A Joint Letter From Our CEO & Board Chair
Neil Bush & Jennifer Sirangelo
Over the past year, Points of Light has been a beacon in times of darkness around the world.
The world faces increasing numbers of disasters – natural and human-made – and our Global Network affiliates and partner companies continue to respond. From flooding in Brazil, to Maui wildfires, to our eastern European affiliates continue to support refugees displaced after the invasion of Ukraine – we see the power of people in action when it is needed most…
Points of Light is poised to be a civic leader in bridging our divides and healing democracy. We are proud of what we have accomplished in fiscal year 2023 and look forward to what’s to come.
Each and every one of us has the power to drive change and make the world better, brighter. That tenet is the underpinning of everything we do at Points of Light. Points of Light knows that communities are stronger when individuals, organizations and companies engage in civic action, using their vote, their vote, their volunteer power to strengthen systems and drive real, sustained change. In FY23, we continued this work, alongside our partners, to engage millions in changing the world.
THE STORY OF SOCIAL IMPACT BEGINS WITH PEOPLE.
OUR CONTINUED FOCUS
- Creating opportunities for volunteering in communities around the world.
- Galvanizing millions through Global Volunteer Month to take action in their communities and celebrate volunteers around the world.
- Recognizing inspiring individuals through The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards and Daily Point of Light Awards.
- Convening social impact leaders to create innovative community-driven solutions through the Points of Light Conference and the Points of Light Global Gathering.
- Connecting companies to the work of communities, capitalizing on their size and strength to positively impact millions through our corporate programs.
OUR VISION
We envision a world in which every person will discover their power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies.
OUR MISSION
We inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world.
REAL STORIES OF SOCIAL CHANGE
Points of Light works with nonprofits/non-governmental organizations (NGOs), companies and everyday people to drive real and sustained change. In this report, we share three incredible examples of many that embody the impact we can have when we focus our time, talent and effort to work together for a common purpose.
THE COLLECTIVE POWER OF A NETWORK
On February 18, 2023, catastrophic flooding struck southern Brazil. Atados, the Points of Light Global Network affiliate in the region, jumped into action to support 4,000 people who were displaced from their homes. With unwavering belief and a can-do spirit, CEO Daniel Morais quickly formed a team to assess community needs and explore ways to contribute. Atados collaborated with local first responders, their strengths as connectors proving invaluable.
By connecting with eight local responder organizations, Atados was able to mobilize more than 300 volunteers. Through partnerships with six companies, they organized drives, collecting more than 10 tons of donations that were distributed to organizations in need. And with support from fellow affiliates worldwide, Atados not only addressed the crisis at hand but also developed a disaster response program for the future.
When Points of Light began working with Atados, the organization was headquartered in a founder’s apartment. They were a startup with big ideas but an unsure direction. Today, with the support of our Global Network, Atados has grown to a team of 60 people located throughout Brazil, partnering with more than 100 companies, 4,000 NGOs and 250,000 volunteers.
Atados’s success story showcases the essence of social entrepreneurship, innovation and the powerful spirit of collaboration within our network. The moral: when we come together, we can make meaningful impact, even in unexpected situations.
Image: Points of Light and Atados staff in Brazil during the 2024 Global Gathering plan logistics for the event starting the following day.
“The collaboration and expertise of Points of Light Global Network affiliates helped us, and after that experience, we began to plan long-term action in disaster events that have been much more frequent in Brazil in recent years.”
— Daniel Morais Assunção, CEO, Atados, Points of Light Global Network Affiliate
The Points of Light Global Network
DRIVING CORPORATE SOCIAL IMPACT
What happens when a single day of service becomes a monthlong endeavor? Exponential growth in social impact, certainly, but it’s the people who are at the heart of this big idea.
Fidelity approached Points of Light to explore ways to grow its community impact and expand the reach of the flagship annual day of
service, Fidelity Cares Day. By joining forces to scale the program, one day morphed into a companywide effort known as Fidelity Cares Month.
Fidelity had a league of willing participants but needed an expert partner to identify nonprofit organizations, scope meaningful volunteer projects based on the needs of each organization and manage the experience so the organizations could stay focused on their day-to-day mission. Points of Light acted as connector, facilitator and strategist, leveraging its Global Network of 142 affiliates, leaning into the know-how of Fidelity CSR leaders and capitalizing on the energy of thousands of employee volunteers.
Fidelity Cares Month became a catalyst for real and sustained impact made through a wide range of volunteer opportunities, both in person and virtual. Events ranged from environmental clean-ups to packing meals to combat food insecurity to skills-based volunteering. In all, 5,100 individual volunteers participated in more than 175 events, completing more than 10,000 volunteer hours. Teams packed 70,000 meals and donated 17,900 diapers. Eighty-seven youth and financial education events reached 5,000 students. In just one month, 12,300 members of communities benefitted from the time and effort put forward by Fidelity volunteers.
Image: Fidelity volunteers refurbish a local school so educators can fully support students in their North Carolina community.
“It really feels like a full-circle moment every time I come back and give back because the children remind me so much of myself and my friends when we were coming up. I feel like it’s almost an obligation to come back and pay it forward, and I’ll continue to do it as long as we have this relationship.”
— Frankee Bullock, Fidelity Cares Month Volunteer and Former Student at Lowe’s Grove in Durham, N.C.
ONE IN A MILLION POINTS OF LIGHT
Daily Point of Light Award Honoree #7650 Victoria Villarreal lives her values, both at work and in her free time. She is a professional expert in corporate social responsibility, working with a large corporate bank as a client-community relations consultant. She advises on how to best funnel corporate giving into the Houston community by overseeing charitable giving and corporate sponsorships. She also manages the employee volunteer program.
In her free time, Victoria is so invested in service work that she often gets mistaken for an employee of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, the organization with which she has volunteered for the last 10 years to support literacy.
She also is a champion for Dress for Success and Women of Wardrobe to support women who are reentering the workforce, and she volunteers to read to students at Nativity Academy, a small, under-resourced neighborhood school.
Image: Victoria, who helps grow Nativity Academy as a board member, reads to a class of third graders she has known since they were three years old.
“You, too, can create change. It can be as small as donating an afternoon to read to a child who doesn’t get that one-on-one time with anybody. That child will remember that. We’re all capable of doing our part. Find what calls to you.”
— Victoria Villarreal, Daily Point of Light Award Honoree #76504
Thanks to Our Supporters
A Joint Letter From Our COO & CFAO
Diane Quest & Bart Snell
The mission of Points of Light is simple — to inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world. The donors and partners who believe in this mission and are committed to our work allow us to keep growing. We are so grateful to you, as your generous support enables us to have an impact in communities around the world.
We are grateful for the unwavering support of our partners, donors and funders who enable us to create a society where everyone can realize their power to be a point of light.
