NPO 045: Project Planning, Volunteer Engagement, & Networking (Kim Morris, River Keepers)

Today's Guest: Kim Morris
Kim is the Project Coordinator for River Keepers. She is an emerging professional who has found joy in working with passionate volunteers and has a knack for getting and staying organized.

Nonprofit Spotlight: River Keepers
River Keepers grew from a desire to rediscover the Red River’s heritage, and to teach people to again appreciate the “Red” as a living River. River Keepers was established in 1990 after a large community-wide assessment said that the Red River is underutilized, underappreciated and—in some cases—mistreated. River Keepers coordinates efforts in conservation, safety, recreation, riparian restoration and water quality among local agencies in the Fargo, North Dakota/Moorhead, Minnesota region. They create programs and events for current and future leaders designed to build a sound foundation for science-based decision making.

The mission of River Keepers is to advocate for safe and sustainable use of the Red River of the North.


Lessons Learned:
In this episode, Kim shares her experiences about working as part of a two-person staff that works with a large community. Her lessons learned included:

  • Project Planning:

    • How to adjust to meet COVID safety protocols

    • The importance of maintaining strong communication with community partners

    • One lesson of how to do things differently during COVID that will be maintained even when the pandemic is behind us: volunteer event check-in. They started using QR codes for check-in and that was a faster and easier way to manage check-in, especially at larger events or when large groups are volunteering together.

    • Project Planning Tool: Click the button below to see the template that Kim mentioned!

  • Volunteer Culture

    • How do you talk about your program and volunteer opportunities? Kim shared some of the adjectives that they use and how unique the volunteers are for the River Keepers… and also how inspiring they can be to everyone else in the program (including the staff!)

    • Knowing the value your volunteers bring to your organization is really important. Find ways to document that (both in numbers, but also in testimonial) and make sure that’s kept in a place where others can find it in the future.

  • Finding community — mentors, peers, potential contacts

    • Kim found a local group for volunteer coordinators that meets monthly.

    • Setting aside this time each month has helped her grow as a professional and also led to interesting networking opportunities.

    • Networking doesn’t always need to have obvious tangible returns at the start in order to be valuable in the long term.


Find River Keepers online:


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41-60Molly MacCreadyVolunteers, USA, Environment, PartnershipComment