From Nice to Necessary: Unleashing the Impact of Volunteering Through Transformative Investment

This recorded webinar is a companion to Points of Light’s report From Nice to Necessary: Unleashing the Impact of Volunteering Through Transformative Investment, offering deeper insights into how transformative investment can elevate volunteering from a “nice-to-have” to a necessary driver of community impact. Thanks to our guest speaker Erika Caballero Montoya, Senior Manager, The Bridgespan Group.

Additional Resources

The Power of Service: Building Thriving Communities

This webinar explored how service and civic action are essential to fostering well-being, resilience, and a shared sense of purpose. Viewers heard from leaders driving innovation and impact through purposeful volunteering and cross-sector collaboration.

Speakers

  • Vanessa Diamond, Executive Vice President, Global Network and Nonprofit Programs, Points of Light
  • Tommi Laitio, Founder, Urban Strategist, Convivencia Urbana, Inc.
  • Laura Rog, Chief Service Officer for the City of New York
  • Dave Smith, CEO, California Volunteers Fund

Resources

Top Takeaways

  • Good partnerships happen in a space of friction between harmony and conflict.
  • Friction is not a mindset but an issue of skills and capabilities, which you can learn, train, resource and codify.
  • Reaching clarity around the shared desired outcome empowers collaborators to work in unison even if their motivations and strategies differ.
  • Rather than looking only for similarities, it’s equally valuable to identify and articulate the differences in motivations, resources and perspectives while being very practical on creating value.
  • Leverage diversity as an asset rather than a point of division.
  • Broaden the definition of volunteer service and explore ways to better measure and communicate the impact of service in your city.

Understanding Community-Centered Volunteerism

Thanks to our guest speaker Breauna Dorelus, Founder and Cause Consultant at Connecting the Cause.

This live event is part of the Volunteering & Social Impact Live Learning Series, which introduces topics that will be discussed further at the 2025 Points of Light Conference.

Virtual Event Resources

Top Takeaways

  • Behind every volunteer opportunity is a root cause of an issue and a system that perpetuates the necessity of the volunteer opportunity itself.
  • We must first understand the truth of why problems exist and ensure the volunteer work is aligned with the community’s needs.
  • “Centering community” does not mean dismissing volunteers. It means that communities are an integral part of the process, not just recipients of aid, which creates harm. Too often communities are on the receiving end of a volunteer’s charitable acts instead of seen as an interdependent ecosystem where everyone has a role.

Reflection Questions

  • What is currently in my power to repair and rebuild?
  • Understand and recognize power dynamics within volunteerism. Where does the volunteer hold the power in engagement spaces, and where does the community hold the power? Do shifts need to be made?

Virtual Volunteering Opportunities

Make a Difference from Anywhere

Looking for meaningful ways to give back from home? Whether you’re interested in online community service, virtual volunteering, or remote volunteer opportunities, you can support causes you care about—anytime, from anywhere.

Why Online and Virtual Volunteering Matters

Online volunteering is a flexible, inclusive, and impactful way to serve. It:

  • Removes barriers of location, mobility, and time.
  • Empowers people of all ages and abilities to contribute.
  • Supports nonprofits with digital skills and remote help.

From tutoring students to helping nonprofits with social media, volunteering online offers countless ways to make a difference.

Trends in Virtual Volunteer Opportunities

  • Skills-Based Volunteering: Use your professional skills—like writing, design, or IT—to support nonprofit missions.
  • Micro-Volunteering: Complete short, task-based projects like transcription, data entry, or captioning videos.
  • Remote Corporate Volunteering: Many companies now offer virtual service days and team-based online volunteering.
  • Inclusive and Accessible: Opportunities are increasingly designed to be accessible to people with disabilities and those with limited time.
  • Digital Tools: Platforms now offer AI-powered matching, mobile apps, and virtual collaboration tools to enhance the experience.

Explore Online Volunteering Opportunities by Category

Thousands of virtual volunteer opportunities are available—from one-time tasks to ongoing commitments. Browse by interest:

Tip: Visit Points of Light Engage to search real-time listings from nonprofits around the world.

Celebrate Service Year-Round

Whether it’s during Global Volunteer Month
in April or any time of year, you can live a full civic life through the Points of Light Civic Circle®. Every action counts—donate, vote, volunteer and more.

All Together Now: A Celebration of Service – 2011 Points of Light Tribute

On March 21, 2011, Points of Light hosted "All Together Now: A Celebration of Service" to honor President George Herbert Walker Bush's legacy of supporting service and his role in helping to spark the modern service movement.

This star-studded event brought together four former presidents, leaders from across the service sector and those working to make change in communities around the globe. The more than 2,000 in the Kennedy Center audience and millions that watched in primetime on NBC were moved by the stories of inspiration and left with a renewed sense of purpose and energy for their own capacity to make a difference.

Honoring 5,000 Points of Light

On July 15, 2013, Points of Light honored its 5,000th Daily Point of Light at a White House ceremony featuring President Barack Obama and Points of Light founder President George H. W. Bush. Watch the story of our 5,000th Daily Point of Light, and learn about the movement that created a wave of service and volunteerism worldwide.

Service Enterprise Case Study – Downtown Women’s Center, Los Angeles

This video highlights how The Downtown Women’s Center (Los Angeles, CA) operates as a Service Enterprise.

Service Enterprise Initiative Testimonials

Hear from organizations across the country who have participated in the transformational Service Enterprise Initiative.

Service Enterprise Initiative

President George H. W. Bush Highlights the Power of Volunteering

President George H. W. Bush speaks on the power of volunteerism and highlights the importance of helping others through service.

“There can be no definition of a successful life that does not include service to others.”
– President George H. W. Bush