Karen Knight
Karen Knight is a consultant, volunteer leadership expert, and a dynamic and engaging speaker.
With over 30 years of experience speaking and running workshops, both in person and online, Karen has honed her presentation skills to a high level of effectiveness.
Workshops
45 – 60 mins
Karen’s workshops are hands-on, practical and useful for volunteer leaders with all levels of experience and training. Whether you need a refresher in the lifecycle of volunteers, tips for advocating to your board, or help setting up a Community of Practice, Karen has something for you.
Keynote Speeches
30 – 45 mins
Karen’s keynotes are inspiring and energising, and packed full of useful suggestions and thought-provoking ideas. She loves to challenge the status quo!
Karen has used her decades of experience as a leader and advisor in the social impact sector to develop a proprietary framework for turning volunteers into an enthusiastic, reliable and committed team.
Dynamic, motivating and we all felt that what we had learned would be easy to implement
Popular Topics
Trends in Volunteering Keynote
Keep abreast of trends in the global volunteer environment
Working with organisations worldwide affords Karen a birds-eye view of the changing volunteer landscape and helps organisations stay ahead of the curve.
5 Steps to Building
Stellar Volunteer Teams
Learn best practices for running an effective volunteer program
In this interactive, hands-on class, you will learn the five elements of an effective volunteer program: recruiting, training, managing, program review and appreciation, and evaluate your program based on best practices.
Advocate Effectively to
Your Board
Master the skills that will have your Board sitting up and taking notice
Simply knowing how to advocate for your program can make a massive difference in the amount of support, financial and otherwise, you receive. This interactive workshop covers, and lets you practice, the simple skills that will finally get you “a seat at the table”.
Successful Board
Engagement
Board Directors are volunteers, too
This interactive workshop will help you discover the skills and strategies for recruiting for Boards, successfully engaging members, and creating workable succession plans.
Creating a Community
of Practice
Communities of Practice help members increase the impact of all their organisations
Through facilitated discussions, group activities and networking, this workshop will guide you through the seven steps of creating a Community of Practice that can help everyone improve their programs.
The Volunteer Lifecycle
Knowing the volunteer lifecycle can help you nurture them at each stage
This hands-on class covers the five specific stages in the volunteer lifecycle, and what to do at each stage to strengthen your program and increase your impact.
Tailored Workshops and Presentations
If your volunteer organization is dealing with a unique challenge, or you simply don’t see what you’re looking for here, Karen will research your topic and create a presentation tailored to your specific needs.
Karen’s knowledge, systematic and practical approach were evident in her presentation. She established an immediate connection with the audience, and the activities she introduced helped strengthen understanding and generate new ideas. Attendees left with the knowledge and motivation to improve their organisations.
Working with Karen Knight was wonderful, and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a presenter in the areas of volunteer and/or board engagement.
Recent Talks & Appearances
BC Adaptive Snowsports: Workshop Presenter (Volunteer Lifecycle & Recruiting and Succession Planning for Rural Areas)
Volunteer Halton: Workshop Presenter (Advocating to Your Board)
Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House: Workshop Presenter (Volunteer Lifecycle) & Facilitator (Creating a Community of Practice)
BC Special Olympics: Workshop Presenter (Running Productive Meetings)
Regional District of Nanaimo: Workshop Presenter (5 Steps to Building a Stellar Volunteer Team & Successful Board Engagement)
AVM United Kingdom: Workshop Presenter (Language of Volunteering) & Panelist
PAVRO: Workshop Presenter (5 Steps to Building a Stellar Volunteer Team)
Let's talk about your next event
Volunteer engagement is my passion, and I would be thrilled to participate in your next event in person or online.