National Center for Voluntary Action

The National Center for Voluntary Action was an independent, private, nonprofit organization created in the United States in 1970 to strengthen volunteerism and organized citizen participation. It emerged from work begun in 1969 by the Cabinet Committee on Voluntary Action, established during the first year of the Nixon administration and led by George W. Romney, then the U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The committee concluded that the country needed a national, nongovernmental institution capable of coordinating and encouraging voluntary efforts outside the formal machinery of government. The center was created by presidential executive order and held its first meeting on February 20, 1970. Romney presented voluntary action as a possible “fourth way” of addressing social problems, alongside federal government, state and local government, and private industry. Henry Ford II became the organization’s first chair in April 1970, while Bud Wilkinson served as its first president. Wilkinson left the organization in August of that year. Lenore Romney subsequently became increasingly involved, serving as a director, executive-committee member, and later vice president. Ford left the chair in 1972, after which treasurer W. Clement Stone served as acting chair. George Romney became chair and chief executive in 1973 after leaving the Nixon administration. A central part of the organization’s work was the development of local Voluntary Action Centers. These centers, previously often called volunteer bureaus, were intended to connect people and organizations needing assistance with individuals willing to contribute time and skills. The national center promoted the model across the country, supplied program-development support, and created a recognizable heart-shaped logo for participating centers. By October 1971, centers had been established in 32 communities, with another 30 in development and approximately 250 additional communities expressing interest. The organization also maintained an information bank known as Clearinghouse, which supported the exchange of information about volunteer programs and civic initiatives. The center’s work combined advocacy, infrastructure building, information management, and public convening. Rather than operating primarily as a direct-service charity, it sought to make voluntary action a durable component of American social problem-solving. In 1976, during the United States Bicentennial, it sponsored a national Congress on Volunteerism and Citizenship, linking volunteer participation with civic identity and national commemoration. The original organization did not continue under its initial name indefinitely. In 1979, it merged with the Colorado-based National Information Center on Volunteerism, an organization whose antecedents included the National Information Center on Volunteers in Courts. The combined body became VOLUNTEER: The National Center for Citizen Involvement. Its name was shortened to VOLUNTEER: The National Center in 1984 and to the National Volunteer Center in 1990, with George Romney continuing as chair through these successor phases. In 1991, the organization merged into the Points of Light Foundation, which had been established in 1990 under the aegis of President George H. W. Bush. The resulting institutional lineage later became associated with the Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network and, after a 2007 merger with Hands On Network, with the Points of Light Institute. The National Center for Voluntary Action is therefore best understood as a defunct nonprofit organization whose organizational methods and networks continued through successor volunteer-service institutions.

The National Center for Voluntary Action developed from a policy initiative launched in 1969 by the Cabinet Committee on Voluntary Action. Led by George W. Romney, secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Nixon administration, the committee examined how voluntary participation could complement government and private-sector responses to social needs. Its work concluded that a national independent organization was needed to support volunteer activity without making it a direct government agency. The center was established in 1970 by presidential executive order. At its first meeting on February 20, George Romney described voluntary action as a “fourth way” of addressing public problems, distinct from federal government, state and local government, and private industry. Henry Ford II became the first chair in April, and Bud Wilkinson became the first president. Wilkinson departed in August 1970. Lenore Romney joined the board and later held executive responsibilities, while W. Clement Stone moved from treasurer to acting chair after Ford’s departure in 1972. George Romney assumed the chair and chief executive role in 1973 after leaving the Nixon administration. The organization’s principal operational initiative was a nationwide system of Voluntary Action Centers. These local bodies, previously known in many places as volunteer bureaus, were designed to match community needs with people and organizations prepared to contribute time or skills. The national center helped communities establish and develop the centers, promoted a common heart-shaped visual identity, and operated Clearinghouse, an information bank for volunteer-related knowledge and programs. By October 1971, 32 communities had established centers, 30 more were developing them, and roughly 250 other communities had shown interest. The center also sought to influence the broader status of volunteerism in American society. Its activities included program development, information exchange, public advocacy, and national convenings. The 1976 Congress on Volunteerism and Citizenship, held in connection with the United States Bicentennial, represented the organization’s effort to connect organized volunteering with civic identity and national public life. In 1979, the National Center for Voluntary Action merged with the Colorado-based National Information Center on Volunteerism. That organization had roots in an earlier National Information Center on Volunteers in Courts initiative. The merged institution became VOLUNTEER: The National Center for Citizen Involvement. It adopted shorter names in 1984 and 1990, becoming VOLUNTEER: The National Center and then the National Volunteer Center. George Romney remained chair during these successor stages. The institutional line continued in 1991 when the National Volunteer Center merged into the Points of Light Foundation, founded the previous year under the aegis of President George H. W. Bush. During the 2000s, the resulting organization was also known as the Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network. In 2007, it merged with Hands On Network and became the Points of Light Institute. The original National Center for Voluntary Action therefore ceased to exist as a separate organization in 1979, but its volunteer-center model, information infrastructure, and organizational lineage persisted through successive national volunteer-service bodies.

