Just-in-Time Readiness: Reimagining Volunteer Capability in an Era of Complexity

Volunteer infrastructure has always represented a certain tension between readiness and potential. To leaders in the field, structures are developed to safeguard the individuals they serve. However, volunteering infrastructure is prone to lengthy processes of onboarding and predetermined expectations. Such tendencies obscure opportunities for timely and meaningful participation. In a world of accelerating change and urgent community needs, the tension becomes increasingly difficult to disregard. Volunteer Engagement Leaders across sectors and continents face a difficult question: How do we keep people ready for what we cannot predict? 

In this Ahead of the Curve, author Sam Fankuchen explains that a different model is emerging. Instead of treating preparedness as a threshold to cross before acting, this model activates capability when it is needed. Rooted in digital identity tools, modular learning and thoughtful governance, just-in-time readiness reframes what volunteers can do and how organizations work with them. And it challenges leaders to reconsider what it means to build pathways that honor both human motivation and operational demands. 

Available on December 19