Tom Vandooren: what Disney teaches us about welcoming volunteers
Comparing a large commercial company like Disney to the Flemish social profit sector? Surely that's not possible. That is the misunderstanding Tom Vandooren hears most often. On Tuesday, 16 March 2027, he will show at Connect & Act why it is still worth taking a look, in his workshop “Volunteering with mouse ears”. Register via connectandact.be.
Who is Tom?
Tom is a lecturer at Arteveldehogeschool, author and partner at Kyrat Consult. He combines a background in social work, organisational psychology and business administration with years of experience in the field. At Connect & Act 2026, he delivered the keynote speech.
Disney entered his life via an unexpectedly enjoyable visit to one of the parks. “Afterwards, I kept asking myself: how do they manage to create such an experience?”
He started delving into it. He collaborated with Fred Lee, author of If Disney Ran Your Hospital, and took courses at the Disney Institute. “Always with the question in the back of my mind: what can we learn from that for our own organisations?” Along the way, he developed his own concept and model.
The power is in the details
So back to that misunderstanding. “Of course there are big differences in resources, goals and audience,” says Tom. “But there are also great similarities. There, too, people work together, try to meet expectations and want visitors to feel welcome.”
And no, you don't have to become an amusement park. “You don't have to resemble Disney for that.”
Why Disney specifically? Everyone knows it, even those who have never been to one of the parks. And it is far enough removed from your daily operations to think freely. “You aren't looking at a peer organisation or competitor that you immediately compare yourself to.” Disney also goes particularly far in experience. “Sometimes even too far.” So you learn from what goes well, and just as much from the mistakes and excesses.
What that means in practice is shown by his best Disney memory. Tom addressed a staff member with “Excuse me ...”. Before he could even ask his question, he was told with a radiant smile: “You never have to excuse yourself here, sir. We are here to help you.”
It took a few seconds at most. “But the power is in the details and in their sheer number. A single big, spectacular moment can never compete with that.”
According to Tom, it is much harder to manage 1,000 of those small experiences than to create one big moment. “That's why a single sentence from one staff member is sometimes more impressive than a perfectly orchestrated giga-experience.”
Who is this session for?
The workshop is for everyone who works with volunteers: non-profits and associations, local authorities and companies.
Be sure to come to my session if you feel like broadening your horizon and taking a look at your volunteer operations from a completely different angle.
Tom is also honest about it: “Don't expect ready-made answers that you can immediately apply the next day. But rather examples and questions that get you thinking and that you can build on in your own organisation.”
Tip to start today
Your volunteers undoubtedly know what their task is, but do they also know what their collective job is? One makes coffee, another organises an activity or welcomes visitors. But what do you want to mean to people with all those tasks combined? Ask a few volunteers that question this week. I'm curious if you'll get the same answer.
A magical day
How does a volunteer feel when the welcome is truly spot on? Tom keeps it short: “Like having a ‘magical’ day.”
How to get there is something you'll discover on 16 March.
Practical information
Session: Volunteering with mouse ears
Type: expert workshop
Speaker: Tom Vandooren, lecturer at Arteveldehogeschool and independent consultant at Kyrat Consult
When: Tuesday, 16 March 2027, session round II, 1:15 pm to 2:30 pm
Where: BNP Paribas Fortis head office, Warandeberg 3, 1000 Brussels (5 minutes walk from Brussels Central)
Language: Dutch
For whom: everyone working with volunteers
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