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Reflections from the Points of Light Conference, New Orleans 2025
It’s important to acknowledge at the outset that these types of international gatherings don’t take place in a vacuum. We gathered at a time when international relationships are unfolding with increasing geopolitical complexity. A growing focus on economic self-interest is reshaping how countries, including Canada, engage on the global stage.
That heaviness could have overshadowed our gathering. But, instead, we came together to find ways to navigate the troubled waters. We came together to help leave behind the exhaustion and isolation that many in our sector are experiencing. We came together to build momentum and a feeling of shared purpose.
We showed up. And I am glad we did.
Building Community
Over three days in June, nearly 1,200 leaders from nonprofits, companies, governments, and communities came together at the New Orleans Marriott for the Points of Light Conference, hosted by our friends at HandsOn New Orleans.
The agenda featured more than 70 sessions, but the magic was in the in-between moments: the hallway conversations, the shared laughter and shared solutions, and the reminder that we are not doing this alone. Because the Points of Light Global Network is not just a list of affiliates; it’s a community.
The learning tracks included:
- Transformational Volunteer Programs, focusing on embedding service into organizational culture
- Empowering Community-Centered Volunteerism, centered on deeper listening
- Mobilizing the Next Generation, exploring Gen Z and Gen Alpha engagement
- AI Meets Social Good, looking at data and automation for scale
- Reigniting National Service, advocating for investment in volunteer infrastructure
- Fueling Organizational Growth, focused on sustainability
Why This Network Matters
At this year’s conference, Points of Light launched a bold campaign to double global volunteerism by 2035. The goal is to reach 150 million people and raise 100 million dollars over three years. They are focused on scaling through youth engagement, technology, and better ways of measuring what matters.
As the Canadian affiliate, we’re excited to contribute to this global vision by helping strengthen how people engage, give back, and lead change in their communities.
A National Strategy, Rooted in Community
At Volunteer Canada, an overarching project that will help strengthen the volunteer landscape in Canada is the development of a National Volunteer Action Strategy . The development of the strategy is an invitation to reimagine how volunteering fits into Canadian life. We’re building it with people who live the realities of both participation and exclusion. It is shaped by youth, newcomers, older adults, sector leaders, and everyday community members who show up for others, whether or not they call themselves volunteers.
New Orleans reminded me that this work is part of a much larger movement. Many of our peers are also rethinking their national frameworks. Underinvestment in volunteer infrastructure is not just a Canadian challenge, but our commitment to doing something about it feels stronger than ever.
As is Volunteer Canada’s commitment to working with our partners to help build increased resilience across the voluntary sector.
A fireside chat during a pre-conference session about the future of service across borders and the need to strengthen the systems behind it has stayed with me. “We talk about how resilient our sector is, but it shouldn’t have to be this fragile to prove its worth.” This truth will continue to shape how Volunteer Canada moves forward in all of the work that we do.
Moving Forward Together
The voluntary sector is facing similar challenges around the globe: staff burnout, constrained funding, and rising demand for services. And these are the concerns that we’ve been hearing repeatedly from partners across the country.
But along with these shared challenges is a shared sense of energy and urgency to work together to maximize impact in the communities we serve. That’s the main takeaway that I’m bringing back to Volunteer Canada. It’s time to roll up our sleeves.
So, what are some of the concrete things I heard repeatedly at Points of Light?
- When volunteers are treated as true partners, with honesty and transparency, they stay engaged long after the event ends. And it is important to co-create experiences that are simple and meaningful to everyone involved. Those experiences also have to solve the right problems in ways that participants can believe in.
- It is time to think about growth in a different way. It is often better to do fewer things well. By so doing, you can deepen value instead of stretching too thin.
- Metrics and data only matter when you understand the stories behind the numbers. It is those stories—authentic, ethical, and grounded in lived experience—that matter more than hours.
- Infrastructure is not just platforms or physical tools. It’s about systems that make participation easier. That includes digitizing access, reducing barriers, and working with government to increase core funding so nonprofits have the capacity to partner. It also means building coalitions with regional partners and creating shared language across sectors. People are part of that infrastructure too, and we need to equip them.
The world is shifting. Relationships are shifting. But our belief in people-powered change is steady. The conversations we had in New Orleans matter here in Canada, and our perspective matters globally.
Volunteer Canada will carry that forward as we continue building something bold, grounded, and shared.
