yields a wealth of unique opportunities, and a big one is hearing from experts in the nonprofit sector on current issues, innovative ideas and best practices. The 2022 conference hosted a variety of inspiring speakers from nonprofit organizations from around the world offering insightful and educational messages. Here are a few key takeaways for nonprofit leaders that emerged from this year’s stage:
People will engage with what they’re most passionate about.
, but it isn’t always easy. Knowing how to keep the flame alight among your team, your volunteers and your stakeholders is crucial to avoiding fatigue and burnout. This year’s conference theme was “Revitalize. Reimagine. Recommit.” and we featured speakers and sessions that spoke directly to this mission… like Jennifer Taylor, who shared on the topic of “rage giving.” With increasing polarization on the political and social landscapes, now is the time for nonprofits to develop specific strategies that allow people to act on the very causes they feel most strongly about. How can you leverage what you and your stakeholders are most excited, hopeful, frustrated or angry about to sustain your impact?
Listen to the communities you serve to learn what they need.
Intentional listening and learning in the communities you serve allows you to find solutions to the
true
unmet needs of that community, rather than the issues you might
assume
to be the most pressing. In the Opening Plenary, Points of Light CEO Natalye Paquin shared a story about
, an Orlando native. When she chose to voluntarily live alongside the people she was working with who were unhoused, she found that food insecurity was not their greatest unmet need, but hygiene was. This knowledge led her to create Street Team Movement, a nonprofit providing laundry services, haircuts and hygiene products to people experiencing homelessness, offering solutions to the exact needs the community expressed were most urgent.
PEOPLE FEEL significant positive impact from VOLUNTEERING.
Several conference sessions discussed the immense benefits that come from volunteer work – not just to communities, but also to the volunteers themselves. Points of Light
one in four people said a reason they took action was, “I believe it supports my own personal well-being.”
As you engage volunteers in your efforts, keep in mind that they are likely benefitting from this work as much as the communities they serve. Volunteering can
Volunteers are as healthy as non-volunteers who are five years younger.
Volunteering activities on a resume can yield higher employment opportunities.
You can begin to see that this benefit goes beyond the altruistic feelings of spending worthy time in support of social impact. Often, volunteers walk away with new skill sets, relationships and perspectives they may not have the opportunity to gain anywhere else. Framing volunteer work in this way can help organizations to promote greater equity and remember that they are providing mutually-beneficial resources rather than just rescue.
of affiliates from around the world is that the nonprofit sector is teeming with innovative thinkers and creative problem solvers. Nonprofit leaders, what are some insights you’d add to this list?
We’re already gearing up for the 2023 Points of Light Conference in Chicago on June 14-16, 2023, with a special pre-conference day for nonprofit professionals. Sign up to receive updates, and join us next year for another powerful conference.
4 Themes from the 2022 Points of Light Conference That Shine a Light on CSR Trends for Business
Points of Light knows that when the world’s largest companies get it right, the world gets it right, which is a theme at the heart of the 2022 Points of Light Conference. As a part of this year’s conference experience, we welcomed leaders from the corporate citizenship community to our stages and workshop spaces to meet like-minded peers and share insights from the challenging work that faces the business community as leaders in social impact.
Several themes were explored, shining a light on the direction where business needs to lead:
The “to do” list of the business community has become longer. For the business community, it can feel like we are being outpaced by the problems of the world that we seek to solve. In addition to economic and societal responsibilities, global communications firm Edelman shared with Points of Light’s Corporate Service Council that almost six out of 10 people in the U.S. believe it is a responsibility of business to take action on the world stage, engaging in geopolitical issues such as the war in Ukraine. Navigating how to respond to or engage in these issues has introduced new and unique challenges for corporate citizenship professionals.
Our brains are wired for stories. As companies seek to capture the measurable impact of their efforts, they should leverage the power of stories. Disney Institute shared with conference attendees that stories are one of the strongest forms of communication, evoking a sense of connectedness in those who hear them. At Points of Light, we say that “Data + Stories = Proof.” The relentless pursuit of data must be coupled with an equal desire to share more about the people and places at the heart of that data. Additionally, leaders within companies must be equipped to tell these stories, communicating the company’s and their own passions and values through the story.
