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.

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