National Volunteer Week 2027: Turn One Week of Thanks Into a Year of Volunteering
The thank-you email goes out on Monday. By Friday, volunteers feel seen, non-volunteers feel nothing, and the May calendar is as empty as it was before. That is what National Volunteer Week looks like at most companies, and it wastes the one week a year when everyone is already paying attention.
National Volunteer Week is an annual observance in the United States and Canada that recognizes volunteers and encourages more people to serve. It runs during the third full week of April, April 18 to 24 in 2027, and Points of Light has coordinated it since 1990. National Volunteer Month covers all of April. The week is when we recognize what employees did over the past year; the month is when the activity happens. The best use of the week is to do the recognizing well and then announce what comes next.
Here is why that sequencing matters. Goodera’s Volunteering Quotient (VQ) Report 2026 found that companies with volunteering fully embedded in their culture reach 70% employee participation, while companies running mostly ad hoc initiatives see 7.1%. Those are averages across the companies in the report, and your number will sit somewhere else; the point they make is that the gap between the two is frequency and follow-through, and National Volunteer Week is the natural place to commit to both.
This guide covers when the week falls, how it differs from the month, why it is the best week to relaunch a program, seven recognition ideas that last, and how to use the week to plan the year.
When Is National Volunteer Week?
The third full week of April. In 2027 it runs from Sunday, April 18 to Saturday, April 24. In 2026, it was April 19 to 25. Points of Light publishes the dates each year, and Volunteer Canada uses the same week.
The week falls within National Volunteer Month, which covers all of April, and Earth Day comes three days after it ends on April 22, the single largest volunteering date of the spring. A company that plans the week well uses Monday through Thursday for recognition and points everyone toward an Earth Day activity on Thursday or Friday.
Two other dates share the month. Global Youth Service Day falls on a weekend in late April, and April is also Autism Acceptance Month. Goodera’s campaign calendar shows how they line up.
What Is National Volunteer Week, and How Does It Differ From National Volunteer Month?
National Volunteer Week is the recognition week; National Volunteer Month is the activity month. The week exists to thank volunteers and make their contributions visible. The month exists to get more people volunteering. Companies that treat the two as the same thing end up with a thank-you email and one more event; companies that separate them get a recognition moment and a plan.
- Who Started It?
President Richard Nixon established National Volunteer Week in 1974, and every president since has issued a proclamation. In 1990, the Points of Light Foundation was created, inspired by President George H. W. Bush’s “thousand points of light” speech, and took over coordinating the week. In 1991, Bush expanded the recognition to the full month of April. Points of Light extended the observance worldwide as Global Volunteer Month in 2020.
Volunteer Canada runs the Canadian observance on the same dates. Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have their own National Volunteer Weeks on different dates, so a global company should check which applies to each office.
- Week for Recognition, Month for Action
The split is the organizing idea of this guide. During the week, the company names its volunteers, tells the year’s story in numbers, thanks the nonprofit partners and the managers who approved the time, and asks volunteers what to change. During the month, the company runs activities: Earth Day, Global Youth Service Day, Autism Acceptance Month projects, and whatever the employee survey named.
Goodera’s earlier guide to how to celebrate National Volunteer Week at work covers the celebration side: rewards, storytelling, and feedback loops. This guide takes the next step: using the week to launch the year.
- What Is the Theme for 2027?
Points of Light does not publish a single annual theme for the week. It anchors the observance with its Daily Point of Light Award, which has recognized more than 7,000 volunteers, and a Social Surge day during the week when organizations post volunteer stories together. Check the Points of Light site in March for the 2027 Social Surge date and any campaign materials.
Not having a theme is useful. It leaves room for the company’s own story: what employees did this year, in their words.
Why Is National Volunteer Week the Best Week to Relaunch a Program?
Because it is the one week a year when a volunteering announcement does not have to earn attention. Leadership expects a message, employees expect to be thanked, and nonprofit partners expect to hear from you. A plan announced during the week lands in that attention; the same plan announced in June competes with everything else.
The week also comes at the right time of year. Twelve months of volunteering data are in. Earth Day is three days away. The spring and summer calendar, from Pride Month to Back to School, is still open. A company that uses the week to say, “Here is what you did, here is what we learned, and here is what comes next,” gets recognition and sign-ups in the same breath.
The VQ data makes the case plainly. The 70% versus 7.1% gap between embedded and ad hoc programs is, at its root, the difference between a company that announces a year and one that announces an event.
Did You Know These Facts About National Volunteer Week?
A few facts for the kickoff message.
- It is older than most CSR teams. President Nixon established it in 1974, and every president since has issued a proclamation.
- The week came before the month. The recognition started as a week; President George H. W. Bush expanded it to all of April in 1991.
- It became global in 2020. Points of Light launched Global Volunteer Month to extend the observance beyond the United States.
- Points of Light has honored more than 7,000 volunteers through its Daily Point of Light Award, which companies can nominate employees for.
