Andy is the Chairperson of the IVMDay Committee. Andy works as the National Operations Manager for Better Impact – Australia and NZ. In this capacity he trains, commentates, writes and consults on volunteer management internationally. He is also the Founder of OzVPM – the Australasian region’s largest volunteer management network.

In 1998 Andy convened the working party which evolved into AAMoV, the Australasian region’s first professional Association for VPMs and is a founder of the Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management. Andy has served as the IVMDay Chair since 2007 and is a past President of Volunteering Australia. Contact Andy at andyfryar66@gmail.com

Rob has been active in the UK and international volunteerism scene since 1994. Amongst other things, Rob is the founder of UKVPM’s the UK’s leading volunteer management online community. He has worked with Volunteering England and was instrumental in the creation of AVM, the English Association for Volunteer Program Managers. Rob now runs his own consultancy and training company – Rob Jackson Consulting. Contact Rob at rob@robjacksonconsulting.com

Stuart is Training and Programmes Manager with Volunteer Ireland. He has worked in a wide range of roles in the voluntary and community sector since 1993 and has a background in youth work.

He is committed to volunteerism, and to fostering a vibrant and active community, where everyone can volunteer without restrictions, regardless of background or capacity, and achieve full participation by their voluntary activity. 



In 2013 Stuart launched the concept of Event Volunteers, a programme that engages volunteers in large-scale public events in Dublin. Stuart is a lead trainer in the use of this research based toolkit which has helped organisations develop a strategy for volunteer engagement in their organisations.

He was a member of the Associate Faculty of the National College of Ireland and was Lead Tutor on the Certificate in Managing Organisations in the Voluntary and Community Sector Course. Stuart is recognised as Ireland’s leading specialist in the field of Volunteer Management Training. He has developed and delivered workshops and trainings in Ireland, England, Spain, Romania, Germany, Croatia, Italy, Mexico and Australia and has spoken at a number of conferences and seminars across Europe. Most recently he was part of a group which developed a Postgraduate Certificate in Volunteer Management and Leadership awarded by the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Vanessa has worked in the volunteering and community sector for 15 years. During this time she has been involved in promoting volunteering and the outstanding work of volunteer-involving organisations that effectively engage volunteers to achieve their missions and advance their causes.

Vanessa was previously involved in marketing strategy and tactics for promoting the numerous services and programs that Volunteering Queensland provides. She managed a small team of volunteers to run major events and campaigns, oversee branding and communications, handle media enquiries, and update websites and social media. Events Vanessa worked on included National Volunteer Week, Queensland Volunteering Awards, and the Queensland State Volunteering Conference.

Vanessa currently supports the not-for-profit sector as a consultant helping with marketing and graphic design.

Fumiko has over 25 years’ experience as a workshop facilitator in the volunteer management sector. She is also a university professor, teaching in community social work with research interests including community based volunteering and focusing on the methods of mobilizing volunteering for older adults, especially for baby boomers volunteering in rural areas.

Fumiko has delivered numerous presentations and lectures at conferences across Japan and as well as abroad, including IAVE’s International Volunteer Network Meeting and the Japan Volunteer Coordinator’s Conference.

She has been the core member of Japan’s Volunteer Coordinators Association since it was established and is the author of many Japanese books about volunteering and volunteer management. Her translation of Susan J Ellis’ ‘From the Top Down’ into WHY VOLUNTEER? was published in 2001.