Volunteer engagement must adapt to the hybrid world. As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to grapple with variant surges, return-to-office starts and stops and disruptions to in-person events. It has become clear that the current hybrid work environment will not be a temporary condition of the pandemic, but a lasting model of collaboration that must extend to deepen employee engagement. In one workshop, Common Impact shared how companies can look to skills-based volunteering as a partial or fully virtual strategy to deliver on employee engagement goals.
There is a CSR and ESG identity crisis. The corporate citizenship community is caught between two acronyms. Several workshops sought to answer the question: What is the difference between CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)? The role of business in society has been discussed and expanded upon over 50 years. The growing influence of ESG is rooted in CSR, which marked the starting point of businesses taking ownership of their impact on society. Without CSR, there would be no ESG, but the two are far from interchangeable. CSR helps companies give context to their corporate responsibility strategy and culture, while ESG is the action and measurable outcomes of that agenda.
Whether or not you joined us this year at the 2022 Points of Light Conference, we invite you to continue learning with us year-round by accessing our body of
. These studies shed light on global trends that are central to maximizing the impact of corporate social responsibility. We look forward to the 2023 Points of Light Conference in Chicago on June 14-16.
to receive updates and be a part of global change.
A Network of Volunteers Helps Displaced Ukrainian Children See a Zoo for the First Time
April 6 was a warm, sunny day. A group of displaced Ukrainian children and their families pulled up in front of the Budapest Zoo beneath a cloudless blue sky. They arrived by public bus, accompanied by a special police escort.
The group spent the day exploring the zoo, seeing all the highlights, from the menagerie of exotic animals to climbing to the top of an amazing “Magic Mountain.” It was a day filled with joy in the midst of a time of extraordinary hardship and sorrow. Making it happen took the time, dedication and cooperation of many volunteers and organizations.
Budapest Methodological Social Centre and Institutions (BMSZKI) is one of the largest social organizations in Hungary and in the Central European region. It has set up accommodation for refugees in two locations, hosting nearly 200 displaced people in total. One location, Gyáli út, has been welcoming mostly Ukrainian families, since late February, at the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. According to capital city officials, about 2,000 refugees had been supported with food and housing by mid-March.
The BMSZKI’s Budapest institutions mainly accommodate Hungarian-speaking Roma families from Transcarpathia and Ukrainian Roma from the Kyiv region. These are typically larger families of anywhere from eight to twenty members. These families tend to be very disadvantaged and cannot travel farther West, so they’ve remained in Hungary for a longer period. The big question is: What will happen to the people who are staying, who may number in the thousands? By the end of March, 7,700 people had applied for asylum status, and that figure is considered to be a conservative estimate.
Their situation is dire in many ways. They are not familiar with their surroundings, have never traveled by metro or tram and they do not speak local languages. Families from outside Kyiv tend to speak Ukrainian and Gypsy. Many of the adults cannot read or write. Even those who did not flee directly from the fighting have been traumatized by war, with the lives they’ve built collapsing overnight accompanied by constant worries about their relatives and homes.
BMSZKI’s facilities are dedicated to the care of unhoused people, which means they are well versed in how to support people in these circumstances. When the crisis in Ukraine first began, BMSZKI had the infrastructure and experience to help those who were displaced in the quickest and most efficient ways. The biggest challenge turned out to be the sudden influx of children, which was beyond what they were prepared to handle, but that didn’t stop them from problem-solving on the fly.
Displaced Ukrainian children enjoying the Budapest Zoo. Photo by Points of Light Global Network Affiliate Volunteering Hungary.
A weekly schedule was quickly developed, in cooperation with several Nongovernmental Organizations. It outlined which organization would host various children’s activities, along with when and how.
