In April we launched our Facebook Live Mini-Series featuring conversations with stellar NGO leaders from around the world. We covered topics ranging from how to cope with mental health issues during COVID-19, creating engaging virtual volunteer programs, and innovative ways to engage your community during this era of social distancing, and more!
Points of Light and IAVE were featured in our FB Live Mini-Series. They are both global nonprofit organizations dedicated to strengthening volunteering in the world and bringing NGOs, volunteers, and corporations together.
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged these organizations to manage their work in newfound ways. They directed their efforts into helping their partners, employees, and volunteers, by providing them with new ways to communicate. They hosted webinars and provided resources for their networks to grow and cope with this new reality. Two programs that were already implemented before COVID-19, were very helpful and effective while transitioning digitally. IAVE created the “Global Corporate Volunteer Council” and Points of Light built the “Corporate Service Council.” These two initiatives have been highly effective in manifesting social change among corporate employees and inspired company leaders to take social action. The Global Corporate Volunteer Council showcases best practices for corporate volunteering through virtual meetings in order to raise awareness about how companies can positively impact humanitarian issues. On the other hand, the Corporate Service Council brings together corporate leaders and provides online training and webinars to spark innovative volunteer opportunities.
Continue reading to learn about the different methods and initiatives IAVE and Points of Light implemented that provided aid to their networks and helped address critical issues.
- Natalye Paquin, CEO, Points of Light
As a social impact organization, Points of Light and their network of innovative volunteering organizations serves more than 250 cities across 37 countries around the world. They offer creative and inspiring ways for people to take action and engage in their communities.
Our interviewee, CEO Nayale Paquin, has offered inspiring insight and various tips on how to get through COVID-19. By celebrating innovation, Points of Light has been assisting organizations and corporations on how to navigate and work through these tough times. One way they’ve done this is by shifting the annual Points of Light Conference online and using technology to help deliver programs and services. They revived their strategic plan and created new opportunities for volunteers in hopes of making people feel safer and stronger.
Points of Light believes every act matters and no act is too small. They celebrate the power of people. As Nayale Paquin says “innovation is in delivery and people are still consuming what they want to consume, our job is to learn how we can deliver these services in a more innovative way.” We need to learn what our community needs and tend to that community.
During this time it’s most important to learn about your partner and see where their priorities lay. Many donors shifted their funds to humanitarian issues, food, and security and considered both short and long term support. When in-person services are not an option, it’s important that nonprofits and corporate partners be on the same page and discuss strategies involving corporate volunteering. It’s crucial to decide where you want to place your funds and what social issue you want to tackle so you can drive lasting change in your companies and communities. The more you work together the better it is for everyone.
Check out the full conversation here with Natalye Paquin, CEO, Points of Light, and hear all the important insight about program innovation and flexibility, interpreting our stress response, fully understanding the impact of our budget, and how Points of Light is guiding organizations and corporates!
2. Nichole Cirillo, the Executive Director at IAVE
IAVE is an international organization that exists to promote, strengthen, and celebrate the development of volunteering worldwide.
Global Corporate Volunteering is an excellent way of joining companies and their employees to do good and create social change. During this time of COVID-19, corporates are deepening their relationships with their existing partnerships and are not venturing out to new partnerships. They are thinking about their investments and seeing what works best at the moment, which is focusing on the needs of their communities and how they can create the most change. Working fast, IAVE realized this and encouraged NGO’s to team up with existing and like-minded organizations during this pandemic.
Nichole Cirillo, Executive Director of IAVE, discussed how important it is to start listening to what people really need. They found that organizations really needed practical and hands-on information in a time of crisis. To address this, they launched a series of webinars focused on a variety of topics like safety and security to keep volunteers safe, transitioning to digital volunteering, and engaging youth.
Storytelling is a powerful way to share important messages and can help inspire others to create social change. As Nichole Cirillo says, “storytelling can help you to find and improve your social impact, it’s important to share your story and inspire others.”
Especially during this time, it’s important to share positive narratives via social media and inspire the formation of human connections through storytelling. Creating a dialogue between individuals can help generate ideas that will one day manifest into positive social change.
Check out the full conversation here with Nichole Cirillo, Executive Director at IAVE for more insight on the Volunteer Ambassador Program, Corporates and Corporate Volunteer Council, and how to share inspiring practices.
Good Deeds Day brings people together to do good, to elevate organizations, and to strengthen and establish key partnerships. Thank you for being a part of our community.
If you missed out on any of our FB Live interviews you can find the recorded versions HERE!
Follow the Good Deeds Day blog for more features about our Facebook Live Mini-Series and if you have insights to share and want to take part in the Mini-Series, please get in touch with us at info@good-deeds-days.org.
