PHILADELPHIA, PA - Hands On Network and the Points of Light Foundation today announced mutual board approval to merge their two organizations. The announcement transforms the landscape of the volunteer sector, creating a network of 370 affiliate organizations covering 83% of the US market. The merger will also create three million new volunteers over the next two years, generating an additional 90 million volunteer hours and transforming the landscape of the volunteer sector, according to a joint statement issued by the two organizations today.

The new organization will be led by Michelle Nunn, co-founder and CEO of Hands On Network. Ray Chambers, a philanthropist, will serve as the new organization’s chairman of the board during the integration period. Neil Bush, CEO of Ignite! Learning in Houston and son of former President George H.W. Bush, will serve as vice chair. The merger takes effect on July 31 and will officially launch on October 1, 2007.

“The time is ripe for us to re-imagine how we can create exponential versus incremental change in volunteerism and civic participation,” says Nunn. “Combining the unique strengths and assets of both organizations gives us the opportunity to realize our vision of a world in which all individuals discover their power to make a difference and are equipped as active, engaged citizens.”

“The two organizations hope to redefine volunteer service, inspire civic action and dramatically expand the scope of volunteer contributions within the nonprofit sector,” adds Terry Williams, interim CEO of the Foundation. “A united Points of Light Foundation and Hands On Network hopes to shift organizational, societal and political realities to create a new culture of service.”

This merger transcends party lines - illustrated by both its leadership and its mission, which is refocused on the power of service and the power of the individual to affect change. It also has the capacity to leverage the power of corporate America. Volunteers and corporations seeking a streamlined, end-to-end volunteer management solution will now have it.

“My father created the Points of Light because he believes that a meaningful life must include service,” said Neil Bush, vice-chair of the new organization. “His vision was that every individual be given the opportunity to experience the transformational power of reaching out in service to others. I am tremendously excited to be part of this new organization because I believe it represents a huge opportunity to carry on his legacy by taking service in this country to a whole new level.”

The boards of both organizations say the new organization expects to:

• triple National Service Member impact resulting in 30 million national service volunteer hours;
• create a model to increase corporate volunteering by ten percent;
• recruit, train and place 500,000 new volunteer leaders over three years; and
• triple volunteer placement efficiency through seamless and scaled technology tools.

The merged organization will spend the next 100 days assembling its board of directors, creating a robust national staff team and initiating dialogue with the volunteer sector to shape goals that demonstrate the potential impact of the new entity.

Hands On Network and The Points of Light Foundation engaged Accenture’s mergers and acquisitions practice to help facilitate the merger exploration process. Since March, the team has lent their corporate expertise on a pro bono basis. “While there are some striking similarities between this process and some of the corporate mergers we have overseen, this has been particularly exciting because of the impact that we anticipate seeing in communities and individuals lives as a result of this unique collaboration,” said Walt Shill, managing partner, Accenture.

About Hands On Network

Hands On Network leads an international movement of people who roll up their sleeves, get hands on, and solve community problems everyday. We put people at the center…repairing homes, ensuring green spaces and partnering with students and faculty to transform schools. Across the country and the world, our 68 Hands On Action Centers partner with more than 12,000 nonprofits and schools, activating hundreds of thousands of volunteers who complete approximately 50,000 service projects each year.

About the Points of Light Foundation

The Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network engages and mobilizes millions of volunteers who are helping to solve serious social problems in thousands of communities. Through a variety of programs and services involving 333 Volunteer Centers and a thousand corporate and nonprofit partners, the Foundation encourages people from all walks of life- businesses, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, low-income communities, families, youth, and older adults- to volunteer.

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