In collaboration with civic and service organizations and our network of 250 affiliates and 70,000 nonprofit partners, we are engaging more than 100,000 volunteers in 1,500 service projects for MLK Day. We are also connecting people live to projects and dialogues happening in cities across the U.S. through www.handsonnetwork.org!

Points of Light Institute CEO Michelle Nunn will be on Twitter answering questions about MLK Day Thursday, January 14 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST!

Philanthropy is about people – not money.

Giving is an act of the heart, and it is people who are moved to give.

However, money is involved in the equation – but although money powers change, it is through people that change happens in the world.

As the nation faces a disparaging economy and families struggle to make ends meet, non-profit organizations are overwhelmingly strapped for resources to an even deeper degree. People who once volunteered at agencies and relief organizations are now turning to them to receive aid.

Gear Up for Giving is a month-long series of social media tutorials hosted by the Case Foundation to help non-profit organizations explore the world of social media and its many benefits. These tutorials will help non-profit leaders and volunteers understand how to use key tools and techniques to raise awareness, mobilize volunteers and engage new supporters.

The Case Foundation hopes that the tutorials will be advantageous to non-profit organizations seeking to expand capacity and become more familiar with new technology.

I always believed that social media was powerful, but the success of the recent Target “Bullseye Gives” campaign proved that true impact that can be attained through such tools.