- 2026 was the UN’s International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, so Canada’s 2026 observance ran under the banner “Ignite Volunteerism” as a year-long celebration.
- Three countries hold their own weeks on different dates. Australia’s is in May, New Zealand’s in June, and the United Kingdom’s in June, so a global company recognizing volunteers in April should say which week it means.
What Are the Best Volunteer Week Ideas for Recognition That Last?
Lasting recognition names everyone, tells the truth in numbers, thanks the people who made volunteering possible, and ends with a next step. The seven ideas below follow that principle: the first four focus on the past year, and the last three on the next.
- Thank Every Volunteer by Name, in Public
A company-wide message that lists every employee who volunteered this year, alphabetically, with no ranking and no hours next to the names. A top-ten list recognizes ten people and quietly tells everyone else they did not do enough. A full list tells the company that volunteering is normal here. If the list runs to hundreds of names, that is the point.
- Tell the Year in Numbers and One Story
One slide or one email: unique volunteers, total hours, nonprofit partners, causes supported, and the share of employees who took part, each with last year’s figure beside it. Then one story, three sentences, about a single activity and what the nonprofit said. Our [enterprise CSR reporting guide](URL of Blog 8 once published) covers how to pull the numbers; the week is when they get read.
- Thank the Nonprofit Partners Where Employees Can See It
Invite two or three partner nonprofits to a lunch session, in person or on video, to say what the volunteering meant to them. Employees rarely hear the partner’s side, and it changes how they think about the next sign-up. Post the partners’ names and what they do on the same channel as the volunteer list.
- Recognize the Managers Who Approved the Time
Volunteering happens because a manager said yes to a half day. Name the managers whose teams had the highest participation and say so in the message. The VQ Report 2026 found that 65% of companies now have a defined volunteer time off (VTO) policy, with 1.4x higher participation at those companies; the aggregate figure will not match yours, but the lever it points at is the same: the policy exists, and the manager who honors it is the reason it gets used. Our VTO policy guide covers setting it up.
- Announce the Next Twelve Months
Before the week ends, publish the volunteering calendar for the year ahead: the campaigns, the dates, and the causes employees named in the survey. Start with what is closest and work forward, one campaign at a time, so each one gets its own moment in the announcement.
- Earth Day, April 22. Three days after the week ends, which makes it the first activity to point everyone toward. Goodera’s Earth Day activities cover tree planting, cleanups, bee hotel builds, and climate kits for kids, in-person and virtual.
- Autism Acceptance Month, all of April. The month shares the calendar with Volunteer Week, and an inclusion-focused activity fits naturally into the announcement. Our guide to Autism Acceptance Day covers learning sessions, kit builds, and ERG conversations.
- Mental Health Awareness Month, May. The first campaign after April, and one that suits ERG-led activities. Goodera’s Mental Health Awareness Month activities include wellbeing kit builds and awareness sessions.
- Pride Month, June. The second campaign after April. Goodera’s Pride Month activities include projects with LGBTQIA+ nonprofits, held in the office or virtually.
6. Open Sign-Ups for May Before the Week Ends
An announced calendar with no sign-up is a poster. Open registration for the first two activities, Earth Day and the May campaign, on the same day the calendar goes out, while people are reading. Put the sign-up link in the thank-you message itself.
7. Ask Volunteers What to Change
Three questions to everyone who volunteered this year: what worked, what got in the way, what would you join next year? Three questions to everyone who did not: did you know about the program, what stopped you, what would you join? Keep both anonymous and short. The answers set the calendar for the year after, and asking is itself a form of recognition.
How Do You Use National Volunteer Week to Plan the Year?
Treat the week as the annual planning moment, with a simple structure: look back on Monday and Tuesday, thank partners and managers on Wednesday, announce the year on Thursday, and open sign-ups before Friday. The calendar that goes out on Thursday should already be built, so the planning happens in March.
A workable year, anchored to the week:
- April: National Volunteer Week recognition, then Earth Day on April 22 and Global Youth Service Day on the following weekend.
- May: Mental Health Awareness Month, which suits ERG-led activities; our ERG engagement resources cover formats for that.
- June: Pride Month.
- August and September: Back to School and Hunger Action Month, the two largest fall campaigns.
- November and December: Giving Tuesday and the Season of Giving.
Put the survey results from idea 7 against this list in March and move causes up or down to match what employees asked for. Goodera’s campaign calendar has the full set of dates.
The Key Takeaways From This Guide
The thank-you email is the start of the week, not the whole of it. Five points to take into planning.
- National Volunteer Week is the third full week of April, April 18 to 24 in 2027, run by Points of Light since 1990 and started in 1974. National Volunteer Month covers all of April.
- Week for recognition, month for action. Use the week to thank people and announce the year; use the month, and Earth Day three days after the week, for the activity.
