What 1,600 People in Washington, D.C. Reminded Me About This Work
- Rose Tatum
- Jun 27
- 4 min read
There's something that happens when you walk into a room full of people who care about the same things you do. The exhaustion of the day-to-day lifts a little. You remember why you started. You leave with more than you came with.
That's what the Points of Light Conference does for me.
Today, I returned from Washington, D.C. after attending the 2026 conference — my second year in a row — and I'm still processing everything I brought home with me. Notes. Connections. Inspiration. Quotes scribbled in my notebook. And that particular kind of tired that comes not from depletion, but from being genuinely, deeply engaged for several days straight.
If you work in the volunteer space and you've never been, I want you to put it on your list for next year. I hope to see some of you there.
The Room Itself Told a Story
Over 1,600 people filled the conference — nonprofit professionals, corporate partners, educators, local and state government leaders, and this year, for the first time, a significant youth presence through the National Youth Leadership Council. Their inclusion wasn't just symbolic. It shaped the entire tone of the event.
We heard from young people about their dreams for this country, why they choose to volunteer, and what they need from the adults and organizations around them to do it well.
"No one can do everything, but everyone can do something." - Monique Coleman
One voice that stayed with me was Emiliana Korin, a member of the NYLC Youth Advisory Council. What made her presence especially meaningful to me personally: Emiliana was a volunteer with ENGin, the global organization where I previously served as Director of Volunteers and Corporate Engagement. Seeing her on that stage — confident, articulate, full of purpose — was one of those full-circle moments that reminds you this work has a longer reach than you can always see.
Bridging Divides, One Conversation at a Time
The other throughline of the conference was one I think about often and feel acutely here in our own community: how do we talk to each other across difference? How do we find common ground when everything in our media environment pushes us toward division?
Neil Bush, Jean Baker, and Linda Lorelle took the stage together to wrestle with exactly that. Neil is the son of President George H.W. Bush. Jean served as Chief of Staff to President Bush and co-founded Civil Dialogues. Linda is a journalist from the South Side of Chicago who co-founded Civil Dialogues alongside Jean. A Republican and a Democrat. An unlikely friendship built on the belief that empathy is not weakness, it's the only way through.
They didn't just talk about civil dialogue. They modeled it, and then they invited us into it. Manu Meel, Co-Founder and CEO of BridgeUSA, put it simply: "The best antidote to polarization is humanization."
Defending the Sector
One panel hit especially close to home. Nina Arwitz of Volunteer Ireland, Diane Yentel of the National Council of Nonprofits, Dr. John Brothers, CEO of Candid, and PBS NewsHour anchor Amna Nawaz gathered to discuss something that keeps a lot of us up at night: the organized effort to erode public trust in nonprofits.
Their message was clear and worth repeating. Nonprofits are the connective tissue of our democracy. When people volunteer alongside their neighbors — when they show up, roll up their sleeves, and make their communities better together — that is democracy in action. Diane Yentel has taken that argument all the way to Congress, and her testimony is worth reading if you haven't seen it.
The work we do is not peripheral. It is essential. And right now, we have to say that out loud.
What I'm Bringing Home from Washington
I came back to Wilmington with more than inspiration — I came back with a plan. The sessions I attended covered storytelling, community building, volunteer engagement strategy, and the National Volunteer Strategy's goal of doubling volunteerism in the United States by 2035. I intend to weave all of it into the work I do here: into Leaders Circle topics, into the workshops and training I offer, and into the services I provide to organizations across our region.
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." - Interfaith America
Because the throughline of everything I heard this week is the same throughline that runs through the work of The Volunteer Leadership Lab: ordinary people can do extraordinary things. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. And if we want to go far, we go together.
If this post sparked something for you — a question, a thought, a reason to get more involved — I'd love to hear from you.
Here's to doing this work together.
— Rose Tatum, CVA
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