Think Globally. Act Locally.

3 Conversations to Have About the Future of Volunteering

What would happen if countries around the world began treating volunteering not simply as something good people do, but as something worth intentionally supporting? We may be about to find out.

Points of Light recently announced an ambitious commitment: enable national volunteer strategies in 25 countries by 2030.

The announcement follows the launch of the new U.S. National Volunteer Strategy, which recognizes something many of us in volunteer engagement have long understood: volunteering doesn’t thrive on goodwill alone. It requires infrastructure, investment, organizational capacity, accessible opportunities, and people who know how to engage volunteers effectively.

Now imagine countries around the world having their own conversations about what it takes for volunteering to thrive.

Their answers won’t—and shouldn’t—be the same. Communities and countries have different traditions of service, needs, barriers, resources, and ways people contribute. But imagine 25 countries intentionally asking: What would it take for volunteering to thrive here?

That makes me wonder what conversations we should be having closer to home.

1. What would it look like if volunteering really thrived in our community? Bring this question to your next DOVIA, volunteer managers association, peer network, or informal gathering of colleagues. Don’t start with what’s wrong. Start with possibility. What would be different five or ten years from now if more people could contribute, organizations were better equipped to engage them, and volunteer engagement was recognized as an essential part of building strong communities? Before deciding what needs to change, create a shared picture of what you’re trying to build.
2.  What could we learn from—and share with—people elsewhere? Twenty-five national strategies could mean 25 different opportunities to learn about strengthening volunteering. We don’t need to wait for formal international exchanges. Invite someone from another community or country to join a virtual peer meeting. Follow volunteer engagement organizations outside your usual networks. Occasionally ask colleagues to bring an idea they’ve encountered elsewhere.    Global thinking can begin with curiosity.
3. What can we influence together that we can’t change alone? Individual organizations can improve recruitment, redesign roles, strengthen onboarding, gather feedback, and demonstrate impact. But some of the conditions affecting volunteering—funding, transportation, technology, public awareness, policies, and community infrastructure—are bigger than any one organization. Those are ecosystem questions. A peer network doesn’t have to solve every challenge facing volunteering in its community. Instead, ask: What is one thing we could influence together that none of us is likely to change alone? Then start there.

 Think Globally. Talk Locally.

Twenty-five national volunteer strategies won’t all look alike. That’s part of what makes this commitment so intriguing.

We have an opportunity to learn from the different ways communities and countries approach the challenge of strengthening volunteering. And we don’t have to wait until 2030 to begin. Bring one of these questions to your next peer gathering. Look beyond your organization—or your borders—for an idea worth exploring.

Big strategies can provide direction. But change happens when people start talking, learning, experimenting, and acting together.