Who’s Missing at the Table? Rethinking Volunteer Leadership

As leaders of volunteers, we hold the responsibility not only to manage programs but also to ensure they reflect and honor the voices of the people most impacted. Too often, decisions about programming are made without meaningful input from those communities. If volunteers do not represent the people who stand to benefit, it is time to pause, reflect, and reimagine our approach.

This workshop invites leaders of volunteers to explore how to build equity and representation into every aspect of engagement. Together, we will examine strategies for:

• Creating pathways for community members to lead and shape volunteer programs.
• Designing structures that elevate impacted voices in decision-making.
• Pausing and reassessing when programs miss the mark on representation.

Through dialogue, reflection, and practical tools, participants will learn how volunteers are not just about service for communities, but leadership with communities.