Driving Communities Forward with Katie Stearns

Welcome to another edition of Driving Communities Forward. This month, I’m excited to feature Points of Light Chief Program and Impact Officer Katie Stearns.

Points of Light’s mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world. President George H.W. Bush founded the nonpartisan nonprofit Point of Light with a simple reminder: “The solution to each problem that confronts us begins with an individual who steps forward and says ‘I can help’.” We all have a role to play, whether as individuals, businesses, or nonprofits.?

Katie is passionate about creating pathways for purposeful volunteerism, emphasizing that volunteering is essential for thriving communities. She highlights the need to change the perception of volunteering from a nice-to-do activity to a necessary one, noting that unfilled volunteer spots have real-world implications, such as students missing out on tutoring and seniors not receiving meals – not to mention all the volunteers needed to boost voter registration. Read on to learn more about Katie’s leadership, how you can get involved and support Points of Light's important work.

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What gets you up in the morning and what's a typical day in your role?

Quite literally, my Golden Retriever Chevy gets me up in the morning! But what really gets me up is the idea of activating more people to volunteer. We know that volunteering creates stronger communities and addresses critical challenges, and it’s also a powerful tool for reducing isolation and polarization. I’m passionate about creating pathways for people to volunteer with purpose.

I get to work with an incredible team that crosses program, impact, global network members, corporate thought leadership and corporate social impact programming.

A typical day for me is checking in with each of these teams to guide and advance Points of Light’s social impact work. Whether that be connecting with a nonprofit partner to discuss how we can tackle the decline in volunteerism together, hearing from a member of our Global Affiliate Network about a high-impact new program they created, preparing for a thought leadership webinar, helping onboard and welcome a new Corporate Service Council member, or reviewing project scopes and contracts for our large portfolio of companies that we work with to engage employees or reach communities all over the world.?

I’m pretty head’s down on keeping our programs moving so we can accelerate impact, but I relish the blocks of time when I can think, read or dream about strategy, volunteer trends and our big strategic goals. Points of Light is a fully remote organization, so I spend most of my time on Zoom or Teams, but I love when I get to travel to meet up with the team or our partners.

Who inspires you?

I’m inspired by people who make community a priority in their lives and in their daily choices. People who vote, shop at BIPOC-owned small businesses, take the time to build relationships with neighbors, volunteer at their local food pantry or library or school or animal shelter, coach the soccer team and make a donation to the local mutual aid group. People who understand that healthy communities don’t just happen; they are created by dozens or hundreds of individuals who each contribute what they can, how they can, to make the collective better.

What do you wish people knew about your field?

People see volunteering as something nice to do – maybe a hobby or something every once in a while if time permits - but it’s actually necessary for communities to thrive. One of our Global Network affiliates had 80,000 volunteer spots go unfilled last year. That’s not just names on sign-up sheets. That’s 80,000 students who don’t have tutors, meals that aren’t delivered to seniors, and many more real-world implications.

Volunteering is interconnected to so many of the challenges we as humans are facing right now – from social isolation and mental health to equity and access to opportunities for individuals around the world. Something as simple as saying “yes” when a friend or co-worker asks you to volunteer can kickstart a positive journey with far reaching ripple effects – for you AND for your community.?

And, it’s okay to ask for help on a civic engagement journey. That’s especially true for companies, who often do their best work in partnership with a social impact organization that understands the pulse of communities and can help them direct their incredible might and resources for the greatest impact.

What is your vision for the future of social impact?

At Points of Light, our vision for the future of social impact work is to increase the global rate of individuals volunteering over the next few years. Last year, AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census found formal volunteering dipped to 23%, its lowest rate in nearly 30 years.

Globally, the formal volunteering rate is 6.5%. There are simply not enough volunteers to keep pace with the increasing needs in communities around the globe and we have to do something about that.

To be successful, we have to change the perception of volunteering from nice to necessary, create equity in volunteer experiences and remove barriers to entry, and shape the future of volunteering so everyone can see that they have a role to play.?

We also need to deepen the understanding of what it means to volunteer with purpose, to be truly engaged in the root causes of issues that communities face and co-create solutions through listening and learning. That’s what will move the needle towards meeting the unique needs of every community.

How can we support your work?

Increasing the number of people volunteering will take a cross-sector and global effort, so I invite you to partner with Points of Light to make that happen. Whether you’re a company, nonprofit organization, government entity, media, technology group or more, there is a place and role for you to join us on this journey.

Follow us on LinkedIn and other social media at @pointsoflight to get involved. I also encourage you to find a volunteer opportunity in your own community – Points of Light’s Engage tool is a great place to start.