• 2007

  Later successor merges with Hands On Network

  [1]National Center for Voluntary Actionen.wikipedia.org

  The Points of Light successor organization merged with Hands On Network and became the Points of Light Institute.

• 1991

  Successor merges into Points of Light Foundation

  [1]National Center for Voluntary Actionen.wikipedia.org

  The National Volunteer Center, the later name in the organization’s succession, merged into the Points of Light Foundation.

• 1979

  Merger creates VOLUNTEER

  [1]National Center for Voluntary Actionen.wikipedia.org

  The center merged with the National Information Center on Volunteerism and became VOLUNTEER: The National Center for Citizen Involvement.

• 1976

  Congress on Volunteerism and Citizenship

  [1]National Center for Voluntary Actionen.wikipedia.org

  The center sponsored a national congress as part of the United States Bicentennial’s civic and volunteer activities.

• 1971

  Voluntary Action Center network reaches dozens of communities

  [1]National Center for Voluntary Actionen.wikipedia.org

  Thirty-two communities had operating centers, 30 more were developing centers, and about 250 additional communities had expressed interest.

• 1970

  National Center for Voluntary Action is created

  [1]National Center for Voluntary Actionen.wikipedia.org

  The center was established by presidential executive order as an independent private nonprofit organization.

• 1970

  First organizational meeting

  [1]National Center for Voluntary Actionen.wikipedia.org

  At the February 20 inaugural meeting, George Romney articulated voluntary action as a distinct civic force alongside government and private industry.

• 1969

  Cabinet Committee on Voluntary Action begins work

  [1]National Center for Voluntary Actionen.wikipedia.org

  A committee led by HUD Secretary George W. Romney studied how a national nongovernmental organization could strengthen volunteerism in the United States.

A national nonprofit infrastructure and advocacy organization for volunteerism, positioned between public institutions, private industry, and local civic groups as a coordinating force for citizen action.

• Volunteer infrastructure · 1970

  Voluntary Action Centers

  A nationwide network of local volunteer centers promoted and supported by the National Center for Voluntary Action. These centers connected community needs with people willing to volunteer and helped local organizations develop structured volunteer programs. The model extended the older volunteer-bureau concept into a coordinated national framework, supported by common branding, technical assistance, and shared information resources.

• Information service

  Clearinghouse

  An information bank operated by the center to support the exchange and development of knowledge about volunteer programs and voluntary action. It formed part of the organization’s role as a national resource for local centers, civic organizations, and communities seeking to organize volunteer efforts.

• National convening · 1976

  National Congress on Volunteerism and Citizenship

  A national congress sponsored in 1976 in conjunction with the United States Bicentennial. It provided a public forum for connecting volunteerism with citizenship and helped present organized voluntary action as part of the country’s civic infrastructure.

• 1976Congress on Volunteerism and Citizenship

  United States

  The organization sponsored a national congress linked to the United States Bicentennial to promote volunteerism as an expression of civic participation.

  Source
• 1970National Voluntary Action Center Development Initiative

  United States

  The center promoted the creation and development of local Voluntary Action Centers across the United States, seeking to build a distributed system for matching community needs with volunteer support.

  Outcome. By October 1971, 32 centers had been established, 30 were underway, and approximately 250 communities had expressed interest.

  Source

• 1991

  Merger into the Points of Light FoundationM&A

  Background

  The National Volunteer Center represented the continuing institutional successor to the original National Center for Voluntary Action.

  Action taken

  The successor organization merged into the Points of Light Foundation.

  Aftermath

  The volunteer-center network continued under Points of Light-related structures and later combined with Hands On Network in 2007.

  Source

• 1979

  Merge with the National Information Center on VolunteerismM&A

  Background

  The center pursued organizational consolidation with another national volunteer-information organization to continue its work through a broader institutional structure.

  Action taken

  It merged with the National Information Center on Volunteerism and adopted the name VOLUNTEER: The National Center for Citizen Involvement.

  Aftermath

  The organization continued under shortened names, becoming VOLUNTEER: The National Center in 1984 and the National Volunteer Center in 1990.

  Source

1. 1National Center for Voluntary Actionen.wikipedia.org