HandsOn Network

HandsOn Network was a nonprofit organization and network of volunteer centers focused on turning community needs into organized, practical service opportunities. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it operated as a coordinating and capacity-building organization rather than as a conventional consumer brand. Its role was to connect volunteers, local nonprofit groups, schools, companies, and civic organizations with projects that produced visible benefits in neighborhoods. The organization began in 1992 as City Cares. Its founding model sought to broaden participation in volunteering by making service more accessible to younger and business-oriented people. Instead of relying only on long-term or highly formal volunteer commitments, the model emphasized recurring, manageable opportunities, including single days of service. A national organization provided an umbrella structure, shared resources, and a common operating approach for local volunteer centers. New York Cares, which had been established in 1987, served as an important example for the later national model. City Cares adopted the HandsOn Network name in 2004. Under that identity, the organization developed a network of approximately 58 national and international volunteer organizations operating as civic-action centers. These affiliates worked with local partners to design and deliver projects such as building wheelchair ramps, supporting literacy programs, improving schools, and assisting communities recovering from disasters. The network was associated with activity on a large scale, with source material describing hundreds of thousands of participating volunteers and nearly 50,000 projects coordinated in a year. HandsOn Network also cultivated relationships with corporations, foundations, public agencies, schools, and other nonprofit organizations. Corporate and institutional partners mentioned in reference material included Home Depot, Outback Steakhouse, Cisco Systems, Ameriquest, The Coca-Cola Company, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, UnitedHealth Group, the Case Foundation, Singing for Change, CMT, and SAP-related initiatives. These relationships supported employee volunteering, sponsorship, project delivery, and broader public promotion of service. A major organizational turning point came in August 2007, when HandsOn Network merged with the Points of Light Foundation. The combined organization became the Points of Light Institute, described at the time as a large national network devoted to volunteer mobilization. HandsOn Network subsequently functioned within the Points of Light structure rather than as a fully independent organization. Its web presence was later redirected to a Points of Light page, and the original website ceased to operate. The parent nonprofit was disbanded sometime in 2019, after which the HandsOn Network brand no longer operated as a standalone national organization. The local volunteer centers associated with the network were not necessarily eliminated when the national structure ended. Examples identified in reference material include HandsOn Atlanta, HandsOn Suburban Chicago, HandsOn Twin Cities, HandsOn San Francisco, and HandsOn PDX. These organizations continued to represent the local, project-based volunteer-center model in their respective communities, although their individual corporate and branding arrangements are separate matters from the defunct national network.

HandsOn Network originated in 1992 as City Cares, an organization created to promote a more flexible and approachable form of volunteering. Its model differed from traditional volunteer structures associated with established service organizations and voluntary-action centers. City Cares aimed particularly to attract younger adults and people working in business by offering manageable service commitments, including a single day of volunteering each month. The national entity was intended to provide common resources and coordination while local centers delivered projects in their own communities. New York Cares, founded in 1987, provided an important precedent for the model. Rather than treating volunteering as a single centralized activity, the approach connected local needs with organized opportunities and relied on partnerships with community institutions. This enabled projects to be tailored to particular neighborhoods and populations while benefiting from a broader network identity. In 2004, City Cares changed its name to HandsOn Network. The rebrand accompanied the development of a wider network of affiliated volunteer organizations. Over time, the network was described as comprising 58 national and international volunteer organizations operating as entrepreneurial civic-action centers. These centers worked with nonprofit organizations, schools, and other local partners to create projects with tangible outcomes. Examples included constructing wheelchair ramps in San Francisco, teaching reading in Atlanta, and helping rebuild homes and communities along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. The network's operating model combined volunteer recruitment, project management, local partnership development, and institutional support. Reference material describes a corps of hundreds of thousands of volunteers and nearly 50,000 projects in a year. HandsOn Network also collaborated with companies, foundations, public agencies, and other nonprofit groups. Mentioned partners and supporters included Home Depot, Outback Steakhouse, Cisco Systems, Ameriquest, The Coca-Cola Company, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, UnitedHealth Group, the Case Foundation, Singing for Change, CMT, and SAP-related initiatives. These relationships helped connect corporate participation and resources with community-based service delivery. The organization entered a significant structural transition in August 2007, when it merged with the Points of Light Foundation. The resulting organization was called the Points of Light Institute and was presented as a major national network for mobilizing volunteers. Following the merger, HandsOn Network became part of a broader nonprofit structure rather than continuing as an entirely independent organization. The HandsOn identity remained associated with local volunteer centers and with the service-project model, even as national governance and web infrastructure changed. During much of 2019, the former HandsOn Network website redirected visitors to a Points of Light page. By the fall of that year, the original website was no longer functioning and the related Points of Light page had been removed. The parent nonprofit was disbanded sometime in 2019. This ended the national HandsOn Network as an operating organization, but it did not necessarily end every local center that had used the HandsOn name. HandsOn Atlanta, HandsOn Suburban Chicago, HandsOn Twin Cities, HandsOn San Francisco, and HandsOn PDX are examples of local organizations identified as continuing the volunteer-center tradition. Their continued operation and ownership should be assessed separately from the historical national network.

