Points of Light Convenes National Nonprofit Leaders to Champion and Accelerate Collaboration to Grow Volunteering

In a pivotal moment for civic engagement in America, more than 80 national nonprofit leaders convened in an invitation-only, special gathering at the 2025 Points of Light Conference to lay the groundwork for a bold new coalition to transform volunteerism. Points of Light unveiled its vision to double the rate of volunteering by 2035, a goal that will require deep philanthropic investment, cross-sector collaboration, and a renewed commitment to building the civic infrastructure needed to sustain long-term growth and stability.

As the national rate of volunteering remains stagnant around 28% over the past three decades, the goal is to elevate volunteering as a powerful catalyst for societal change—unlocking its full potential to benefit individuals, communities and society.

“Our nation is at a turning point, and volunteering must no longer be seen as a ‘nice-to-have,’ it’s a ‘necessary’ force for community change,” said Jennifer Sirangelo, president & CEO of Points of Light. “This emerging coalition, shaped alongside some of the country’s leading civic organizations, represents a united effort to elevate civic engagement and ensure the sector has the support it needs to thrive.”

Bringing this group together marks the second annual gathering of national nonprofit leaders for this purpose, convened by Points of Light.

“We cannot build thriving communities without investing in the systems that mobilize people to serve,” continued Sirangelo. “Volunteers are a vital resource, but without infrastructure to support them, we leave potential impact on the table. Philanthropic leadership will be essential to activating the full power of civic engagement.”

This second annual gathering follows the release of From Nice to Necessary: Unleashing the Power of Volunteers Through Transformative Investment, Points of Light’s recent report highlighting a systemic underinvestment in volunteer infrastructure and the urgent need to reframe volunteerism as a strategic, high-impact solution to community challenges.

During the convening, sector leaders emphasized the importance of developing a national volunteer strategy to sustain and scale volunteering—calling for increased investment in volunteer systems, stronger nonprofit capacity, and a united cross-sector coalition to advance a shared framework.

Call to Action for Philanthropy

Points of Light invites donors, foundations and social investors to join this movement by providing the flexible, catalytic capital needed to build the civic infrastructure of the future. This is a unique opportunity to fund systems-level change, leverage volunteer power for scalable impact, and help redefine how communities respond to urgent and long-term challenges.

“As we look toward 2035, we are calling on leaders from every sector to join us in reshaping the civic landscape and creating the conditions for every individual and community to take meaningful action and drive lasting impact,” added Sirangelo.

About Points of Light

Points of Light is a nonpartisan, global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to create positive change through volunteering and civic engagement. Through work with nonprofits, companies and social impact leaders, the organization galvanizes volunteers to meet critical needs in communities. As the world’s largest organization dedicated to increasing volunteer service, Points of Light engages more than 3.8 million volunteers across 32 countries. For more information, visit www.pointsoflight.org.