If you’re like me, you’re still reeling from the implications of yesterday’s Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act and undoing decades of progress removing barriers to the ballot box. But as a terminal optimist, I am always seeking rays of light in the storm. In this moment, my cause for hope is in the American people themselves: the American spirit of service and passion for justice helped power the Civil Rights Movement that brought about the Voting Rights Act, and in this moment of peril for our democracy, we must call upon that spirit to defend the rights it helped secure.
In commemoration of 250 years of American charitable service, Independent Sector and the National Museum and Center for Service hosted an event on April 24th aimed at shining a light on the millions of American service leaders and volunteers who have shaped our collective history and civic culture. 250 & Beyond: Our American Story — A nationwide celebration of service brought together historians, researchers, the heads of major nonprofit organizations, and youth volunteer leaders to try to answer a fundamental question: What lessons can we learn from the past to preserve and strengthen American civil society for the next 250 years? In my closing conversation with National Museum for Center for Service Founder Brian Baird, I summarized my three most urgent takeaways from the insights shared by the day’s multi-generational collection of panelists.
When Governments Step Away, Civil Society Leans Forward — But How Far Can We Go to Fill the Gap?
One of the most urgent messages was delivered by the event’s keynote speaker John Hewko, General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation. John weaved the history of Rotary’s founding and growth, from a small group of professionals meeting for lunch in Chicago to an international network of 45,000 chapters bringing together millions of members to address humanitarian needs. To demonstrate the success of these efforts, John shared the stories of two impactful and ongoing Rotary projects: the drive to eradicate polio around the world and the efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities suffering from Russia’s war. In both examples, John highlighted the effectiveness of an empowered civil society, where Rotary members from around the globe have been able to collaborate and share resources targeted at specific issues, such as administering vaccinations in hard-to-reach rural areas or delivering generators to communities isolated by war. But these examples also illuminated the limitations of civil society-led projects: As governments step away from their humanitarian role and cut funding for life-saving international aid, the work of mission-driven organizations to fill the gap is at once more urgent and more constrained. The question is this: If governments are more hesitant to lead in addressing global problems, how can we encourage states to support the work of mission-driven organizations as partners to meet urgent humanitarian needs?
The Next Generation of Service Leaders is Already Here
Rather than solely looking backward, 250 & Beyond kept its focus firmly on the future by platforming youth service leaders to share their volunteer journeys, leadership experiences, and guidance for the charitable sector on how to best engage with generation Z and generation Alpha. The overwhelming takeaway was that the next generation is not just ready to lead, they are already leading — starting their own nonprofits, engaging their peers in community service projects, and fundraising on social media. Shreyaa Venkat, Founder and CEO of D.C.-based NEST4US, was only 13 when she and her sister created what would become one of the world’s largest youth-founded nonprofits. When speaking about the importance of building trust with younger volunteers, Shreyaa’s message was clear and powerful: “Stop tokenizing young people. We’re not just here to tick a box. We want to be here because we actually have ideas that matter, we have perspectives that matter, and we have experience that matters and needs to be in these spaces with real, meaningful impact…Young people rise to the level of expectation that you set for them. If you set the bar high, they will meet that and exceed that.”
Stop Hiding Behind Humility
For my entire life, the culture of service has always emphasized humility. When it comes to volunteering, we have internalized the idea that publicizing service centers the volunteer instead of the issue they’re working to solve and undermines impact. One of the most shocking and transformational takeaways from volunteer leaders was that if we want to engage and build trust with young people in service, we can’t shy away from showing our work. Speaking openly about volunteerism and sharing stories of service on social media is how organizations build social capital with the next generation of service leaders and allows them to build community around shared values and missions. It’s not about taking credit — it’s about inspiring others to join the cause.
If you didn’t have a chance to join us in person or online, you can access the full recording below:
But 250 & Beyond is more than just a one-time event — it is part of a nationwide effort to spur civic engagement and inspire the next generation of service leaders by creating exhibitions of service in schools and communities across the U.S. If you are ready to add your voice to the call, share a story of service in your community.
Dr. Akilah Watkins
Dr. Akilah Watkins is president and CEO of Independent Sector.