Many of the volunteers associated with these organizations were already giving their time to the Budapest Zoo, so it was decided that they would take a group of children, ages six months to 13 years — along with their families — on a field trip. The zoo’s philanthropic arm, Foundation for the Budapest Zoo, offered free tickets to the group.
Next came the challenge of how to get there. The Municipality of Budapest offered to provide a bus.
Once on site, Erzsi, a zoo volunteer, led the group on a tour of animal exhibits and other exciting highlights. The children loved climbing to the top of the “Magic Mountain,” where they could look around, see a beautiful view of Budapest and even slide down the mountainside. It was an unforgettable experience for the children and their parents, most of whom had never been to a zoo before. It turned out to be a glimmer of happiness in the midst of their trials, and the volunteers loved the experience too, receiving payment in the form of thanks and hugs from children and adults alike.
The group has plans to take the children on more adventures, including an expedition to a nearby airport to watch the planes take off and land. Participants say these activities are an essential part of keeping their enthusiasm going.
Corporate Volunteer Programme Coordinator Judit Tarcsai of
Points of Light operates with a network of innovative volunteer-mobilizing organizations who serve more than 177 affiliates across 38 countries around the world. Together we are inspiring, equipping and mobilizing more people to use their time, talent, voice and resources to create positive change in their communities. Learn more about our Global Network.
Volunteer Power Across Causes Remains a Constant Need, Even in a Crisis
affiliates tell us that volunteering is one of the primary ways people have supported the humanitarian relief efforts in and around Ukraine. They also explained that, because this crisis comes on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been unforeseen ramifications including volunteer burnout as well as a singular focus on Ukraine relief work from those who want to remain engaged.
“People stopped helping in other areas, as they used to, and everyone wants to help the Ukrainian refugees — which is great — but when I talk with corporate partners or volunteers, they’re not interested in helping children, elders,” said Agnieszka Lissowska-Lewkowicz, who is the President of
affiliate and Polish non-governmental organization Centrum Wolontariatu. “We have to find a balance.”
There are countless needs waiting for support, from trash pickup in your neighborhood to walking dogs at your local animal shelter. There are so many ways to shine a light on your community by volunteering for a cause that speaks to you. To find a cause area that you feel passionate about, check out Points of Light’s
Figure out which areas of focus are important to you and which organizations you want to support. Now there are more ways to get involved than ever before. Consider whether you prefer to join volunteer opportunities that are in person or virtual.
Decide on Skills-based vs Learning Opportunities
Think about what skills you have to offer or whether you’d like to learn something new. Some organizations are looking for specialized talent like translators. Others may offer volunteer opportunities that require training, such as becoming a crisis counselor for Crisis Text Line.
Find Balance
Be realistic about balancing your volunteer time with other areas of your life, like your job and your family. Volunteering as a family may be one way to combine family time with living your best civic life.
Points of Light operates with a network of innovative volunteer-mobilizing organizations who serve more than 177 affiliates across 38 countries around the world. Together we are inspiring, equipping and mobilizing more people to use their time, talent, voice and resources to create positive change in their communities. Learn more about our Global Network.
A Tale of Three Cities: What Humanitarian Relief Looks Like Across Europe
Hungary, Ireland and Spain. When it comes to aiding in the humanitarian relief effort around the Ukraine crisis, they share common ground. They are also worlds apart.
reports that a “very disadvantaged population” is arriving in her country. Some have never seen a toilet. Most have never attended school. Those with more education or a higher income tend to travel straight through. Only about 1,200 have been allowed to apply for refugee status in the country. For the rest, Judit and her coworkers pass out hygiene kits filled with toiletries and fresh clothing.
Fifteen hundred miles
away in Ireland, Terri O’Brien, corporate & programmes manager at
says that of the 15,000 displaced Ukrainians who have arrived so far, most tend to be from more highly educated and affluent backgrounds. However, the next wave is expected to be less advantaged. She noted that for her small country of five million, this influx is significant.
“We don’t always know people are coming,” she said. “It’s quiet, then 300 people arrive.”
