On July 25, 2025, the Lagos Business School Sustainability Centre’s impact programme themed Nonprofit Management and Leadership Youth Academy (NPLM YA) hosted a webinar on the topic ‘Volunteer Management and Developing Talent in NGOs.’ It brought together over 200 nonprofit leaders, human capital experts, volunteer managers, and researchers to explore the critical pathways to build a people-first, future-ready nonprofit workforce. The webinar is part of its knowledge dissemination series and is supported by Ford Foundation West Africa. At the heart of the conversation was a clear message: volunteerism must be professionalised. Informal structures, unclear roles, and unaddressed burnout are no longer tenable, not in a sector trying to scale impact in a post-COVID, resource-constrained world.
Dr. Philine van Overbeeke, Research Fellow, University of Oxford’s Gradel Institute of Charity, delivered the opening presentation. She reiterated that volunteers are the engine room of many organisations, and as such, volunteerism must be professionalised. She said, “Volunteers are not free labour. They are strategic partners. Treating them as such requires systems, empathy, and investment.”
While many nonprofits rely heavily on volunteers, the session revealed a shared pain point: most organisations lack formalised structures to manage, grow, and retain them. “Volunteers don’t want pity — they want purpose,” said Bukky Shonibare, Executive Director, Invictus Africa. She added, “The lack of structure isn’t just an operational issue. It’s an equity issue.”
There was also a panel session comprising Dr Uche Attoh, Faculty, Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Department, Lagos Business School, Ijeoma Oforka, Chief Operating Officer at Follow The Money (CODE), and Bukky Shonibare, Executive Director, Invictus Africa. The panel session was moderated by Charles Aigbona, Executive Secretary, Institute for Work and Family Integration. From recruiting and onboarding to recognition and role clarity, panellists stressed that volunteer engagement should mirror staff management; not just in expectations, but in dignity and design.
A highlight of the session was a case study by Ijeoma Oforka, Chief Operating Officer at Follow The Money (CODE), which operates one of the largest remote volunteer programmes in West Africa. Using tools like Slack, WhatsApp, and Trello, CODE manages over 2,000 volunteers across Nigeria and the diaspora, many of whom lead advocacy campaigns, design strategy, and manage fieldwork independently. She said, “The future of volunteerism is co-ownership. Volunteers stay when they feel seen, trusted, and supported.”
The webinar was a sector-wide nudge that volunteer engagement is no longer a soft issue — it is a governance issue, a sustainability issue, and a leadership issue. From onboarding templates to hybrid coordination tools and performance feedback models, the session offered both strategic insight and practical frameworks. Dr Sylke Jellema, Research Fellow, LBS Sustainability Centre facilitated the webforum. She remarked, “Our role as a convener is not just to talk — it’s to shape practice. People are the heart of nonprofit work. When we build systems that support people, we build organisations that last.”
As a way to solidify learnings of the Nonprofit Webinar Series, the LBS Sustainability Centre announced plans to develop a follow-up toolkit on Volunteer Lifecycle Management. Future themes in the web series will spotlight nonprofit governance, digital transitions, strategic communications, and donor diversification. Volunteerism in Nigeria is not in decline, but at a crossroads. The web forum proved that the energy is there. The question is if the sector is ready to match that energy with structure, respect, and sustainability. If it does, the future of impact will not just be powered by people. It will be protected by them.
Click here to view the webinar communique
About LBSSC’s Nonprofit Leadership and Management Youth Academy (NPLM-YA)
The Nonprofit Leadership and Management Youth Academy Programme builds the managerial capacity of young and emerging nonprofit leaders between the ages of 18 and 35 in Africa. The programme has been designed to cultivate three pillars of competencies required to lead a nonprofit organisation – leadership effectiveness, business fundamentals, and social innovation. Participants will have an immersive learning experience in leadership and strategic planning, exploring nonprofit organisational development, human resources and volunteer management, financial stewardship and corporate governance. This academy is part of LBS’ commitment to raising a new generation of ethical, strategic, and impact-driven youth leaders for the development and social sector in Nigeria. Through its unique blend of theory, practical immersion, and intergenerational knowledge exchange, the Academy is nurturing a growing community of young professionals who are shaping the future of development work with courage, clarity, and competence. For more information on the programme, visit: https://sustainabilitycentre.lbs.edu.ng/nplm-ya/
