2025 Volunteer Generation Fund Day Toolkit
Monday, April 21, 2025
Each year on April 21, America’s Service Commissions encourages service commissions and volunteer organizations to highlight the impact and importance of the Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) across the United States in honor of National Volunteer Week (April 20-26, 2025), Global Volunteer Month (April), and the anniversary of when VGF was created under the Serve America Act (signed into law on April 21, 2009).
Are you a state/territorial service commission or community organization that has benefitted from VGF? If so, we want you to share your story of volunteer impact; VGF grantees, host sites, and/or organizations; and other volunteer initiatives on social media on Monday, April 21 using the following hashtags: #NVW #VolunteerGeneration #VGF
Even if you've never received a VGF grant, you can still help us celebrate the impact of the program.
Please also tag the following social media handles if space allows. If you run out of character space on X/Twitter, you can tag the image — which will not count toward your character limit — instead of including the handle in your post text.
- Tag ASC — @StateCommission
- Tag AmeriCorps — @AmeriCorps
- Tag Points of Light — @PointsofLight
- Tag your governor, lt. governor, members of congress, or other elected officials you want to know about VGF!
We are asking every service commission and organization that has ever received VGF funding to participate in celebrating!
Sample social media posts for VGF grantees
- It’s National Volunteer Week! We’re proud that our [state/commission/organization] is harnessing the power of volunteers alongside @AmeriCorps to get things done through the #VolunteerGeneration Fund. Learn more: http://bit.ly/volunteergeneration #NVW [tag additional handles above]
- Happy anniversary #VolunteerGeneration Fund from all of us in [state]! We’re thankful #VGF was created on April 21, 2009 under the #ServeAmericaAct which has allowed us to leverage over [#] community volunteers to serve alongside @AmeriCorps programs in our state! [tag additional handles above]
- Happy #NVW! Did you know we are one of 42 organizations that leverage #VolunteerGeneration Funding from @AmeriCorps to enable more Americans to give back through citizen service? Learn more about #VGF: http://bit.ly/volunteergeneration. [tag additional handles above]
- This #NVW, we celebrate the important role of the #VolunteerGeneration Fund in [state/city/region]! Thank you Congress for making #VGF part of the #ServeAmericaAct on April 21, 2009 to ensure funding for volunteer infrastructure and capacity to serve communities better. [tag additional handles above]
- Happy #NVW to all of our #VolunteerGeneration Fund partner organizations and grantees who are mobilizing volunteers to improve their communities: [tag your VGF partner/grantee organizations]
- Happy anniversary to the #VolunteerGeneration Fund from all of us at [organization]! We’re thankful that #VGF was created on April 21, 2009 under the #ServeAmericaAct, and we’re grateful to all the volunteers who make a difference in their communities every day! [tag additional handles above]
Sample social media posts for non-VGF grantees
- It’s National Volunteer Week! We’re proud that #VolunteerGeneration Fund grantees across the country are harnessing the power of volunteers alongside @AmeriCorps to get things done. Learn more: http://bit.ly/volunteergeneration #NVW
- Happy anniversary #VolunteerGeneration Fund from all of us in [state]! We’re thankful #VGF was created on April 21, 2009 under the #ServeAmericaAct which has allowed communities across the country to leverage volunteers to serve alongside @AmeriCorps programs!
- Happy #NVW! Did you know there are 42 organizations that leverage #VolunteerGeneration Funding from @AmeriCorps to enable more Americans to give back through citizen service? Learn more about #VGF: http://bit.ly/volunteergeneration
- This #NVW, we celebrate the important role of the #VolunteerGeneration Fund! Thank you Congress for making #VGF part of the #ServeAmericaAct on April 21, 2009 to ensure funding for volunteer infrastructure and capacity to serve communities better.
- Happy anniversary to the #VolunteerGeneration Fund from all of us at [organization]! We’re thankful that #VGF was created on April 21, 2009 under the #ServeAmericaAct, and we’re grateful to all the volunteers who make a difference in their communities every day!
Graphics
We have created graphics on Canva that you can use for your VGF Day promotions. Feel free to edit the graphics by adding your logo or making other changes to match your organizational branding. To download the graphics without making changes, click on File and then Download. To edit the graphics, you must first log in to your Canva account or create one if you don't already have one. Once you are logged in, click on File and then Make a Copy. This will open an editable version of the graphic in your own Canva account.
Guiding thoughts to draft additional VGF social media posts
- How long has your state benefited from the Volunteer Generation Fund, and what issue area(s) is your VGF grant focused on?
- What are some of the organizations or cities/towns that have benefited from VGF support in your state? (List and/or tag them.)
- How has VGF helped you improve the capacity of nonprofits and faith-based, community, or civic organizations to utilize volunteers?
- How has VGF helped spur innovation in the field of volunteerism in your state?
- How has VGF helped enable more Americans to serve through active citizen service? (Cite numbers of volunteers recruited, managed, retained, etc.)
- What’s the most inspiring impact or outcome you’ve seen from a VGF-funded project?
- Give a shout-out to a volunteer from your VGF project who is doing amazing things! Share name, photo, organization they volunteer with, a quote, or local news article. (Be sure the volunteer is okay with being featured first!)
- How can someone find out more about your Volunteer Generation Fund projects and opportunities? (Include a link to your website if possible.)
- The anniversary of VGF’s creation is April 21 from when it was first created under the Serve America Act on April 21, 2009. Help thank former Rep. Dave Loebsack (@DaveForIowa on X/Twitter) for his visionary leadership in creating it, and let Congress know you hope it will keep going another 16 years!
Learn more about the Volunteer Generation Fund and how states are leveraging it. |