Although Ireland has worked quickly to welcome displaced Ukrainian citizens, accommodations are already in short supply, and new arrivals are being diverted to remote towns. This latest crisis comes on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, which placed tremendous strain on Irish systems.
“Covid prepared us for disaster but has also contributed to burnout,” she said. “People are getting worn out, but still, amazing stuff is happening.”
Director of corporate social innovation Almudena Pérez Molina of
, painted a picture of hope in her homeland of Spain. For the next year, new arrivals will have the same rights as Spanish citizens. They can work and have access to free healthcare services. The government has set up four refugee reception centers across the nation designed to help find housing and field other integral needs.
Almudena shared that, prior to the Ukrainian crisis, there are some towns in Spain that were becoming depopulated because younger people were moving into big cities. These are perfectly functional places with infrastructure including roads, schools, hospitals and housing. They have come to be known as “Empty Spain.” The area of Galicia is one such example. Its inhabitants have welcomed displaced Ukrainians with open arms. Elderly Spanish citizens here, and in other small towns, are happy to welcome new people.
“This could be a beautiful opportunity for refugees,” said Almudena.
How You Can Help
The universal need across Europe is cash donations. When you donate to our Global Network affiliates,
you’re directly supporting real people, on the ground, doing essential work in humanitarian relief efforts. Your donation not only supports their important work but also stimulates their local economies through purchasing and hiring, which makes for a successful transition for displaced people and their host countries.
Gifts through this fund are directed to Global Network affiliates in the region that know best what the emergent needs are in their areas. These organizations are experts in their field and have a firm grasp on what must be done and how to do it.
Points of Light operates with a network of innovative volunteer-mobilizing organizations who serve more than 177 affiliates across 38 countries around the world. Together we are inspiring, equipping and mobilizing more people to use their time, talent, voice and resources to create positive change in their communities. Learn more about our Global Network.
CVNL on the Power of the Individual in an Empowered Organization
The Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership (CVNL) has been an affiliate of Points of Light for more than 20 years. CVNL chose to partner with Points of Light to be a part of a global network of organizations committed to civic engagement and volunteer service.
With four locations serving nonprofits across Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Solano Counties in Northern California, CVNL continues to be an engaged partner with a desire to increase the impact nonprofits have by growing and improving the use of volunteers.
CVNL knows that passion alone isn’t enough when it comes to creating strong nonprofits. That’s why they work specifically with individuals – both the leaders and volunteers contributing their time and talent to the world’s toughest issues. CVNL seeks to help them build the skills and connections that can take their impact to the next level.
With confident and prepared leaders and volunteers, the 7,250 nonprofits that CVNL works with are better equipped to create healthy, happy and more equitable communities.
CVNL focuses on empowering leadership via its many workshops, courses, Peer Learning Networks and consulting work. These forums encourage innovation, helping nonprofit leaders build and strengthen the skills they need to have a larger impact on their communities.
Additionally, the organization manages a number of volunteer programs, including Volunteer Wheels, which provides seniors and people with disabilities with transportation from their homes to important appointments and errands, enabling them to live more independently.
CVNL also assists nonprofit organizations in recruiting and recognizing volunteers throughout its four counties and coordinates Days of Service, such as Family Volunteer Day and MLK Day of Service, to provide individuals with ample opportunities to have an impact.
Even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, CVNL has continued to connect volunteers with opportunities throughout through its VolunteerNow.org portal. Through this resource, they have over 43,000 individual users with over 187,000 opportunities viewed.
From July 2019 through June 2020, CVNL engaged 2,640 internal volunteers for a total of 15,473 volunteer hours. CVNL has also activated 475 Disaster Volunteers to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and fires in California.
While the number of volunteers engaged by CVNL had decreased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Volunteer Wheels program has not shut down its services and has continued to rely on the strength and commitment of volunteers to continue running.
