In the News
November 16, 2009
Cities are in a bind. The recent NLC report on City Fiscal Conditions in 2009 noted that nine out of 10 cities face significant shortfalls in the coming year. In this climate, it is easy to think in “deficit mentality.” However, many cities are tapping into a reservoir of human capital — volunteers — to continue delivering services and driving economic recovery. October 27, 2009
A surge in service in the U.S. has handed the giving sector the huge job of gearing itself to match its needs with those of volunteers.
And as government shifts its investment and role in engaging volunteers, a critical task will be to better match volunteer resources with the urgent social needs facing our communities.
That is the perspective of Michelle Nunn, CEO of the Points of Light Institute, an organization created by then-President George H.W. Bush to boost volunteerism.
And as government shifts its investment and role in engaging volunteers, a critical task will be to better match volunteer resources with the urgent social needs facing our communities.
That is the perspective of Michelle Nunn, CEO of the Points of Light Institute, an organization created by then-President George H.W. Bush to boost volunteerism.
October 20, 2009
Volunteerism in the United States has jumped 33 percent since 1989, according to Points of Light Institute, from about one in every five Americans to more than one in every four participating last year.
That's 23 million more people chipping in, for a total of nearly 62 million nationwide.
That's 23 million more people chipping in, for a total of nearly 62 million nationwide.
October 20, 2009
When Michelle Nunn was just out of college in 1989, she became what she calls the "glorified intern-slash-executive director" of a volunteer organization in Atlanta that was created by a dozen people who chipped in $50 each.
Today, Ms. Nunn presides over a nonprofit group with a $30-million-plus budget and more than 250 affiliates across the country — and she is one of the most visible faces of the country's burgeoning movement to promote volunteerism and national service.
Today, Ms. Nunn presides over a nonprofit group with a $30-million-plus budget and more than 250 affiliates across the country — and she is one of the most visible faces of the country's burgeoning movement to promote volunteerism and national service.
October 14, 2009
Demand, idealism and presidential impact are leading American volunteerism to its third and most important stage - the movement of service to a central role in our national priorities. Boomers and teens are leading a record surge in overall volunteering even as millions of Americans are unemployed, homeless or hungry, and longer-term economic and social challenges mount.
September 25, 2009
"The Way We Get By," Acclaimed Documentary About the Famous Troop Greeters of Bangor, Maine, to Screen on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009
As part of President Obama's United We Serve initiative, the USO, Operation Homefront and HandsOn Network are proud to present the highly acclaimed POV (Point of View) documentary The Way We Get By at a special Capitol Hill screening, followed by Q&A with filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly. Introductory remarks by Dr. Jill Biden.
As part of President Obama's United We Serve initiative, the USO, Operation Homefront and HandsOn Network are proud to present the highly acclaimed POV (Point of View) documentary The Way We Get By at a special Capitol Hill screening, followed by Q&A with filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly. Introductory remarks by Dr. Jill Biden.
September 1, 2009
Volunteers from around the nation helped to build a new playground in Philadelphia during the spring of 1997. As part of the Presidents' Summit For America's Future, a who's who of national figures took part in service projects all along Germantown Avenue: four living presidents, then-Vice President Al Gore, former first lady Nancy Reagan, and retired Gen. Colin Powell, among others.
August 5, 2009
Volunteering as a Fashion Statement
NPT Power & Influence honorees show how community service can power a nation
Service is the new black. It’s so fashionable that those leading the national service movement have packed the catwalk of The 2009 NPT Power & Influence Top 50. Whether it’s military conscription, stipended service or traditional volunteering, community building is the core of the sector these days.
NPT Power & Influence honorees show how community service can power a nation
Service is the new black. It’s so fashionable that those leading the national service movement have packed the catwalk of The 2009 NPT Power & Influence Top 50. Whether it’s military conscription, stipended service or traditional volunteering, community building is the core of the sector these days.
June 29, 2009
I caught up today with Neil Bush, the chairman of the board of the Points of Light Institute and the son of former president George H.W. Bush. He told me that he deeply admires the personal commitment to service that President Obama and his wife, Michelle, have made and he's particularly tickled that the president is using his "bully pulpit" to call Americans to action. "My dad used his presidency in the same way," Bush said, and indeed it was the first President Bush who coined the term "points of light" and connected it to volunteerism.
June 24, 2009
Deloitte Earns 2009 Corporate Engagement Award of Excellence for Exemplary Workplace Volunteer Program
CSRwire.com — SAN FRANCISCO, CA - June 24, 2009 - Deloitte, one of the world's leading professional services organizations, will be honored today with the Points of Light Institute's prestigious Corporate Engagement Award of Excellence. The award will be presented during the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering & Service in San Francisco. Mark Edmunds, Deloitte LLP vice chairman and Pacific Northwest regional managing partner, will accept the honor on behalf of Deloitte.
June 24, 2009
Five Companies Recognized for Workplace Volunteer Programs with 2009 Corporate Engagement Award of Excellence
June 23, 2009
KaBOOM! Joins President in United We Serve Initiative, A New National Call to Service
CSRwire.com — WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 22, 2009 - This summer, KaBOOM! will be strengthening efforts to engage volunteers across the country to support United We Serve, a national effort launched by President Obama and the Corporation for National and Community Service that aims to renew the American spirit of volunteerism and service.
June 23, 2009
CSRwire.com — SAN FRANCISCO, CA - June 22, 2009 - California First Lady Maria Shriver will continue her dedication to encouraging all Californians to serve their communities today by presenting the first annual Governor and First Lady's Medals for Service, joining 500 volunteers to construct the first fully volunteer-built intergenerational playground in the nation, and being interviewed by Be The Change Inc. Founder and CEO Alan Khazei about her groundbreaking service initiatives during the Opening General Session of the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering & Service.
June 15, 2009
WASHINGTON - When Barack Obama was campaigning for the presidency, he pledged to create a "Craigslist for service" — a comprehensive Web presence that would help people across the country find volunteer opportunities. Now, after months of quiet work, a coalition of nonprofit groups, technology developers, and others is about to unveil its interpretation of the president's vision — a new Web site called All for Good.
June 8, 2009
Mitch Goldman is looking forward to shaving this weekend. For four weeks, he's been growing a mustache and using it to gain attention--and contributions--for his favorite charity.