How do volunteer leaders move from being seen as “extra hands” to strategic drivers of mission success? 

In this episode of the Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson is joined by Chris Wade and Matthew Cobble, co-hosts of the Time for Impact Podcast in the UK, for a practical and thought-provoking conversation about building influence through impact. 

Together, they explore why volunteering needs to be reframed as community participation and talent, not just unpaid labor and how leaders of volunteers can use data, stories, and strategic thinking to elevate their role inside organizations. 

This episode goes beyond counting hours or outputs and dives into how volunteer engagement directly contributes to outcomes, organizational strategy, and long-term change. 

Full show notes: 193. Building Influence with Impact with Chris Wade and Matthew Cobble 

Building Influence - Episode Highlights 

• [00:31] - Introducing Special Guests: Chris Wade and Matthew Cobble 
• [01:12] - Building Influence with Impact 
• [01:57] - Meet Chris Wade: A Leader in Volunteerism 
• [03:58] - Meet Matthew Cobble: A Journey in Volunteer Engagement 
• [07:42] - The Importance of Volunteerism in Today's World 
• [12:42] - Volunteers as a Strategic Asset 
• [14:10] - Measuring Impact and Building Influence 
• [24:12] - Challenges and Solutions in Volunteer Leadership 
• [31:15] - Hypotheses and Program Design 
• [32:18] - Vision Week and Volunteer Planning 
• [33:06] - Shifting Mindsets on Volunteerism 
• [34:12] - Strategic Planning and Data Utilization 
• [36:13] - Design Thinking in Volunteer Management 
• [37:39] - Collaborative Data Collection 
• [40:32] - Practical How-Tos for Volunteer Impact 
• [42:46] - Measuring Volunteer Impact 
• [53:44] - Collecting Evidence and Surveys 

Helpful Links 

• VolunteerPro Impact Lab  
• 2025 Volunteer Management Progress Report – The Recruitment Edition  
• Time for Impact Podcast, Tobi Johnson on the Challenging, Brave Journey of Volunteer Leadership  
• Volunteer Nation Episode #175: Outputs vs Outcomes: Why Counting Hours Isn’t Enough 
• Info on Lewin's Force Field Analysis 
• Info on Balanced Scorecard for Nonprofits  
• Info on the Double Diamond Design Process  
• Info on the Outcomes Star  

 

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast. If you enjoyed it, please be sure to subscribe, rate, and review so we can reach more people like you who want to improve the impact of their good cause.

For more tips and notes from the show, check us out at TobiJohnson.com. For any comments or questions, email us at [email protected].