Volunteer Manager

Reporting to the Vice President of Development and External Relations, the Volunteer Manager (VM) is responsible for building, activating, and stewarding a high-quality volunteer force that advances RISE’s mission across all programs. This role is a part of the External Relations team and plays a critical role in expanding RISE’s community engagement strategy.

The Volunteer Manager (VM) is responsible for both recruiting and activating volunteers, which includes strategically placing, preparing, deploying, and meaningfully engaging them over time. This vital role requires a balance of strong relational instincts and rigorous operational discipline. The VM works closely with internal partners to manage recruitment for specific programs and events, plan for long-term volunteer infrastructure, ensure integration across all programs, and strategize for the organization's future growth.

This position requires a dependable, detail-oriented, and strategic professional who demonstrates strong follow-through, clear boundaries, and the ability to execute consistently in dynamic environments, and someone who is deeply committed to RISE’s mission to break generational cycles of incarceration.

RISE is the largest nonprofit organization in Nebraska focused solely on habilitative programming in prisons and reentry support. At RISE, transformation starts pre-release and continues post-release. Our inside/out model bridges incarceration to the community and considers all the critical steps in that journey. We prepare and train people for each phase through intensive character development, employment readiness, job creation through entrepreneurship, family programming, and case management.

We transform people in the community by building awareness and empathy that leads to support and opportunity. These connections heal families, create employment pathways, and lower recidivism. The mission of RISE is to break generational cycles of incarceration.

RISE has received a “Best Places to Work in Omaha” award from Baird Holm and the Greater Omaha Chamber. RISE is a recipient of the Non-Profit Association of the Midlands Catalyst Award, honoring non-profits that inspire action, advance excellence and innovation, and drive transformation while making a meaningful impact. In 2025, RISE received the Roger Baldwin Civil Libertarian of the Year Award from the ACLU of Nebraska.

• Develop and execute a long-term volunteer engagement strategy in partnership with the VP of Development & External Relations, marketing team and program leadership, building scalable infrastructure to support all RISE programs (In-Prison, Family, RBA, and emerging initiatives).
• Recruit, activate, and steward volunteers across all programs by building strong pipelines through public speaking, 1:1 outreach, civic and faith partnerships, and corporate engagement, including development and oversight of a group volunteering model that mobilizes corporate and community groups into meaningful volunteer experiences.
• Track recruitment sources, conversion rates, and volunteer engagement data to evaluate effectiveness, optimize outreach strategies, and provide regular reporting to leadership on key volunteer metrics.
• Oversee all volunteer logistics and compliance requirements for the In-Prison Program in partnership with Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS), dedicating significant focus (approximately 30–45% of the role) to managing volunteer clearance processes, renewals, documentation, deadlines, policy updates, and ensuring 100% compliance with facility requirements.
• Serve as the primary liaison with NDCS for volunteer access, proactively managing approval timelines, maintaining meticulous clearance records, and building strong working relationships with facility contacts and central office staff.
• Design and implement a comprehensive volunteer onboarding and training infrastructure, including orientation on RISE’s mission and programs, trauma-informed practices, dignity and respect, confidentiality and boundaries, and correctional facility expectations.
• Create ongoing development opportunities for volunteers and ensure all…