Some experiences make you stop and rethink what you thought you already knew. Attending the Policy Cafe on ‘Reimagining Nonprofits: Leadership, Community, and Volunteer Power’ was one of those moments. As someone who has volunteered for several years, I believe I understand how leadership and service come together. But listening to the experts and practitioners speak about growing volunteer leaders and sustaining them in a volunteer-led nonprofit opened my eyes to how much potential and responsibility each volunteer truly carries.

Here are the three lessons that stayed with me the most:

1. Volunteers Can Lead, If Given the Space and Structure

I’ve often seen volunteers take on roles far beyond expectation, yet their potential is sometimes underutilized. Dr. S.P. Kothari’s words resonated deeply: “Nonprofits must create and clearly spell out a ladder of growth for volunteers.” That ladder can be created through succession planning. And this, in Geoff’s words, “is often the biggest challenge for volunteer-led nonprofits.”

Listening to these perspectives, I reflected on my own experiences: the moments when I was provided with leadership roles were the moments I grew the most.

2. Building Volunteer Leadership Through Culture and Connection

Another key takeaway from the Policy Cafe was the importance of harnessing volunteer power. Volunteers flourish when organizations intentionally create a supportive environment and, in Mike’s words, “when they see how their contributions fit into the bigger vision and culture of the organization.” Combined with the deep connections they build in the communities they serve, this approach, as Dr. Nair noted, can spark real social change.

Dr. Renz captured both these elements beautifully: “Volunteer’ is a label for a relationship, and relationships only work when there’s reciprocity, authenticity, mutual appreciation, and value.”

Reflecting on my own experiences, the moments I felt most capable and empowered were always in organizations that cared about culture, connection, and purpose.

3. Volunteers Thrive When Organizations Provide Structure and Support

I realized that even the most motivated volunteers need systems, structure, and resources to lead effectively. Luis made me see how important it is for organizations to plan for capacity and complexity, and Monisha suggested one way to do this is a hybrid model with staff and volunteers supported by training and clear processes. Even with the right structure, volunteers can only thrive if organizations, especially smaller ones, have the resources to sustain them. As Ade highlighted, “Foundations need to increase indirect costs to 25% and/or offer multi-year funding.”

With the right support, volunteers can focus on leading and creating impact rather than getting caught up in coordination.

My Reflection

Seeing how individual leadership, supportive culture, and thoughtful structures all interact made me appreciate that volunteer impact depends on all three. Walking away, I felt a renewed sense of the responsibility and potential inherent in volunteerism. For me, the most powerful takeaway was seeing how thoughtful relationships and structures transform service into leadership and meaningful, lasting impact. Watch the full Policy Cafe here