Making a Ruckus

Tom Gill doesn't work in the volunteering sector. He's a cultural placemaking consultant and writer for The Guardian, who spends his career studying how cities and communities create connection.So, when he wanted to find community for himself, he didn't start with the research. He went looking for it in person, in his own neighbourhood.In this episode, Tom and I talk about what he found: what happened when he tried to volunteer, why the invitation to get involved can feel more like a job application than an invitation at all, and what gets lost when connection moves online.This one's for anyone who shapes how people first encounter your organisation, and for anyone who's wondered what volunteering might look like if we designed it around people and place rather than process.Want to hear more? Sign up for my newsletter at ⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠ for fortnightly thinking on volunteer engagement, impact, and making a ruckus.Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a Ruckus.Mentioned:Tom's website and Substack: www.Tom-gill.comFollow Tom on Instagram: ⁠@tomgillTom's article How to find community in 2025: ‘The most important thing I’ve learned is I’m not alone’Tom's article Write a card, read a poem, take fewer photos: how to feel more human in 2026Tom Gill's profile on The GuardianRobert Putnam's Bowling AloneHugh Mackay's booksOrganisations mentionedRed Frogs, AustraliaRiding for the Disabled, UKVolunteering AustraliaConnecting the CauseCity of Melbourne, Visitor ServicesAustralian Neighbourhood Houses and CentresConnect:Learn more: ⁠⁠traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠Tracey O’Neill Consulting

"What gets measured gets managed." It's one of the most repeated phrases in leadership and reporting. But what if it's led us to pay attention to all the wrong things?In this episode of Making a Ruckus: Rethinking Volunteer Engagement, Tracey explores what happens when volunteer engagement is reduced to numbers, headcounts and hours. Through two powerful stories from her own practice, she reflects on the moments that shaped how she thinks about impact, attention, and the limits of measurement.Because sometimes the numbers tell us everything is fine when something important has been lost. And sometimes the most significant impact of volunteering ripples out in ways no annual report could ever capture.If you've ever struggled to explain the true value of volunteering to leaders, boards or funders — or wondered whether the reports you're producing are telling the whole story — this conversation is for you.Perhaps the question isn't whether we're measuring enough.Perhaps it's whether we're noticing what matters.Want to hear more? Sign up for my newsletter at ⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠ for more rethinking on volunteer engagement, impact, and making a ruckus.Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a Ruckus.Mentioned:Sue Carter Kahl Making a Ruckus interview Sue's article Beyond Measurement: Cultivating Attention and AlivenessConnect:Learn more: ⁠⁠traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠Tracey O’Neill Consulting

What if the most important impacts of volunteering can't be counted?In this episode of Making a Ruckus, Tracey is joined by volunteerism researcher, writer, and thought leader Sue Carter Kahl, whose work has challenged volunteer engagement professionals around the world to rethink how we understand and talk about impact.Sue shares insights from more than 30 years in the sector, including the research behind her doctoral dissertation, Making the Invisible Visible, and her ongoing work exploring the multidimensional value of volunteering.Together, Tracey and Sue unpack why so many organisations remain stuck reporting volunteer numbers, hours, and dollar values — and why, even when we do get more creative with data, it often still doesn't shift minds or unlock resources. Because the real barrier might not be the data at all. It might be the unexamined beliefs about volunteering that are unintentionally shaping decisions at every level of our organisations.They explore:Why hours and wage replacement rarely tell the full story of volunteeringHow to uncover and articulate the outcomes that matter mostPractical ways to move beyond counting activities and start capturing impactThe role of stories, relationships, and "witnessing" in understanding changeWhy leaders of volunteer engagement shouldn't wait for permission to tell better storiesThe hidden beliefs about volunteering that may be blocking change — and how to surface themThis conversation is about more than impact reporting. It's about what's at stake when we reduce volunteering to economic value — and what we risk losing if we start to commodify community. It's about the future of volunteer engagement itself: the stories we tell, the assumptions we challenge, and the role volunteering can play in building stronger, more connected communities.If you've ever felt frustrated that volunteer reports don't capture what you know is happening in your community, this conversation will give you practical ideas, fresh language, and permission to think differently.Because not everything that matters can be counted. And not everything that can be counted is what matters most.Want to hear more? Sign up for my newsletter at ⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠ for weekly thinking on volunteer engagement, impact, and making a ruckus.Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a Ruckus.Mentioned:Sue Carter Kahl Volunteer Commons websiteConnect with Sue on LinkedIn: @sue-carter-kahlSue's article "I Love Tracking My Volunteer Hours! - No Volunteer Ever"Sue's article "Trading Measurement for Witnessing"IAVE's Call to Action for the Future of VolunteeringConnect:Learn more: ⁠traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠Follow on Instagram: ⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠Follow on Facebook: ⁠Tracey O’Neill Consulting

Season 3 of Making a Ruckus opens with a question that came out mid-sentence in a workshop, surprised the room, and hasn't left Tracey since.What if the real work of volunteer engagement is the work we keep putting off?Drawing on two stories from her own career, Tracey reflects on what happens when relationship-building gets squeezed out by operational demands, why the most important impacts of volunteering stay invisible to the leaders who most need to see them, and what it costs when nobody notices.Whether you're a leader of volunteer engagement, CEO, board member, or someone passionate about creating meaningful volunteer experiences, this episode will challenge you to think differently about what volunteering makes possible.Because if we can't see the value volunteering creates, we can't protect it, resource it, or make the case for it.Want more? Sign up for my newsletter at www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au for weekly thinking on volunteer engagement, impact, and making a ruckus.Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a Ruckus.Connect:Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting⁠⁠

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.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting⁠⁠