Civic Engagement Creates Change, but Volunteers Respond Now
Volunteers are often the first to respond to a community’s needs. They’re on the front lines when a disaster strikes, cleaning debris and comforting others. They hand out meals and food each week at food banks and pantries that support those working to make ends meet. They lead nonprofits nationwide as volunteer board members, informing decisions and steering strategies.
In short, volunteers do what’s needed. During
found that from September 2020 – September 2021, formal volunteering dropped 7% to 23.2%, or 60.7 million people. While we can certainly account for the pandemic being a driver of the decline, we can’t assume it will bounce back on its own.
The founder of Feeding America recently said they currently have about 30% fewer volunteers than they did pre-pandemic, but as we know, the number of people facing food insecurity rose significantly. And now
, making the needs even greater. For people experiencing homelessness and the communities trying to support them, finding shelter continues to be a challenge in cities around the country — as just one data point, in Arizona, the unhoused population
and AmeriCorps’ research show there’s an increase in people getting involved in informal ways and working to make a difference by voting or using their voice.
Points of Light’s Civic Circle® gives you a path for how you can combine actions to amplify your social impact. We believe the intentional combination of these actions accelerates change. Some efforts drive long term sustainable change, like using your voice, voting and or even running for office or becoming a public servant. But volunteers are still absolutely critical to meeting immediate needs.
Global Volunteer Month is a moment to organize volunteers, share their stories to inspire others and recognize the volunteers who make a difference. Volunteers like
, a teen who raised more than $20,000 for a local food organization to have a down payment on a refrigerated van to deliver perishable food to Miami residents.
If you’re looking for ways to create change, you can:
While civic engagement is critical to build thriving communities and a thriving democracy, volunteers who step up and respond to the current community needs are invaluable. Let this Global Volunteer Month be a time we are inspired by them, celebrate them and join them.
3 Ways to Show Employee Volunteers Appreciation This Global Volunteer Month
rapidly approaches in April, you’ll want to ensure you have a strategy in place for executing your organization’s social impact projects. But there’s something else we highly recommend employers take into account: employee recognition.
Taking the time, effort and budget to properly recognize your employees and volunteers for their efforts during this month of volunteering can serve both you and them in the long run. Volunteer appreciation builds morale, boosts engagement, sparks passion and helps your programs thrive for years to come.
Here are three tips to Show your volunteers Appreciation during Global Volunteer Month
Nominate Them for a Daily Point of Light Award
Founded by President George H.W. Bush in 1993, the
award program has been running strong for decades. To date, more than 7,000 Daily Point of Light honorees have been named. Each Daily Point of Light awardee receives recognition with a feature article on the Points of Light website, as well as networking and event benefits.
Take Daily Point of Light Honoree
, for example. He’s a Bank of America employee who helps people create a lower cost of living and improve lives through better money habits and financial literacy. His mission is to empower people through knowledge about their finances.
, a KPMG employee, volunteers her time with the Special Olympics, helping bring inclusivity and unity to unified golf athletes, in partnership with KPMG’s sponsorship programs.
Taking the time to nominate a few outstanding volunteers for this prestigious award can help them feel seen and appreciated for their pro bono efforts.
“We all know that what is celebrated is replicated, which is exactly why recognizing and celebrating your volunteers is key to inspiring other employees to get involved. A volunteer recognition strategy is a path to communicating impact, boosting participation, shining a spotlight on causes, and reinforcing your company’s commitment to community.”
— Katie Stearns, Chief Global Corporate Solutions Officer
helps you recognize your star volunteers, individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.
The inspiring changemakers from Le PeTiT CiRqUe are a testament to the unstoppable positive impact of our nation’s youth. Le PeTiT CiRqUe, a humanitarian-based elite cirque production company featuring pro-level youth from ages six to 15, recently had several performers awarded with President’s Volunteer Service Awards.
Each person was deservedly awarded the Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award for more than 100 hours of service. This type of volunteer appreciation can really impact your program’s engagement, as well as making employees feel valued.
