by Ruth Leonard, Chair of Association of Volunteer Managers (AVM)
Every 5 November, International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMDay) gives us the chance to celebrate a profession that is rarely in the spotlight, yet has a profound influence on our communities. Volunteer managers shape experiences, create opportunities and enable people to act on the things they care about most.
This year’s theme, Legacy & Leadership, asks us to look in three directions: back at how the profession got here, at the work in front of us today, and forward to the legacy we want to leave behind.
Honouring the past
The history of volunteer management is rooted in relationships. Long before digital platforms, impact frameworks and AI-powered tools, people brought others together around shared causes. They understood something that remains true today: volunteering is not created by organisations, it is enabled by them.
The generations before us built programmes, developed standards and championed volunteering, often with limited resources. Through persistence and advocacy, they helped establish volunteering as a recognised strategic function that strengthens communities and civic participation. Their legacy is not only the structures they created, but the belief that communities are stronger when people are enabled to contribute.
Leading in the present
Today’s volunteer managers balance structure and generosity. Safeguarding, governance and accountability matter, but volunteering loses something important when it begins to feel too much like paid work. My rule of thumb remains: as light as possible, as strong as necessary.
Three shifts are particularly important. We need to move from seeing people as consumers to recognising them as active citizens with a voice in decisions. We need to build opportunities around people’s lives rather than expect people to fit predefined roles. And we need to look beyond counting activity to understanding why volunteering matters and the difference it makes.
People stay involved when they feel trusted, listened to and able to make a contribution. Leadership today is less about directing people and more about creating environments where people choose to participate.
Building the future
Volunteering is changing. Technology is transforming how people connect, expectations around flexibility continue to grow, and new opportunities are emerging all the time. Yet one thing remains constant: people still want to make a difference.
Our challenge is not to predict every trend, but to build cultures and systems that can adapt while remaining rooted in human connection. We should use technology to create more space for people, not less. Above all, we must protect the belief that individual actions matter.
The legacy we leave
Our legacy is not measured by the systems we build or the opportunities we run. It is measured in the confidence of someone volunteering for the first time, in stronger communities, and in the culture we create for others to participate, belong and lead. For AVM, it is also reflected in the professional community we leave for those who follow us.
This IVMD, thank someone who has shaped your leadership, share your learning with someone newer to the profession, and choose one thing you will try next week. Change happens through small acts of courage, repeated by many people.
To everyone leading, supporting and championing volunteers: thank you. Your work enables others to act.
Happy International Volunteer Managers Day.
