About Us
We are all travelers on the road of life, bound together by our shared purpose and possibility.
Our journey is one of connection – each step we take, every choice we make, adds a brick to the foundation of our community. We believe that everyone has good they can share.
At our core, we are community connectors. We know our partners are doing great work but need more help. Volunteer Odyssey stands in the gap to connect them to the helpers who are ready to serve.
Our Big Vision is to see each of our nonprofit partners have the right volunteers in the right place at the right time to meet all of their needs & fulfill each of their missions of making a greater Memphis.
The mission of Volunteer Odyssey is to amplify the voices of our nonprofit partners, to recruit volunteers, to support those partners with best practices in volunteer management, and to provide quality, transparent data of the positive community impact.
How the journey began...
With this idea of embarking on the journey of life, we are all on our own odyssey of volunteerism – learning what skills we each have to offer, what causes are personally most meaningful, and what capacity we have to serve, all while considering what needs are most pressing in our community. Volunteer Odyssey is committed to navigating the volunteer journey and to celebrating all the positive impacts for generations to come.
Over a decade ago, Dr. Sarah Petschonek founded Volunteer Odyssey (VO) based on two landmark projects. In 2012, Sarah had a window of time to completely devote herself to serving the community. She spent 30 days volunteering with 30 different nonprofits in Memphis, documenting that journey online: Confessions of a Volunteer. While it was a rewarding experience, she found it surprisingly difficult to actually find and confirm quality volunteer opportunities. Curious whether this problem existed elsewhere, she traveled across the country researching volunteer opportunities in other cities and learning best practices. Dr. Petschonek brought that knowledge back to Memphis, hoping to guide others on their own “Volunteer Odyssey” through this new nonprofit.
Our organization’s first program back in 2013 was “Job Seekers,” designed for those early in their career paths. Sarah and team connected each participant to a handful of ongoing volunteer opportunities that would give them access to many different aspects of running a nonprofit so that they could apply that experience and new skill development to their work-life. Many went on to continue a career in the social sector. Volunteer Odyssey has grown tremendously since that time, in addition to establishing and curating a platform to connect volunteers to shifts, also launching fun programs like VolunCHEERS! (a quarterly happy hour and volunteer event) and Pathways (a monthly best practices and peer-learning forum for volunteer managers).
On average, our volunteers contribute 11 hours of service to 4 different nonprofits - creating an economic impact of $329 equating to a 5x return on investment!
Dr. Sarah Petschonek presenting at TEDx Memphis.
In the last several years, Volunteer Odyssey has grown to include 70+ local nonprofit partners that need our volunteer management and recruitment help, including Memphis Botanic Garden, Room in the Inn, Shelby Farms Park, MIFA, Memphis Rox, and Clean Memphis. We have focused on matching volunteers to their ideal volunteer opportunities – organizing over 30,000 volunteers via our platform, connecting them to opportunities and tracking their impact. Our years of data shows that while it costs about $60 to engage one new volunteer, on average, our volunteers will contribute 11 hours of service to 4 different nonprofits, creating an economic impact of $329. That’s a 5x return on investment!
We are so proud of the work we’ve accomplished but are continuously looking for ways to keep pushing Memphis to serve more. We’ve secured media partnerships with the I Love Memphis Blog, Daily Memphian, and High Ground News. We’ve developed ties with many local corporations and have been contracted to organize individual and citywide service events for AutoZone, FedEx, First Horizon, ServiceMaster, and International Paper. In addition, Volunteer Odyssey has also been named as the exclusive volunteer partner for the University of Memphis and for cityCURRENT.
In 2024, Dr. Sarah’s odyssey led her to begin working in national disaster relief in DC. We are incredibly grateful for her vision and leadership – Memphis is a better place because of it! But we are also excited about the future for Volunteer Odyssey, as she passed the reins to longtime nonprofit leader, Caroline Norris. The foundation has been laid and there is still much work to be done for our city. We’d love to partner with you in making an impact in Memphis. Interested? Groups large or small, let us know here.
FEATURED IN
Leadership
Caroline Norris
Volunteer Odyssey,
President & CEO
Dr. Vickye Ford
Community Engagement Director,
Methodist South Hospital
Chas Harris, Board Chair
Vice President Business Development, Deep South,
HES Facilities Management
Johnny Pitts
Managing Partner – Business Insurance,
Higginbotham Insurance
Richard Williamson,
Past Board Chair
Executive Vice President,
Bryce Corporation
Danielle Rassoul
Associate,
Glankler Brown Law Firm
Karla Combs,
Chief Operating Officer – Memphis,
Higginbotham Insurance
Bud Richey
Retired,
Rhodes College
Peggy Jean Craig
Senior Pastor,
Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Germantown
Sridhar Sunkara
CEO,
eBiz Solutions
Our guiding principles
Connection
A strong and united community is built on mutual understanding, collaboration, and trust. This is rooted in our ability to connect with one another and build a more just, equitable, and thriving environment for all. At our core, we believe that serving alongside our neighbors builds these crucial connections.
Belonging
We believe everyone can contribute, therefore we aim to create environments where all those who serve and are served feel accepted, respected, and empowered to be their authentic selves. We foster a sense of community where each person can thrive and contribute meaningfully.
Authenticity
We communicate openly and transparently to build strong relationships. We tell the truth and are open to new approaches. We are eager for new ideas and the opportunity to learn from our mistakes.
Accountability
We carefully seek to be intentional in all areas of our work. We aim for excellence & efficiency. We strive to be good stewards of time and resources. We value the power of an apology and acknowledging responsibility for our actions.
Continuous Improvement
We seek to constantly learn ways to improve our programs utilizing data, best practices, and innovation. We leverage technology to simplify our systems to eliminate barriers. Actively seeking ways to improve, we do not wait for problems to arise. We value input from others and use it constructively to enhance processes, skills, and outcomes. We are continuously raising the bar to ensure higher quality, efficiency, and effectiveness as we foster this culture of progress.
Impact
We don’t just check the box. We know our work affects individual lives and the community at large, so true impact must be our goal. We collaborate with our partners to facilitate meaningful volunteer experiences that make positive progress for our community. We always seek to do the best we can with what we have at the time.