• 2019

  National nonprofit is disbanded

  [1]HandsOn Networken.wikipedia.org

  The parent nonprofit was disbanded sometime in 2019, and the former HandsOn Network web presence ceased to operate as an independent national site.

• 2007

  Merger with Points of Light Foundation

  [1]HandsOn Networken.wikipedia.org

  HandsOn Network merged with the Points of Light Foundation in August, creating the Points of Light Institute.

• 2004

  City Cares becomes HandsOn Network

  [1]HandsOn Networken.wikipedia.org

  The organization adopted the HandsOn Network name as its network of volunteer centers expanded.

• 1992

  City Cares is founded

  [1]HandsOn Networken.wikipedia.org

  City Cares was founded to broaden participation in community service through accessible, recurring volunteer opportunities and a national-local network structure.

• 1987

  New York Cares establishes an influential local model

  [1]HandsOn Networken.wikipedia.org

  New York Cares was established and later served as a reference point for the local volunteer-center model that influenced the development of the national network.

A practical, network-based volunteer-mobilization platform designed to make community service accessible, coordinated, and locally relevant. Its distinctive approach emphasized short-term and recurring service opportunities, partnerships with community organizations, and a national umbrella model that supported entrepreneurial local volunteer centers.

• Community service programs

  HandsOn service projects

  Locally delivered volunteer projects created with nonprofit organizations, schools, and community partners. Projects addressed practical needs such as accessibility improvements, literacy support, neighborhood renewal, school assistance, and disaster recovery. The emphasis was on organized activities with concrete community outcomes rather than on a single standardized product.

• Nonprofit network services · 1992

  Volunteer-center network support

  A shared national framework for local and international volunteer organizations. HandsOn Network offered a common identity, coordination, resources, and a model for recruiting volunteers and matching them with community projects. Local centers retained responsibility for implementing activities in their own markets.

• Employee engagement

  Corporate volunteering partnerships

  Partnerships that connected businesses and their employees with organized community-service opportunities. The program model enabled companies to support local projects through volunteer participation, sponsorship, and collaboration with nonprofit organizations and civic centers.

• 2019

  End of the national HandsOn Network operationOther

  Background

  The organization operated within the Points of Light structure, and its website had been redirected to a Points of Light page.

  Action taken

  The parent nonprofit was disbanded sometime in 2019, while the original website and associated national web page were subsequently taken down.

  Aftermath

  The national HandsOn Network ceased to operate as a standalone organization. Several local volunteer centers associated with the model remained identified separately.

  Source

• 2007

  Merger with the Points of Light FoundationM&A

  Background

  Both organizations focused on volunteer mobilization and operated networks or structures intended to expand community service.

  Action taken

  HandsOn Network merged with the Points of Light Foundation in August 2007 to create the Points of Light Institute.

  Aftermath

  HandsOn Network became part of the combined nonprofit organization, while the HandsOn name continued to be associated with local volunteer centers and service projects.

  Source

• 2004

  Rebrand from City Cares to HandsOn NetworkStrategy

  Background

  The organization was expanding beyond its original City Cares identity and developing a broader network of volunteer centers.

  Action taken

  It adopted the HandsOn Network name and positioned itself as a national and international coordinating network for local civic-action centers.

  Aftermath

  The new identity became associated with a network that eventually included approximately 58 affiliated volunteer organizations.

  Source

1. 1HandsOn Networken.wikipedia.org