Check Out Our Global Volunteer Month Toolkits
Points of Light has created four toolkits for this year’s Global Volunteer Month. Each is tailored to a specific audience – nonprofits, companies, government officials and individuals. These toolkits are packed with ideas on how to implement your GVM projects, complete with communication tips and logos you can utilize across external and internal marketing materials.
They also include additional ideas for recognition – some methods as easy as reposting your employees’ social media posts. Head over to the
ideas should align with your company’s culture and values. Successful employee volunteer recognition programs are thoroughly planned and designed, well-managed, clearly communicated and frequently evaluated.
Incentivizing employees can be as simple as writing thank you notes and as extensive as planning a large-scale award ceremony. Common elements of successful recognition programs include incorporating senior management support and participation, providing monetary funds to the nonprofit organization of the honoree’s choice and aligning with a special day of service or company event.
Employee Recognition Ideas for Your Volunteer Program
Offer Simple Rewards for Incentivizing Employees
1. If employees are going into the office regularly or occasionally, reserve a prime parking space for the Volunteer of the Month. Award this time-saving convenience to a volunteer or volunteer leader who has served the most hours during a specific time period or has gone above and beyond.
2. Produce certificates or a letter of appreciation signed by the CEO. Even better, ask for hand-written notes from senior leaders to thank volunteers or volunteer leaders for their contributions.
3. During volunteer projects, observe who is working hard and going the extra mile, and offer them an on-the-spot reward such as a gift card for a cup of coffee or a pin they can display proudly. Consider what might resonate most with the volunteers you’re working with.
4. Schedule a recurring virtual brown bag lunch with senior executives for your top volunteer leaders.
5. Create a point system based on number of hours volunteered or other inputs and have volunteers turn their points into rewards like company-branded merchandise.
internally and externally. Develop a regular cadence of these stories and use communication vehicles that will reach as many employees as possible (e.g., intranet, posters in break rooms, e-newsletters, or company magazine).
7. Create a digital badge to add to a recently recognized volunteer leader’s email signature.
8. Highlight top volunteers during leadership or all-staff meetings, or at special company events. Post a photo and volunteer profile in high-traffic areas for both employees and guests, such as your main lobby or in elevator banks
9. Recognize
an individual or team with the most volunteer hours during a certain time period. Use different communication vehicles to display an honor roll of volunteers by number of hours served, number of projects participated in, or number of projects led. The
is a prestigious way to offer this type of recognition. Since 2003, it has been honoring individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.
10. Integrate public-facing recognition mechanisms into your strategy, such as the
and team volunteer grant programs (contribution programs that donate grants to qualified nonprofits based on the level of employee/team involvement as volunteers or board members) offer individual or group financial incentives in the form of grants to the organization of his/her choice. Grants can vary from $100 to $25,000 per award. Create a formal application and judging process or crowdsource who should win the team volunteer grants from across your employee base.
12. Another idea is to host an annual lunch, dinner or special event to highlight the work of top volunteers and volunteer leaders. Invite nonprofit partners to share their stories of volunteer impact to add moments of reflection to the event program.
13. If your company engages employees in an annual event such as a day, week or month of service, award your top volunteers or leaders with an all-expenses-paid trip to a different market for next year’s event. They’ll get a chance to volunteer alongside new colleagues and bring back fresh ideas to their market.
Need more employee recognition ideas? Don’t forget to check out our
team is the go-to resource for community-minded companies looking to build and expand effective employee volunteer programs. We believe that companies, their employees, partners, vendors and customers can be drivers of transformative social change in communities around the world.
