Kind words from our clients
“Karen was an incredible partner in helping Ocean Wise build our volunteer strategy and program from the ground up. She brought a thoughtful, practical, and highly collaborative approach, meeting us where we were as an organization and remaining flexible as funding timelines required us to pause and later return to the work.
Karen went above and beyond, not only developing the strategy, policies, processes, and systems we needed, but also helping our team understand what makes a volunteer program successful and how to manage it sustainably moving forward. Her guidance helped us move from having no formal volunteer infrastructure to a fully designed, policy-supported, and system-ready program prepared for launch.
We are deeply grateful for her expertise, patience, and care, and would highly recommend Karen Knight Consulting to any organization looking to build or strengthen a meaningful volunteer program.”
PATRICK LAMONTAGNE
Director of Shoreline and Youth Programs, Ocean Wise Conservation Association
“In September 2025 we met with Karen Knight regarding conducting a GAP and SWOT analysis of our volunteer program. Karen presented a detailed breakdown of how she conducts these assessments and covered the importance of getting feedback from volunteers and staff alike. She began with interviews.
Karen kept detailed track of who she was interacting with and never failed to let me know she was reaching out to an interviewee. Karen’s actual assessment covered several areas we needed to focus on, including: recruitment, onboarding, appreciation, and management. These focus points were broken down and projects were suggested and prioritized. These suggested projects were broken down further into detailed yet manageable tasks.
Karen took the time to wrap up with a meeting to discuss suggestions and template examples. She did not hesitate to provide materials we requested and pointed us in the direction of her blog which provided invaluable resources to assist in implementing the projects she outlined.
I would highly recommend Karen Knight Consulting for professional volunteer engagement consulting if you are looking for bespoke suggestions which allow a tailored and transformational approach for organizations. She did a stellar job for us.”
COURTNEY KEIR
Fundraising Manager, High Peaks Hospice
“Working with Karen was such a wonderful experience. She took the time to really understand our volunteer program and helped us rethink our screening and training processes in a way that makes everything run more smoothly.
Her in-depth needs assessment helped us identify key areas for improvement, and her expert guidance led to a complete rework of our screening and training processes. Thanks to her support, we’ve saved time and, more importantly, have been able to bring in more committed volunteers.
Karen was a pleasure to work with—friendly, flexible, and always ready to dig deeper to find creative solutions to our challenges. She went above and beyond to make sure we had the right tools and strategies in place, and her work has made a lasting impact on our program. We’re so grateful for her help!”
ARIA BRUNETTI
Coordinatrice du programme des Générations
JOYCE LIN
Sector Development Coordinator, Vantage Point
“Working with Karen Knight Consulting has been a pleasure. When I contacted Karen to inquire about her services, she was responsive, professional, and easy to work with. Her experience and expertise in the field of volunteer and board engagement were apparent, and she was incredibly flexible and accommodating, working with me to tailor her presentation to our specific needs and requirements. I felt comfortable knowing that I had made the right choice in engaging her for our event.
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 organizations.
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.”
Jennifer Hopewell
Recreation Coordinator, Regional District of Nanaimo
“The Professional Association of Volunteer Leaders of Ontario (PAVRO) were privileged to have Karen deliver her presentation “5 Steps to Building a Stellar Volunteer Team” for the benefit of PAVRO members who participated in a September 2022 webinar. Karen knows her stuff! At the core of volunteer management is the need for empathy and care; Karen’s thought leadership is keenly focused on the people involved, at all levels of the organization, including volunteers who offer their help. Of the five steps (Recruitment; Training; Management; Program Review; and, Appreciation) described Karen acknowledges Appreciation normally comes last in a chronological sequence, but she emphasized how important it is by introducing her presentation focused on appreciation. As she launched into the presentation we all had a sense at the heart of her efforts and her thoughts are people – and this approach was a sterling one, for which all of us at PAVRO are grateful. Thank you Karen.”
Dean Black
Director Professional Development, PAVRO
“Karen delivered an excellent workshop on Language in Volunteering at the AVM (Association of Volunteer Managers) Annual Conference in October 2022 where she also participated in our panel session on ‘Future trends in Volunteer Management’. Her enthusiasm and gentle approach to communicating was exceptionally well received by attendees of the conference. Karen shared insights and guided attendees of the Language workshop into conversation and consideration in a way which enabled them to come to their own conclusions relevant to their sector and situation. As part of our panel, Karen shared her insights and thoughts on what lies ahead of the world of Volunteer Management. Karen communicated effectively and efficiently (despite a huge time difference!) and was a joy to work with through the lead up to and during the conference itself.”
Sally Seddon
Conference Organizer, AVM
“Karen did an Assessment and Strategic Implementation Plan for our volunteer program. I was impressed at how in-depth she went (she held interviews with staff, volunteers and clients to gather information). I loved that I could just leave the whole process in Karen’s hands and not worry about it.
The document Karen provided at the end of the process was comprehensive and informative. The suggestions she make were practical.
I especially liked the clear and easy-to-follow implementation plan. It will be simple to hand this over to our incoming volunteer coordinator to put in place – especially with Karen’s help (we’ve arranged to have Karen train her).
I can highly recommend Karen Knight Consulting to anyone who wants to improve their volunteer program.”
Ashley Sudds
Executive Director, Kamloops Therapeutic Riding Association
“On behalf of Kamloops Immigrant Services team members, I wish to express our gratitude for Karen Knight’s training. The activities she proposed and the examples she shared during the training were very useful. Her presentation was dynamic, motivating and we all felt that what we had learned would be easy to implement in our day-to-day practice.”
France Lemontagne
Executive Director, Kamloops Immigrant Services
“As part of the 2023 United Way BC Volunteer Management Workshop Series Karen Knight recently facilitated a workshop called, “5 Steps to Building a Stellar Volunteer Team.” These virtual, province- wide workshops are intended to support our non-profit partner agencies who work with and manage volunteers regularly. The need for this specific topic was clear, as registration for Karen’s workshop had an exception number of registrants.
Karen’s expertise came across noticeably, as throughout the workshops she offered tangible and practical advice, real life examples, and assurance. Attendees positively reported back their appreciation for this workshop, and gratitude for the information and tools she offered, including the take-away resources.
Karen was professional, organized, flexible, and a pleasure to work with, and United Way BC highly
recommends her seminars.”
Natika Bock
Regional Coordinator, Community Impact & Investment, United Way BC