Conference on Volunteering and Service
Points of Light’s Conference on Volunteering and Service is the largest service-related convening of nonprofit, government, business and civic leaders in the world. Each year, thousands of people who really care about the future of volunteer service convene in one place – to learn from, share with and get inspired by one another- to work together to increase the number of volunteers in the world and the impact of the work they do.
Make A Difference Day
For more than two decades, we have joined with USA WEEKEND to partner on Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of community service. On the fourth Saturday of October, millions of volunteers around the world unite in a common mission to improve the lives of others. Make A Difference Day is a day to celebrate the power of people to make a difference.
Family Volunteer Day
Family Volunteer Day is a day of service that demonstrates and celebrates the power of families who volunteer together, supporting their neighborhoods, communities and the world. It is strategically held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to “kick-off” the holiday season with giving and service. It also signals the start of National Family Week, sponsored by the Alliance for Children and Families and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Families that volunteer together not only address community social problems, but also strengthen themselves. Volunteering together as a family provides quality time, strengthens family communication and provides opportunities for family members to be role models.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Inspired by Dr. King’s vision of people of diverse backgrounds interacting on personal levels, America’s Sunday Supper encourages people to share a meal and discuss issues that affect their communities, to increase racial and cultural understanding. Points of Light provides toolkits, films, conversation starters and incentives to help individuals and groups organize Sunday Suppers and service projects.
9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance
Each year, Points of Light commemorates 9/11 National Day of Service as part of an ongoing campaign to engage people in signature events that inspired, equipped, and mobilized volunteers to give back to their communities.
National Volunteer Week
National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It’s about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals.
National Volunteer Week, a program of Points of Light, was established in 1974 and has grown exponentially each year, with thousands of volunteer projects and special events scheduled throughout the week.