Points of Light to unveil national volunteer strategy in push to expand U.S. service

Points of Light plans to unveil a National Volunteer Strategy at its annual conference in Washington on June 22, moving a year-old pledge into a more detailed public rollout.

The nonprofit says the strategy is the first phase of a $100 million effort aimed at doubling the number of U.S. volunteers to 150 million by 2035. Points of Light says the broader goal is to connect more Americans who want to volunteer with nonprofits that need help.

Jennifer Sirangelo, the organization’s president and CEO, is expected to help present the plan. Points of Light said the strategy was developed with input from corporate, community and youth leaders.

What the strategy is meant to do

According to the Associated Press, the new strategy will focus on strengthening nonprofit infrastructure and improving support for volunteer managers. It also aims to make volunteerism more accessible to Gen Z.

That emphasis reflects a challenge the sector has long faced: interest in volunteering does not always translate into usable capacity at nonprofit organizations. Groups may have too few staff members, too little coordination or not enough systems to absorb more volunteers effectively.

Points of Light is positioning the strategy as a response to that gap. The organization has said the plan is intended to help more people find pathways into service while giving nonprofits better tools to use volunteers well.

From pledge to rollout

The June 22 announcement follows earlier reporting on the same long-term campaign. In June 2025, AP reported that Points of Light had already announced a target of doubling U.S. volunteerism to 150 million by 2035, along with a $100 million fundraising plan.

That earlier announcement came at the group’s annual conference in New Orleans. The Washington event is expected to formalize the next phase of the initiative with a named National Volunteer Strategy and a more concrete implementation framework.

Even with the strategy now set for rollout, several practical questions remain open. AP reported that the conference may clarify funding sources, specific programs and measurable milestones beyond the 2035 volunteer target.

What the organization does not yet appear to have fully disclosed is how much of the $100 million plan will be tied to individual programs, which partners may join the effort, or how progress will be tracked over time.

Why it matters

Points of Light, founded by former President George H.W. Bush, has framed the effort as a national response to a volunteer supply problem: more people say they are willing to serve, but nonprofits often lack the infrastructure to match them efficiently.

That makes the initiative relevant not only to Points of Light itself but also to community nonprofits that depend on volunteers for basic operations, outreach and service delivery. Better volunteer management could help those groups take on more help without overwhelming staff.

The campaign also reflects a push to reach younger Americans. Points of Light says it wants volunteerism to be more accessible to Gen Z, a cohort that often expects more flexible and digitally enabled ways to serve.

The broader backdrop includes ongoing pressure on nonprofits to do more with limited resources, along with changes affecting AmeriCorps and other service programs. Points of Light is presenting its strategy as one way to expand participation despite those headwinds.

For now, the group is signaling scale and ambition rather than a finished operating blueprint: a national strategy, a long-term fundraising target and a goal that would require a much larger pool of volunteers by 2035 than the country has today.