- Recognize everyone, not the top ten. A full alphabetical list of volunteers tells the company that volunteering is normal. Thank the nonprofit partners and the managers who approved the time, too.
- Announce the next twelve months before the week ends, and open sign-ups for the first two activities in the same message.
- Ask volunteers and non-volunteers what to change. Their answers set next year’s calendar, and asking is recognition.
Goodera plans and runs volunteering programs across the year, from Earth Day and Mental Health Awareness Month to Back to School and the Season of Giving, for companies across 100+ countries with 50K+ nonprofit partners, and captures the participation data the recognition week runs on. Explore the campaign calendar or read the VQ Report 2026 for the benchmarks used here.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When Is National Volunteer Week, and When Is the Next One?
National Volunteer Week is held during the third full week of April in the United States and Canada. In 2027, it runs from Sunday, April 18 to Saturday, April 24; in 2026, it ran from April 19 to 25. Points of Light publishes the dates each year, and Volunteer Canada uses the same week. Earth Day on April 22 falls just after the week in most years, which makes it a natural first activity to point employees toward.
2. What Is the Difference Between National Volunteer Week and National Volunteer Month?
National Volunteer Week is the recognition week: a time to thank volunteers and make their contributions visible. National Volunteer Month covers all of April and encourages more people to volunteer through campaigns and activities. The week started first, in 1974; President George H. W. Bush expanded the recognition to the full month in 1991. Companies benefit most by using the week to recognize the past year and announce the next one, and the month to run activities.
3. Who Organizes National Volunteer Week?
Points of Light, a nonprofit founded in 1990 and inspired by President George H. W. Bush’s “thousand points of light” speech, coordinates National Volunteer Week in the United States. Volunteer Canada runs the Canadian observance on the same dates. President Richard Nixon established the week in 1974, and every president since has issued a proclamation. Points of Light also runs the Daily Point of Light Award and a Social Surge day during the week.
4. What Is the National Volunteer Week Theme for 2027?
Points of Light does not publish a single annual theme for National Volunteer Week. It anchors the observance with the Daily Point of Light Award, which has recognized more than 7,000 volunteers, and a Social Surge day, when organizations post volunteer stories together. Check the Points of Light site in March 2027 for that year’s Social Surge date and campaign materials. Other countries’ volunteer weeks do carry themes; Australia’s and New Zealand’s 2026 theme was “Your Year to Volunteer.”
5. What Are Good Volunteer Week Ideas for a Small Team?
For a small team, three things cover the week: a message naming every person who volunteered this year, a short session where one nonprofit partner tells the team what the volunteering meant, and a calendar for the next three months with sign-ups open. Add a three-question survey asking what worked and what to change. None of these needs a budget, and together they do more than an appreciation event.
6. How Do You Recognize Volunteers Without Turning It Into a Competition?
Name everyone who volunteered, in alphabetical order, with no hours or rankings beside the names. Tell the year’s story with company-wide numbers rather than individual leaderboards. If you want to single anyone out, single out the nonprofit partners and the managers who approved volunteer time, since both made the volunteering possible without competing for credit. Recognition that ranks people rewards ten and discourages the rest; recognition that names everyone tells the company that volunteering is normal.
7. How Can Remote Employees Take Part in National Volunteer Week?
Remote employees should appear on the same volunteer list and the same numbers as everyone else, which means tracking virtual and kit-at-home volunteering alongside in-person events. During the week, hold the partner thank-you session on video and record it, send the year-ahead calendar with virtual options marked, and open sign-ups for a hosted virtual activity in May. Goodera hosts virtual volunteering activities live so remote staff have the same experience as office colleagues.
8. Is National Volunteer Week the Same in the United States and Canada?
Yes. Points of Light in the United States and Volunteer Canada use the same dates: the third full week of April, and 2027’s dates are April 18 to 24 in both countries. Other countries hold their own volunteer weeks at different times: Australia’s in May, New Zealand’s in June, and the United Kingdom’s in June. A global company recognizing volunteers in April should say which observance it means, or recognize each region in its own week.
9. How Do You Know Whether Volunteer Week Worked?
Four signs, measured in the six weeks after the week: sign-ups for the May activity, first-time volunteers at Earth Day, responses to the volunteer and non-volunteer surveys, and whether the year-ahead calendar got read (opens and clicks on the message). Over the year, the test is repeat engagement: the share of this year’s volunteers who come back within twelve months. A well-run recognition week shows up as a higher return rate the following April.
10. How Does Goodera Support National Volunteer Week at Work?
Goodera captures participation data from every activity it runs, including unique volunteers, hours, repeat engagement, and partner outcomes, and feeds it into Benevity automatically, so the year’s numbers are ready when National Volunteer Week arrives. Goodera also plans and runs the activities the week points toward, from Earth Day and Mental Health Awareness Month to Back to School and the Season of Giving, for companies across 100+ countries with 50K+ nonprofit partners. The campaign calendar maps the full year of dates.