Michael Quinn, who has been a volunteer driver with Volunteer Wheels for two years, takes on many extra tasks such as fueling vehicles or signing up for extra days of driving. When the pandemic hit, Michael still wanted to volunteer and drive. In a world where many were stepping back, Michael stepped forward and asked how he could help – anywhere from four to six days a week!
As the team at CVNL puts it, “Volunteering in your community is very important. Not only does a community benefit from the work being done, but the volunteer also benefits… It also helps build a community built on goodwill and understanding.”
To anyone considering their own level of civic engagement, CVNL advises, “Finding a cause you are passionate about is a good first step. Once you begin work in an area of importance to you, it’s natural that you will become more connected to your community and want to contribute more of your time and effort into building a stronger, more engaged community. Find a local volunteer center for help discovering how you can best become engaged and do good in your area.”
Points of Light is proud to have worked with Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership for over two decades, and look forward to what this dynamic organization will achieve in its future. Connect with a
Polish Family Opens Home to Ukrainian Mother and Daughter
“
I had to choose between staying together with my husband or saving my little child,” said a displaced Ukrainian woman, who wished to be kept anonymous for safety reasons. She escaped Krzywy Róg, the largest city in central Ukraine, with her four-year-old daughter.
“She
is too small to understand things, like how you have to react during the bomb attack,” she said. “I also know that such traumatic experiences can influence the rest of her life.”
Agnieszka Lissowska-Lewkowicz, President of Points of Light Global Network affiliate and Polish non-governmental organization Centrum Wolontariatu.
This little family of two was forced to make the agonizing decision to leave their husband and father behind and escape to Warsaw. There they met Agnieszka Lissowska-Lewkowicz, who is the President of
affiliate and Polish non-governmental organization Centrum Wolontariatu.
From the start of the war, Agnieszka and her family knew they wanted to help. They began to consider hosting a displaced family but were unsure of what that truly meant in terms of the length of the commitment and how it would influence their home life. Then Agnieszka received a call from a friend who asked if she might consider welcoming the mother and daughter into her home.
“I thought maybe this is a good idea,” said Agnieszka. “This is an opportunity to help.”
Agnieszka and her husband, mother and 10-year-old daughter decided to open their divided two-story home. The first three weeks were a big adjustment, and then things began to fall into place. They fell into a rhythm, finding a balance between sharing meals and enjoying private time apart. Their guest found a job as a hairdresser, and her daughter was enrolled in a nearby kindergarten class.
“
I found a shelter with a good family, my daughter went to kindergarten and is doing great,” said the woman. “I already have a job. Of course, I still do not know the future. I don’t know the language, I don’t know how much time it will take me to learn Polish, if I earn enough to rent a place, when it will be possible to stand on my own.”
The Realities of Living Together
There are more than 2 million displaced people in Poland, nearly 300,000 in Warsaw alone. That makes for a 17 percent increase in the city’s population. These types of changes bring a host of complexities, the language divide being a big one.
Agnieska’s story is a micro-example of what’s happening in the city at large. The two families speak different languages – Polish and Russian. Even though the two languages are similar in many ways, the differences presented more challenges than expected.
“They are words similar, but there are words and sentences that we wouldn’t understand each other,” said Agnieszka. “I really thought it would be easier, so this was a big surprise for me.”
When the family of two arrived, they had nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Agnieszka had saved clothing that her daughter had outgrown and gathered clothing from friends. They bought toothbrushes, soap and other hygiene supplies. They also worked through the most pressing need of getting official documents in order to facilitate school enrollment and employment.
It has been three weeks since the pair moved in. Nobody knows how long they will stay, but that’s ok with Agnieszka and her family.
“She is a very strong person in a very difficult situation,” said Agnieszka. “At the beginning, I thought [they would be with us for] a few weeks. Now, I’m thinking a few months, but I’m not afraid because we stay good together. We are really lucky, which makes me smile.”
How Can You Help?
If you are in a position to host a displaced person or family, Agnieszka encourages a thoughtful approach that will enable you to sustain lasting support.
