National volunteer strategy puts nonprofit infrastructure first

A national volunteerism initiative is treating the infrastructure behind service as the problem to solve, not just the number of people signing up.

Points of Light launched its National Volunteer Strategy on June 23, 2026, in Washington, D.C., as the first phase of its Reimagining Service 2035 initiative. The organization says it wants to double formal volunteering in the United States by 2035 — a goal it describes as more than 150 million volunteers when projected population growth is taken into account.

That figure is an ambitious organizational goal, not a federal forecast or guaranteed outcome. The strategy is a nonprofit-led roadmap for organizations, businesses, schools, faith communities, public agencies and other groups that recruit, manage or support volunteers.

What the strategy is designed to change

Points of Light organizes the plan around three connected areas: a thriving ecosystem, meaningful engagement and transformative impact.

A thriving ecosystem refers to the leadership, infrastructure, investment and partnerships needed to support volunteering over time. Meaningful engagement focuses on volunteer experiences that are flexible, relational and responsive to people’s lives and community priorities. Transformative impact describes the desired result: stronger communities, better-matched service and needs addressed more effectively.

In practice, the strategy puts attention on the systems that connect people with organizations and help them remain involved. Points of Light and independent reporting by The Associated Press identify volunteer managers, leadership, funding, partnerships, standards, data, technology and better matching practices as central parts of that work.

The emphasis matters because a recruitment campaign can increase sign-ups without necessarily increasing the amount or quality of service delivered. Nonprofits still need staff time, training, scheduling tools, clear roles and resources to turn public interest into sustained participation.

Points of Light says the strategy was developed over 18 months through research, listening and co-design. Its public materials describe 23 roundtables, 270 cross-sector leaders and 2,200 survey responses. The organization presents that process as a way to identify barriers and opportunities across the broader volunteer ecosystem.

The national baseline

The latest national figures cited in the strategy come from the Census Bureau and AmeriCorps survey period covering September 2022 through September 2023. During that period, 75.7 million Americans age 16 and older — 28.3% of that population — reported formal volunteering through an organization.

Those volunteers contributed an estimated 4.99 billion hours, with an estimated economic value of more than $167.2 billion. The figures describe the 2023 survey period, not a current 2026 measurement.

The Census Bureau and AmeriCorps also reported that 18% of formal volunteers served completely or partly online in 2023. That measure covers virtual or hybrid activity; it does not make all informal helping, neighborhood assistance or charitable giving equivalent to formal volunteering.

The data show a tension at the center of the initiative. Formal participation rebounded after the pandemic, but the average amount of time served by each volunteer continued to decline. The national average fell from 96.5 hours in 2017, when the survey’s current series began, to 70 hours in 2023. The latest participation rate also remained below the pre-pandemic level.

In other words, more people may be participating while each person contributes less time on average. That helps explain why Points of Light is calling for more than additional recruitment. If organizations cannot offer flexible schedules, useful training, accessible opportunities and reliable coordination, higher participation may not translate into stronger community capacity.

What it means for volunteers and nonprofits

For individuals, the strategy does not create a new requirement or government program. Over time, its goals could mean more attention to flexible, better-matched and more meaningful opportunities, including virtual or hybrid service.

For nonprofits, the approach could bring greater pressure to improve volunteer management, measurement, training and coordination. It could also increase demand for funding to support the staff and technology required to do that work well.

The strategy’s statements about trust, belonging and civic connection are part of Points of Light’s organizational framing. The launch itself does not demonstrate that the initiative has already increased national volunteering.

What to watch next

The clearest test will be whether implementation produces measurable gains in more than the number of people who volunteer. Future national data will need to show whether hours served rise, whether opportunities become more accessible and whether organizations can sustain participation.

Points of Light’s public materials describe stakeholder guides and a shared roadmap for implementation. The organization also says it will provide a framework, assess progress and support investment and scaling. Until those pieces develop, the National Volunteer Strategy remains a framework for action rather than a completed national program.

Sources

Look for updates to this story

Discover more from Interactive News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.