Volunteer Management Best Practices: Tips for Your Nonprofit
come through your doors. Depending on the number of paid staff members you have, managing volunteers can become tricky. After all, you’re juggling different schedules, personalities and needs, all while trying to increase volunteer turnout at your organized events. Points of Light is here to help. That’s why we’ve put together these volunteer management best practices to
reigns supreme, nonprofit marketing doesn’t have to rely on internal staff alone. Call on your supporters and volunteers to spread your message, like promoting your annual toy drive or
and hone all of your external communication into a cohesive and unified effort. If you don’t yet have a marketing liaison or team to strategize around your content, consider establishing positions for this effort alone. And if you don’t have the capacity or budget, consider engaging a
from your stakeholders and communicating openly with them. First, you’ll need to understand the interests, challenges and values of each group, then address them with authenticity and transparency. Ensure that you have ongoing dialogue with all parties involved in your organization. Seek to understand where they’re coming from, and consider how you can bridge any gaps in trust through communication about your efforts.
Family Volunteering Insights for Small Organizations
We interviewed 1,000 participants of organizations with under $1 million in revenue
. We wanted to know how to create programs that work for families, how to recruit families to participate and how to make it easy – and fun – for them to volunteer.
Here’s what we heard from project coordinators we surveyed about how to engage families and young people in volunteer efforts:
Include Youth Voices When Planning Family Volunteering Opportunities
Talk to young people about why volunteering matters. Let their excitement help make it a family priority. Let them describe what they’re doing, and explain how they’re having an impact.
Communicate Via Multiple Methods Well in Advance With Reminders
Send an email and a text. Remind volunteer families several weeks before, a week before, a day before and the day of. People are busy, and reminders help ensure they fulfill their intention and their commitment to volunteer. If you can, keep your events at the same time of year to make it easy for families to plan and stay engaged year after year.
Create a Family-friendly Environment
Ensure families know that children of all ages are welcome. Make plenty of age-appropriate activities available and create opportunities for little ones to help. Provide kid-friendly refreshments, too.
Reward Volunteers
Create incentives for your volunteers to want to come back, and share the impact they’re having. Offer student volunteers extra hours if they bring parents, or feature students with families who volunteer on social media.
Start Early, Plan and Be Organized
Make sure people feel as if their time is being used well. If they have a great experience, they’re more likely to return. Some organizations don’t have a lot of success doing several small family volunteer events throughout the year in cities where there are so many competing interests. However, doing an “end of the year” project, for example, where students get to show off their work and win prizes, combined with the group volunteering experience, often results in higher attendance and participation each year.
Family and youth volunteer projects are so impactful, and getting them right makes a huge difference for families and for the people and organizations who benefit from their service.
Social Media and Volunteer Engagement: Expanding Your Organization’s Reach
It’s a common scenario – an organization is hosting a day of service for a large group of volunteers. But at the end of the day, the only social media posts that can be found outside of the organization’s own posts are from just a small handful of the volunteers. As a result, a great opportunity to promote the day of service and the organization to a wider audience has been lost.
Don’t let this be your organization. According to
, 59% of the world’s population used social media in 2022. Between Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, most of your volunteers have a network of hundreds – if not thousands – of followers who have the potential to become future volunteers or donors. Leverage their social media reach by mobilizing your volunteers to share their experiences. Here are some easy ways to get started.
Visible Signage that Highlights Social Media
Post signs around the project site with your social media handles and relevant hashtags so volunteers know who and what to tag. You want to make it easy for those that may see the volunteer post to find your organization and learn more. If volunteers aren’t clear on what to tag or don’t remember, they’ll likely skip this important step.
Address Social Media During the Project Orientation and Closing
You have the signs up. Now make sure you are actively encouraging the volunteers to share their experiences on social media. Reinforce that you want them to tag your organization and if applicable, use a hashtag. You’ll want to be specific about any additional asks you have of them – “share your favorite photos from the project” and/or “share your favorite moment during the project.”
If Volunteers are from a Company or Civic Group, Align with Them in Advance
Chances are that if you’re engaging a company or civic group, they are planning to promote their participation in the project on their social media channels. Don’t miss your opportunity to be a part of their strategy so your organization is well represented. Connect with the group leader in advance to discuss their social media goals and design a plan that is mutually beneficial. Any signage and volunteer instructions should capture social media information from both your organization and the group.