“Be sure everyone in your family is on the same page. Your family is your first obligation,” said Agnieszka. “Organize your life together in a way that there are moments together and there are moments [for just] your family. This balance is needed. Only with this balance you will be able to help long term.”
To support families doing this kind of work, visit Points of Light Global Network Affiliate
to make a donation or volunteer. Right now, they need funds and are also looking for a social media professional to help them use their voice as an organization to advocate for those in need, a service that can be offered remotely, from anywhere in the world.
Centrum Wolontariatu and other organizations like it are keenly aware of arising needs in real time. When you support the
, your gift is funneled to our affiliate network in the region so they can respond quickly and directly.
Points of Light operates with a network of innovative volunteer-mobilizing organizations who serve more than 177 affiliates across 38 countries around the world. Together we are inspiring, equipping and mobilizing more people to use their time, talent, voice and resources to create positive change in their communities. Learn more about our Global Network.
85 Orphans Rescued from Ukraine Find a New Home in Spain
At dawn on a Sunday, 85 orphaned children fled their home in Lviv, Ukraine.
Four volunteers from Fundación Madrina had traveled over 2,000 miles from Spain to help them evacuate, along with their caregivers, during crossfire. The group boarded a bus and drove for a full 24 hours, taking a circuitous route to avoid areas of conflict. They arrived in Krakow, where a military plane was waiting to deliver them to the Torrejón Air Base in Madrid. Once in Spain, they were temporarily taken in by a hotel until Spanish government officials and nonprofits were able to work collectively to find stable housing for them.
“After spending two days in a hotel in Madrid, the little ones needed a place to spend the next three months,” explained Director of Corporate Social Innovation Almudena Pérez Molina of Fundación Hazloposible, a member of the Points of Light Global Network. “They could not separate them into groups. They were offered a monastery in the province of Guadalajara, but the Guadalajara City Council, that same morning, informed them that the space was not ready with the necessary conditions. They were going to be separated, but someone from Fundación Madrina made an appeal to the collaborator, and finally, they were all transferred together to a hotel in Salamanca.”
Spain, like much of Europe, is seeing a rapid increase in displaced Ukrainians. In late March, the country welcomed 10,000. That number had increased to 100,000 in just two weeks’ time, and a quarter were not yet legally registered. Forty percent were children.
Almudena says she feels for the children who are affected by the Ukrainian crisis, but she’s also proud of how quickly Spanish citizens and organizations banded together to find a solution for this latest group. She cautioned that this crisis is going to require stamina and long-term thinking.
“The short term is already done. Many NGOs are working hard for doing this,” she said. “But this is not a one-day crisis. Four million people have left their homes, and although they would love to come back to their homes, we don’t know when the conflict will end, and probably their homes don’t exist anymore. So the people will need to build a new life, and they need the support to do it.”
When asked her advice on the best ways to help, Almudena encouraged people to connect with an organization doing work around this crisis to ask what the needs are before acting alone. A crisis of this magnitude requires a lot of coordination and united effort.
Almudena cautioned: “The individual response is great, but in these types of crises, we cannot do it all by ourselves as individuals.”
Points of Light operates with a network of innovative volunteer-mobilizing organizations who serve more than 177 affiliates across 38 countries around the world. Together we are inspiring, equipping and mobilizing more people to use their time, talent, voice and resources to create positive change in their communities. Learn more about our Global Network.
Daily Point of Light Awardees Respond to Crisis in Ukraine
During times of uncertainty, one thing we can count on is the power of people to change the world. We are a community of millions of points of light joined together by a shared belief that we can make a positive difference. During the Ukraine crisis, our Points of Light Global Network leaders are on the ground throughout the neighboring regions, helping to connect families and care for refugees.
Across the world, many individuals are also using their time and resources to help response and recovery efforts. Changemakers from our Inspiration Honor Roll and Daily Point of Light Award told us some of the ways they are supporting Ukraine right now. We’re excited to share some of them with you.
Stephanie Wang is working as a paid medical research and development intern for Kyiv-based technology company. She has decided to donate a portion of her internship stipend to the response efforts in Ukraine.
