About Volunteer Centers
What are Volunteer Centers?
The Points of Light Foundation works in partnership with the Volunteer Center National Network (VCNN) to help mobilize people and resources to find creative solutions to community problems through supporting Volunteer Centers.

Volunteer Centers are conveners for the community, catalysts for social action and key local resources for volunteer involvement. They bring people and community needs together through a range of programs and services based upon community needs, demographic area, population size, and other factors.

Volunteer Centers promote and provide easy access to a wide range of volunteer opportunities with nonprofit organizations and government agencies that serve the entire community. Volunteer Centers link people who want to help--individuals, families, students, businesses and their employees, and civic, community, and faith-based organizations--with places or causes where volunteers' time, talent, and interests can be utilized effectively.

Volunteer Centers do not replace other agencies or organizations within the community, but instead bridge the gap in services provided by agencies. In addition, they offer opportunities for local agencies and organizations to network with other leaders in the nonprofit, corporate, and government communities.

The Volunteer Center National Network boasts membership of 360 Volunteer Centers. Despite variations in size, structure, and programs, Volunteer Centers recognize capacity as a system. Acting collectively as a unified network is the single most powerful strategy for boosting their efficacy.

Statistics:

• Reaches 140 million people in thousands of communities.
• Connects more than 2 million people with over a million opportunities to serve.
• Works in partnership with more than 75,000 organizations.

Find out how to become a Volunteer Center today!