2022 Annual Report

When the war in Ukraine began, Points of Light activated a Ukraine Internal Disaster Response Team, as we had several nearby affiliates who were actively involved in the refugee crisis. Points of Light created a Ukraine Crisis Response Fund so that proceeds could be funneled directly to affiliates on the ground. In addition, at the request of affiliates, we also created weekly content packages that included blog posts and social media messaging that could be easily shared, allowing our network to speak with one unified voice. Grants awarded to affiliates are being use to build capacity to support affiliates response on the ground.

• Assistance to refugees – helping with settlement; dealing with official matters; securing benefits; finding jobs; placing children in school; providing mental health support to families.
• Assistance for volunteers – supporting difficult situations (e.g., mental health support); responding to traumatic stories; educating around maintaining balance between helping and taking self-care.
• Volunteer Organizers – recruitment and training.

• Conducting a needs assessment process with partners; focusing on training and support needs of local organizations involved in crisis response; supporting volunteer engagement including hiring a volunteer coordinator
• Communicating about volunteer activities already in place; inspiring volunteer stories; reviewing lessons learned around volunteering in times of crisis; hiring a communications assistant.
• Developing a training program for volunteer coordinators and volunteers around volunteering in times of crisis; delivering a condensed online version of the training

• Allowing continuity of everyday work with nonprofits to recruit volunteers; attracting humanitarian aid donations by using existing network and social media to amplify the voices of those helping with the humanitarian crisis and fighting disinformation.
• Expanding work and mission with new formats in support of current local needs; creating series of webinars; sharing positive stories and publishing a volunteer handbook.
• Revamping their online platform to provide better services

• Recruiting and training volunteers to carry out refugee-related tasks in the field; helping organizations who are working with refugees and no longer have the number of volunteers needed to carry out their tasks.
• Organizing mental support groups, case conferences and supervision for existing volunteers.

The Points of Light consulting team collaborated with Target’s CSR team to develop a dozen electronic and printed materials to educate, inform and inspire team members about Target Forward and civic engagement as a whole. The materials included posters, with various messages and calls to action, and tabletop tent cards to drive team members toward the appropriate Points of Light Civic Circle® engagement opportunity. We also delivered an electronic playbook designed to help store managers to expand their local processes for volunteer engagement and best practices to effectively partner with nonprofits. All pieces of printed and electronic collateral were well received by in-store and warehouse distribution center team members.

CarMax Cares is a strong believer in Points of Light’s Civic Circle. After investing in the development of videos detailing the definitions of each element of the Civic Circle, CarMax and Points of Light evolved their partnership to see this work
come to fruition in 2022. At the large-scale, transformational projects executed in 2022 with the help of 150 hard-working, driven CarMax volunteers at each project, representatives from Points of Light and our affiliates facilitated reflection sessions that directly connected the volunteers’ work to elements of the Civic Circle. In framing the work and impact of our partnering organizations with the elements of the Civic Circle, we were able to highlight the multitude of ways volunteers could maximize their impact and continue the amazing work they accomplished during the project via simple everyday actions illustrated in the nine Civic Circle elements.

The Points of Light consulting team began collaborating with Disney’s CSR team to interview strategic LGBTQIA+ nonprofit organizations. Our work centered on gaining a comprehensive understanding of how, where and when the organizations need volunteer support. The team analyzed the information along with employee survey data to develop purposeful and intentional ways cast members interact, engage and volunteer with nonprofit organizations through their business employee resource groups in a more meaningful and impactful way.

Lowe’s broadened its commitment to its Hometowns program by investing another $10M in communities for a second year through its partnership with Points of Light. One hundred new community organizations in 40 states were awarded grants that ranged from $15K- $325K to complete transformational projects and enable them to realize their missions. For five months of the year, Lowe’s associates nationwide participated in 116 “Red Vest Day” community service projects with the Hometowns grant recipients, logging more than 14,777 hours and contributing another $316,542 in volunteer labor toward the program. This year more than 1.4M people will be directly impacted by the Lowe’s Hometowns program investment.

Points of Light has partnered with L’Oréal Paris for the last 18 years to honor women who uplift their communities through civic engagement. These nonprofit leaders, known as “Women of Worth,” each receive $20,000 to support their charitable case, mentorship from the L’Oréal Paris network, and a national platform to share their stories. Additionally, one of the top 10 honorees has an opportunity to receive an
additional $25,000 toward their nonprofit through a national website vote, along with one of the alumnae receiving $10,000 toward her nonprofit. This year’s alumnae
recipient is Maria Rose Belding, a 2015 Women of Worth honoree, at the 2019
George H.W. Bush Points of Light honoree and Daily Point of Light Award honoree
#5718. There were roughly 2,000 submitted applications and nominations for the
program, and the 10 recently named honorees can be found at womenofworth.com,
along with the celebration recording honoring said individuals.

Our partners at AbbVie reignited their annual “Week of Possibilities” company-wide global week of service. During the ongoing global pandemic, natural and manmade disasters —including the war in Ukraine — AbbVie engaged more than 13,000 employees in 54 countries, representing approximately 24% of its workforce. Through a series of both in-person and virtual projects focused on community development, education and STEM, economic development and disaster response, 290 projects benefited more than 200 community partners around the world. The success of the 2022 partnership between Points of Light and Abbvie was a result of offering a variety of projects to accommodate the complexities of returning to in-person events

Points of Light engages corporations of all sizes, and through our Global Network of affiliates, we helped reintroduce many companies to in-person volunteering. In September of 2022, Points of Light supported Wasserman Foundation’s annual
“Serve Day.” Points of Light affiliates in 13 global markets led in-person projects to log over 2,250 hours of service, supporting 13 community partners, and directly impacting the lives of thousands of neighbors who benefit from the resources available through these partners. Wasserman Foundation’s projects primarily focused on Environmental Sustainability, Health and Wellness, and Education, but volunteers also got the opportunity to engage in continued education to learn how these impact areas intersect with one another in a multitude of ways.