Making a Ruckus

Volunteering is changing — and bold leaders are rising to shift the system. Hosted by Tracey O’Neill — visionary consultant, mentor, trainer, and unapologetic disruptor — Making a Ruckus shakes up how we understand volunteering, leadership, and community. More than a podcast, it’s a movement to challenge old systems, measure what matters, and lead with courage, care, and connection.

Making a Ruckus is a business podcast hosted by Tracey O'Neill, with 20 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Tracey O'Neill hosts Making a Ruckus, a business show with 20 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #19

  Volunteering Is Not an Add-On: Inside the New US National Volunteer Strategy

  Jul 14, 202616 minS3

  I read a lot of volunteering strategy documents. Most of them don't make me stop. The new Points of Light US National Volunteer Strategy did. One line on page 13, Principle 2: make volunteering a core strategic function, not an add-on. People in volunteer engagement have been making this argument for decades. But I have never seen it named as a principle in a national strategy, with the why and the how laid out alongside it. In this episode, I unpack why this framing matters. Why the standard advice in most national strategies and frameworks — invest in infrastructure — only takes organisations so far. What the gap between investment and change actually looks like in practice. And the question every organisation should be asking about volunteer engagement, starting Monday morning. Want to hear more? Sign up for my ⁠ newsletter ⁠ for more rethinking on volunteer engagement, impact, and making a ruckus. Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a Ruckus. Links: Read the Points of Light National Volunteer Strategy: a roadmap for engaging more Americans in purposeful volunteering by 2035 . Read Volunteering Australia's National Strategy for Volunteering 2023-2033 . Connect: Learn more: ⁠www.⁠⁠⁠traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tracey O’Neill Consulting⁠⁠

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  Episode #18

  The Hidden Impact of Volunteering

  Jul 3, 202617 minS3

  What if some of the most important work in volunteer engagement happens long before anyone ever signs up to volunteer? In this episode of Making a Ruckus , I explore the idea of hidden impact – the conversations, connections and moments of belonging that rarely appear in our reports, but shape communities in profound ways. Drawing on a story from last week's conversation with Tom Gill and introducing the thinking behind my emerging Campfire Model , I challenge the assumption that community connection only matters if it leads to recruitment. Instead, I ask a different question: what if connection is an outcome in its own right? If you've ever felt that your impact reports capture what volunteers do but miss what volunteer engagement creates , this episode will encourage you to look beyond hours, headcounts and applications, and reconsider what counts as meaningful work. Because perhaps our role isn't just to process people once they arrive. Perhaps it's to make the distance between community and volunteering shorter in the first place. Want to hear more? Sign up for my newsletter for more rethinking on volunteer engagement, impact, and making a ruckus. Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a Ruckus. Links: Listen to episode 17 with Tom Gill, "People don't want to volunteer. They want to belong" where we explore community, belonging and the barriers that stop people from volunteering. Connect: Learn more: www.⁠⁠⁠traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠⁠ Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠Tracey O’Neill Consulting⁠

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  Episode #17

  People Don't Want to Volunteer. They Want to Belong: a conversation with Tom Gill

  Jun 23, 20261h 14mS3

  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.com Follow Tom on Instagram: ⁠ @tomgill Tom'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 2026 Tom Gill's profile on The Guardian Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone Hugh Mackay's books Organisations mentioned Red Frogs, Australia Riding for the Disabled, UK Volunteering Australia Connecting the Cause City of Melbourne, Visitor Services Australian Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Connect: Learn more: ⁠⁠traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠ Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠ Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠Tracey O’Neill Consulting

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  Episode #13

  Volunteer Love Languages: Designing Belonging

  Mar 24, 202614 minS2

  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.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting⁠⁠

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  Episode #12

  Physical Touch in Volunteer Engagement: When Care is Felt, Not Just Done

  Mar 18, 202627 minS2

  Physical touch is one of the most misunderstood — and often avoided — aspects of volunteer engagement. In professional settings, it raises important questions about boundaries, safety, and risk. So many organisations respond by removing it altogether. But what gets lost when we do that? In this episode, Tracey explores the love language of Physical Touch — not as something to apply, but as a way of understanding how some volunteers express care, offer reassurance, and create a sense of safety for others. This conversation moves beyond touch itself, and into something deeper: presence, human connection, and care that is experienced — not just delivered. We’ll explore: • Why physical touch can feel uncomfortable in volunteer settings • What science tells us about touch, connection, and the nervous system • The difference between physical touch and embodied presence • How trauma-informed practice and consent shape safe interactions • How to recognise volunteers who bring warmth and emotional awareness • The hidden emotional labour of presence-based roles • How to create environments that balance connection with clear boundaries This episode invites leaders to reconsider what professionalism looks like — and what might be lost when warmth and connection is removed in the name of safety. Because sometimes the most powerful thing a volunteer offers… is simply being there. Be Bold. Stay Curious. Keep making a Ruckus. Connect: Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the conversation on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tracey.volunteerengagement⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting⁠⁠

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