Mastering Change Management: An interview with an expert

Change management can be challenging, especially in the nonprofit sector, where teams often rely on dedicated volunteers to drive their mission forward.

To explore the best approaches for guiding organizations through change, we spoke with Marian, a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in volunteer management and organizational transformation.

In this interview, Marian shares her insights on proven change management frameworks like ADKAR, Prosci, and Kotter, along with practical advice for building effective communication plans and engaging volunteers throughout the change journey.

Whether you're looking to implement a new system, improve processes, or simply strengthen your team’s ability to adapt, Marian's experience offers valuable lessons for leaders at every level.

Read on to learn how to make change stick, empower your volunteers, and create a lasting impact.

What is change management in the nonprofit sector?

Change management in the nonprofit sector refers to the structured approach of guiding an organisation and its people through transitions, whether it's adopting new technologies, implementing new processes, or shifting strategic directions. It focuses on minimising disruption, building stakeholder buy-in, and ensuring that changes align with the organization’s mission and values.

Unlike in the corporate world, nonprofit change management often faces unique challenges, including limited resources, diverse volunteer bases, and mission-driven cultures. This makes clear communication, strong leadership, and a people-centric approach essential for successful change.

Key Elements of Change Management in Nonprofits:

Clear Vision and Goals: Establishing a clear purpose for the change that aligns with the organsation’s mission.

Stakeholder Engagement: Involving staff, volunteers, and donors early to build support and reduce resistance.

• Communication Strategy: Tailoring messages to different audiences, from board members to frontline volunteers.
• Training and Support: Providing the skills and knowledge needed to adapt to the change.
• Continuous Feedback and Improvement: Gathering insights throughout the process to adjust strategies as needed.

Interview with Marian Casey, Former NSW State Emergency Service Change Manager 

I have volunteered as a leader for over 20 years, this has included 15 years with St John Ambulance NSW. Additionally, I have worked with NSW State Emergency Service in training improvement for a year as a Change Manager across 10 projects, including new systems and reports.

I have also used change management principles in other my roles which have mostly been in university projects.

What framework have you used and learnt about for building a change management plan?

I have used a number of different processes and frameworks. ADKAR, Prosci, Kotter, and Lewins models to name a few. There are great short courses on platforms like LinkedIn as a way to get started and learn more about them. If you are a small charity or not-for-profit organisation, ADKAR is a great one to use as it focuses on the impact on people. ADKAR stands for awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement. 

With my change management plan, I write down against all the project timelines:

• Team Communication: Email, Tutorials, Team Updates, Tasks 
• The Audience: How will the audience change my approach, language and communication delivery? I.e I would use different language and forms of communication with a cadet or someone under 18 than I would when giving a project update to the Board Directors
• Purpose: What stage of ADKAR and what do I want the volunteers to get out of it?
• Accountability: Who is going to complete the tasks?

What has worked well in your experience with change management with volunteers?

Building the change management plan at the same time as your project plan. You need to think about it from the start so that you don’t get lost in the deadlines and tasks of the project.

People, and especially volunteers, need time to understand a new change. The more time you can give them to feel part of the change and digest what they are required to do as part of their role, the better.

One quick win is having different forms of communication that speak to how volunteers want to find and absorb information:

• 3 talking points for volunteer leaders to use at training sessions or volunteer meetings
• FAQs in simple non-technical language and words that are used by your volunteers sent via email or in a newsletter
• Having a project status and updated information on your intranet or central information portal
• Creating short 2 minute videos to explain the why the change is happening and what is happening next throughout the project
• Rather than having a one-hour long tutorial or video, break up the learning into 10 smaller bite-sized videos that are less than 5 minutes long. Makes learning more flexible for a volunteer and there is a sense of accomplishment as you progress through each video.

If you could do any change process again, what would you do differently?

Creating uniform projects and change management plans across multiple projects and teams. When everyone is working from the same playbook, it makes it easier to work together and support when deadlines are pushed back or the dreaded scope creep happens.  

What advice would you give to another organisation changing their volunteer management system?

Find your change champions early and bring them into the conversation with your project team. Show them your written communication drafts and gather feedback before you send it out. Use them to test the systems and provide early feedback of what information is going to help their fellow volunteers to understand new processes.

A great example is discovering early that someone who was colour blind couldn’t read the screen well on a program, so changing the colours and the background image early worked really well. 

Connect with Marian

You can find Marian on Linkedin and is a regular contributor to Rosterfy webinars and events,