Build a Social Media Call to Action into the Project
If you don’t want to leave it to chance, build a five-minute window for social media into the project itself. For example, at the end of the project when the volunteers come back together, ask everyone to pull out their phones, open their favorite social media app and post about the project.
Acknowledge Volunteer Social Media Posts
It’s all about the “likes”! If volunteers have taken the time to promote your organization on social media, make sure that you recognize this by liking their post, thanking them in the comments or sharing on your own channels. It feels good to be acknowledged and your volunteers will be more inclined to share their experiences again in the future if you do so… not to mention, your own social media followers will be able to see what’s going on and may be encouraged to get more involved!
The George H.W. Bush Awards Celebration of 2022 was All About Legacy
Points of Light held its fourth annual celebration of
Andrés had the opportunity to accept his award in person with an inspiring acceptance speech that paid tribute to the many hands it takes to make a vision like World Central Kitchen come to life. Jeff Greenberg,
chair and CEO, Aquiline Capital Partners LLC,
accepted on his father’s behalf, and talked about his father’s legacy of service in all of his roles, from decorated United States Army veteran to philanthropist to Chairman and CEO.
The Co-Chairs
The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards brings a long-standing presidential legacy, as Points of Light was founded by President George H.W. Bush himself. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama once again served as honorary co-chairs of the event, with Barbara Bush, Jenna Bush Hager, Lauren Bush Lauren, Mike and Jacquelyne Love, Wendy Stapleton and Andy and Marie Unanue serving as co-chairs for this year’s in-person event. Linsey Davis, ABC News anchor and correspondent, was the emcee.
The Entertainment
The evening featured a beautiful performance by Grammy Award-winning saxophonist and composer duo, Branford Marsalis with Joey Calderazzo. Ukrainian singer and 2022 Grammy performer Mika Newton wowed the audience with her voice and moving performance.
Everyday Inspiration
Andrés and Greenberg weren’t the only individuals honored during the evening. Each year,
celebrates acts of service, kindness and civic engagement by individuals who create change in communities around the world. At The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards this year, 20 of these individuals were honored as
The event is an annual fundraiser for Points of Light and the 2022 proceeds will continue to support our mission of inspiring, equipping and mobilizing people to take action that changes the world.
It was an inspiring evening of celebration, recognizing extraordinary acts of civic engagement and impactful individuals at this year’s The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards. Check out
celebrates acts of service, kindness and civic engagement from individuals who create change in communities around the world. It recognizes the people who are changing the world, in both large and small ways, to improve the lives of others.
This year, we’ve continued to see individuals step up in their spheres of influence, making impactful contributions with their time, talent and energy. More people are volunteering, using their voices, giving back through work and taking action when they see a need.
We’re excited to uplift these stories and show how in communities worldwide, the power of people continues to drive us forward. Meet a few of our incredible Spotlights and get inspired to take action in your community!
Work: Agnieszka Lissowska-Lewkowicz
When it comes to the Points of Light Civic Circle element of
, Agnieszka Lissowska-Lewkowicz, is navigating it with skill. Besides making an impact through the nonprofit she oversees, she has brought compassion and community into her home.
From the start of the war in Ukraine, 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.
identify needs that have not yet been met by traditional institutions, structures or systems, and lead creative and innovative solutions that drive change. Ten-year-old Zoe Oli is the CEO of
, a company making Black and biracial skin-toned dolls with natural-looking hair, including afros and braids.
Anyone can also purchase a doll and gift one to a girl who may need it. Zoe’s company has empowered Black girls across the nation with dolls that look just like them, because representation matters, starting with childhood.
Volunteer: Harry Kpoh
Of course, an important part of leading a civically engaged life is through
. Harry Kpoh witnessed the ravages of civil war while living in Liberia, and when he was able to immigrate to the United States as a young man, those memories of suffering stayed with him. So he decided to start what is now the
This organization is dedicated to addressing Liberia’s critical need for life-saving medicine, medical equipment and food. Plus, Harry travels on every container that goes to Liberia.