A native of Maine, Mikell Reed Carroll is currently working at the US Embassy in Serbia. She is coordinating a donation drive within the US Embassy community, collecting thousands of dollars in medical supplies, food, baby supplies, batteries and other much needed items. All the collected items will be delivered to the Embassy of Ukraine in Serbia, and then delivered to Ukraine, along with some of the European refugee centers.
These are just a few of the many stories of individuals around the globe responding to the crisis in the Ukraine. Time and again, we are shown that there are points of light in every area of the globe. Collectively, we’re shining a light by taking action to find solutions to the challenges we face today and in the future.
Do you know someone who is a driving force in your community? We invite you to recognize their incredible efforts by nominating them for our
to Points of Light, you are supporting the actions of millions of people who are mobilizing to solve the challenges our society faces through volunteerism and civic engagement. Through our recognition programs, like Inspiration Honor Roll and the Daily Point of Light Award, we bring to life what is possible, inspiring future generations of civic leaders and changemakers.
Effecting Change on a Global Scale
Points of Light exists to uplift those who are working to better their communities and equip nonprofits that are doing the same. Individuals rely on nonprofit organizations to provide them with clear guidance and direction on how they can lend their time, talent and resources to a cause. And nonprofits simply can’t function without passionate, committed individuals to help do the work.
We believe that when future generations look back on this time, they will see it was an era of sustained, meaningful civic engagement. We see people from all walks of life and organizations across sectors working to lead, lend support and take action for the causes they care about.
Points of Light operates with a network of innovative volunteer-mobilizing organizations located in more than 250 cities and 38 countries around the world. Together with our affiliate
leaders, we are inspiring, equipping and mobilizing people to engage in their communities and take action to solve problems. Together, we envision a world in which everyone discovers the power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies.
What Does the Points Of light Global Network Do?
Our Global Network engages more than 1 million volunteers in 7.5 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people where it is needed most.
Through innovative programming and custom business solutions, Points of Light Global Network affiliates offer creative ways to engage individuals in meaningful community action, maximize the impact of volunteer programs, recognize extraordinary service and much more. Each affiliate has its own unique model of service to best address the needs of their community and community partners.
Here are just a few of the common things that our affiliates do across the globe: curate opportunities for individuals and groups to volunteer through a calendar of volunteer projects; host large-scale days or months of service such as
, MLK Day, Good Deeds Day, Family Volunteer Day and more; provide training and resources for volunteer management practices; manage National Service members and programs such as AmeriCorps, Vista or SeniorCorps (US Affiliates only); develop custom volunteer projects for corporate and civic groups; recognize and award local volunteer heroes through programs and events… and much more.
The Vital Role of Affiliates in Times of Crisis
The Points of Light Global Network became more important than ever as urgent local needs were
, the COVID-19 pandemic and other natural and human-made disasters. During the pandemic, 75% of affiliates identified an increased demand for services in their communities and 85% of affiliates identified at least a 100% surge in volunteer requests. Also, 92% of affiliates increased their local partnerships to support hunger relief, health and wellness and education, 76% of affiliates were counted as an essential service during this crisis and 80% of affiliates developed new and innovative programs to meet community needs efficiently and safely during this crisis. The Points of Light Global Network has and continues to play a critical role in supporting COVID-19 response and recovery.
Currently, many of the POL Global Network European affiliates are providing much-needed support with recruitment and management of volunteers to help displaced Ukrainians crossing the borders from Ukraine to other countries in the region, systemizing and summarizing information about helping refugees from Ukraine with volunteering, donations and pro bono services, and organizing special donations drives along with corporate and NGO partner organizations to help out crisis centers with the collection of food, equipment and medicines. They are also engaging the youth volunteering community on how they can help during this humanitarian crisis.
Civic Engagement Thrives When We Work Together
The Points of Light Global Network is playing a critical role in amplifying and educating their local partners and volunteers on Points of Light’s
