering isn’t competition —it’s communicationHow Elephant Paths mirror Aboriginal Songlinesand the ancient wisdom of following meaning, not controlHow you can “read the map” volunteers arealready drawing — and design systems people want to walkThis episode will change how you understand disengagement.It’s not apathy. It’s adaptation.A quiet—but powerful—signal about where meaning and momentum truly live.Stay bold. Stay curious. Keep making a ruckus. Mentioned:Tracey's LinkedIn article on Elephant Paths: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-volunteers-tread-own-path-tracey-o-neill-cva-ke01c/Connect:Learn more: www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.auJoin the conversation on LinkedIn: @traceyoneillcvaFollow on Instagram: @tracey.oneill.cvaFollow on Facebook: Tracey O'Neill Consulting