Service: Dustin Brooks
Texas airman Dustin Brooks is a shining example of
organization based at the Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. Before that time, he spent five years as a volunteer with Aramark/Sodexo creating free meals for people who were underserved.
Dustin’s current duties as inventory manager ensure the organization has all the supplies on hand to paint houses and provide minor repairs. Between military service, community service and family life, Dustin is an exemplary citizen in his engagement.
Listen & Learn: Rose Wilson
Rose Wilson knows a thing or two about the importance of
. She is a trailblazer whose accomplishments have left a lasting impact on the Lubbock community. Elected in 1978, she was the first African American woman to become president of the
She, along with other community leaders, advocated for North and East Lubbock to have representation in city government by spurring Lubbock to adopt single-member districts in 1984. Her advocacy paved the way for minorities to be elected to Lubbock City Council. Through honoring the lived experiences of Black people and advocating for equality, we’re inspired by Rose’s story.
Meet all of the Points of Light Inspiration Spotlights
Want to learn how you can leverage civic engagement using all nine elements of the
to drive real, sustainable change in your community.
We’re Saying Goodbye to Community – Our Online Content Hub for Nonprofits
As a convener of nonprofit thought leaders, Points of Light is always looking for ways to better serve you. Our online Community hub has provided an engaging place for idea sharing since 2020, and we’re thankful to our partners and staff who have provided valuable tips, expertise and templates over the last two years.
Our blog will still offer the same thought-provoking ideas made especially for nonprofit practitioners, like you, who want to innovate how to mobilize people power to bring your mission to life.
Thank you for being a part of Community and Points of Light.
3 Reasons to Honor Outstanding Volunteers with Presidential Recognition
is an opportunity to honor your most outstanding volunteers and recognize the impact they have on the community. This award honors people whose service makes a difference in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action. Here are three reasons you should become an organization that is approved to provide the
President’s Volunteer Service Award to your volunteers.
1. It’s a prestigious award
The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes the United States’ most exceptional volunteers. Each volunteer receives a letter signed by the president that recognizes how their engagement has contributed to solving some of our country’s toughest challenges. That’s a pretty big honor and something that’s a once-in-a-lifetime special moment of recognition!
2. President’s Volunteer Service Awards motivate your volunteers and help with retention
Student Austin Sandel of Benton Central High School in Oxford, Indiana, helped his school become a Certifying Organization.
is a reward in and of itself, but it certainly feels good to be recognized. Your volunteers will appreciate the extra incentive and may be inspired to volunteer with your organization to earn a President’s Volunteer Service Award. Whether they are working towards a
, volunteers may feel motivated to be recognized with this special award. Plus, earning special recognition helps volunteers feel connected to your organization.
Student Austin Sandel of Benton Central High School in Oxford, Indiana, shares, “I helped my rural high school become a Certifying Organization in order to boost opportunities for recognition and provide extra motivation for service and activism among my friends and classmates. Our principal wholeheartedly supports PVSA and now invites any graduate who earns the award to wear their medallion at commencement. As I pursue my college major in music education, I will continue to look for ways to serve.”
3. Being a Certifying Organization gives your organization credibility
An organization that can give out President’s Volunteer Service Awards is called a Certifying Organization. Becoming a Certifying Organization means your organization has been granted authority through an application and review process to give out the President’s Volunteer Service Award to volunteers. Certifying Organizations verify and certify that a volunteer has met the
to receive a President’s Volunteer Service Award and may choose from certificates, pins, coins and medals to award volunteers. The process is simple and takes only about two weeks.
Becoming a Certifying Organization signals to your partner organizations that you are uniquely qualified to honor your exceptional volunteers with this prestigious award. It says to your volunteers that you put a premium on their meaningful contributions to building community and making the world a better place for all.
