Over the past couple of months on Making a Ruckus, I’ve been exploring volunteer engagement through the lens of Volunteer Love Languages.

Not to label people.

But to notice something that doesn’t always get talked about.

That people don’t just volunteer in different ways — they experience volunteering differently.

And that shapes what keeps them there.

Some people stay because they can contribute.
Some stay because they feel seen.
Some stay because of the connection.
Some stay because they have something that reminds them of what they’ve done.
Some stay because the space feels warm, human… like they belong.

In this final episode, I bring all five love languages together and explore what they reveal about the volunteer experience — and why paying attention to this can help you create environments where more people feel connected, valued and able to stay.

If you’ve been listening along, this episode will help you see the full picture.

If you’re new, it’s a great place to start — and then go back and explore each episode in the series.

Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a Ruckus.

Connect:

• Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting⁠⁠

Physical touch is one of the most misunderstood — and often avoided — aspects of volunteer engagement.

In professional settings, it raises important questions about boundaries, safety, and risk.
So many organisations respond by removing it altogether.

But what gets lost when we do that?

In this episode, Tracey explores the love language of Physical Touch — not as something to apply, but as a way of understanding how some volunteers express care, offer reassurance, and create a sense of safety for others.

This conversation moves beyond touch itself, and into something deeper:
presence, human connection, and care that is experienced — not just delivered.

We’ll explore:

• Why physical touch can feel uncomfortable in volunteer settings
• What science tells us about touch, connection, and the nervous system
• The difference between physical touch and embodied presence
• How trauma-informed practice and consent shape safe interactions
• How to recognise volunteers who bring warmth and emotional awareness
• The hidden emotional labour of presence-based roles
• How to create environments that balance connection with clear boundaries

This episode invites leaders to reconsider what professionalism looks like — and what might be lost when warmth and connection is removed in the name of safety.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing a volunteer offers…
is simply being there.

Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a Ruckus.

Connect:

• Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting⁠⁠

Receiving Gifts is often the volunteer love language that makes organisations the most uncomfortable.

Volunteering is frequently framed as altruistic — something people do without expecting anything in return. Because of this, tangible gestures of appreciation can feel unnecessary, or they become standardised tokens given to everyone.

But what if gifts aren’t really about the object at all?

In this episode of Making a Ruckus, Tracey explores Receiving Gifts as a volunteer love language — and how tangible symbols can help people hold onto moments of contribution, recognition and belonging.

Drawing on stories from practice, including a powerful moment with a volunteer named Rae, this episode explores:

• why gifts can feel complicated in volunteer cultures

• how tangible gestures anchor memories of contribution

• the difference between generic recognition and meaningful symbols

• how policies and fairness can unintentionally make appreciation feel impersonal

• ways leaders can design recognition that reinforces belonging rather than branding

Because sometimes the most meaningful gift isn’t what it costs.

It’s what it represents.

Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a Ruckus.

Connect:

• Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠⁠
• Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting⁠

When the Moments Between the Tasks Matter Most

Some volunteers stay because of the moments between the tasks.

For volunteers who value Quality Time, shared experience isn’t a bonus — it’s what gives volunteering meaning.

Not every volunteer role naturally includes long conversations or team bonding. And this episode isn’t about adding hours to your already busy schedule as a leader of volunteers.

This episode is about attention.

It’s about how time is structured, who it’s shared with, and what our patterns of presence quietly communicate.

In this episode, we explore:

• What Quality Time really means in volunteer engagement
• Where it exists in volunteer roles
• Where it must be intentionally designed
• What happens when connection slowly fades away
• The difference between availability and presence
• How small, structured choices protect share experiences
• Why protecting these moments strengthens volunteer retention and sustainability

Volunteering can be organised, efficient and well-managed…and still make people feel disconnected.

Efficiency keeps programs running.

Quality Time keeps people staying.

Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a Ruckus.

Connect:

• Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠
• Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting

When Being Seen Is More Than Being Thanked

Leaders of volunteer engagement are often excellent at recognition.

We say thank you.

We run awards nights.

We celebrate National Volunteer Week.

But for some volunteers, “thank you” isn’t the thing they’re listening for.

They’re listening for indicators that they belong.

They want to understand the difference they make.

They want to know where they fit.

They want to hear their contribution named in a way that strengthens belonging.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why generic gratitude can feel hollow
• The difference between appreciation and affirmation
• How to recognise volunteers who value Words of Affirmation
• What it looks like to build a culture of noticing — not just recognition events
• How affirmation strengthens psychological safety, retention, and sustainability
• The kids of volunteer roles that might appeal to those who value Words of Affirmation

Words of Affirmation is the easiest love language to attend to.

It’s also the easiest to dilute.

Because when contribution isn’t clearly visible, belonging becomes fragile.

This episode isn’t about praising volunteers more.

It’s about making volunteer contribution visible — consistently, specifically, and culturally.

Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a ruckus.

Connect:

• Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠
• Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting

Rethinking "It's Always the Same People"

In this episode of Making a Ruckus, we explore Acts of Service as a volunteer love language — and what it means for leaders of volunteer engagement and volunteer management.

If you've ever said, "It's always the same people who step up," this episode is for you.

Some volunteers express care and commitment through actin. They respond quickly, thrive in urgency, and feel most connected when they are useful. But there's an important distinction between willingness and endless capacity — and many volunteer systems unintentionally reward over-giving.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why urgency activates certain volunteers
• The difference between reliability and resilience in volunteer leadership
• How volunteer engagement systems can reward availability over sustainability
• Signs of burnout in highly reliable volunteers
• Practical strategies for designing volunteer roles without creating dependency

This episode is for volunteer managers, leaders of volunteer engagement, nonprofit leaders, and anyone responsible for volunteer retention and sustainability.

The goal isn't to stop volunteers from stepping up.

It's to ensure stepping up remains a choice — not an expectation.

Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a ruckus.

Connect:

• Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠
• Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting

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.au⁠⁠⁠
• Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠
• Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement
• Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting

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 die

• Why some conversations from the 90s are still happening today

• What volunteer involvement could look like if we stopped trying to fit people into outdated boxes

• The risks and possibilities of AI for our field

Rob 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 website
• Rob Jackson's podcast; Advancing the Profession
• Rob Jackson Consulting's blog
• Rob's LinkedIn reflection; Stewards of Hope
• Rob's blog post: Three reasons why it's time to stop talking about amateurs and professionals
• Engage Journal
• Rahim Hirji's newsletter, Box of Amazing

Connect:

• Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠⁠
• Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠
• Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement
• Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting

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.au⁠⁠
• Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠
• Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement
• Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting

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.au⁠
• Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠
• Follow on Instagram: ⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement
• Follow on Facebook: ⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting