Family Volunteer Day unites families in service every November 19. This special day encourages collective action, fostering empathy and building stronger communities through shared acts of kindness and support. Find local opportunities and make a difference together.
Want to sponsor Family Volunteer Day? Learn how
Expected Family Volunteer Day Deals
For Family Volunteer Day, the focus shifts from commercial deals to community impact and fundraising. Organizations like Points of Light, the founder of the day, partner with corporate sponsors to amplify volunteer recruitment and donation drives. Many local nonprofits, such as United Way Worldwide and Feeding America, will highlight family-friendly service projects, often with matching gift campaigns from corporate partners like Target or Bank of America. Look for opportunities to donate time or resources through local food banks, shelters, and community centers. We will update this page with confirmed live opportunities as November 19 approaches.
Platform Guide for Family Volunteer Day
Tag National Today (linkedin.com/company/nationaltoday) and use #FamilyVolunteerDay. Share stories of corporate volunteer programs and their impact.
Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #FamilyVolunteerDay. Post photos and videos of your family’s volunteer efforts, encouraging others to join.
Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #FamilyVolunteerDay. Share visually compelling stories of families making a difference in their local communities.
Family Volunteer Day Hero
George H.W. Bush
History of Family Volunteer Day
People have been volunteering for many years. During the American Civil War in the 1800s, women volunteered their time to sew supplies for the soldiers fighting in the war. Most of the time, volunteers are trained for their work in medicine, education, and rescue operations. Sometimes, volunteering work takes place in emergencies during a natural disaster. There is even a new type of volunteering that has branched out in recent years, known as volunteer tourism.
Family volunteering is when families work together to support their communities or neighborhoods, which strengthens the community and the family. To appreciate this humble and kind effort, Points of Light created Family Volunteer Day in 1990. The day is sponsored by Disney’s Friends for Change and managed by generationOn, the youth and family service division of Points of Light. They inspire, equip, and mobilize the youth to make an impact through service, service-learning, and leadership development. They also focus on strengthening existing networks, creating pervasive calls to action, and advocating for infrastructure.
When they created this day, they also endeavored to provide an opportunity to use this occasion as a tool to help parents raise kind and compassionate kids. Family volunteering can be extremely fun, regardless of the number of family members involved, and it can encourage a family to spend quality time together.
Family Volunteer Day timeline
The word ‘volunteering’ is first recorded in a non-military sense.
An American nurse, Clara Barton, creates the American Red Cross for disaster relief operations.
The United States Government establishes the Peace Corps as an independent agency and volunteer program.
A study by Tourism and Research Marketing finds that 1.6 million people take part in volunteering projects where they have to travel internationally.
How Businesses Can Celebrate Family Volunteer Day
Local businesses can honor Family Volunteer Day by organizing employee and family volunteer events at a local nonprofit, offering paid time off for volunteering, or sponsoring a community service project. Consider partnering with a food bank for a family-friendly packing event or a park for a cleanup day. Highlighting these efforts on social media can inspire customers and demonstrate corporate social responsibility.
Family Volunteer Day FAQs
When is Family Volunteer Day?
Family Volunteer Day 2026 falls on Thursday, November 19. It’s a prime opportunity for families to unite and contribute to their communities just before the Thanksgiving holiday.
How many Americans volunteer annually?
According to recent data, approximately 60.7 million Americans volunteer annually, contributing billions of hours to various causes. Many of these volunteers participate as families or in family-friendly events.
Who founded Family Volunteer Day?
Family Volunteer Day was founded by the Points of Light Foundation, an organization established by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Its mission is to inspire, equip, and mobilize people to take action on the causes that matter to them.
What are common family volunteer activities?
Families often engage in activities like serving meals at homeless shelters, participating in park cleanups, sorting donations at food banks, or visiting seniors in nursing homes. The key is finding age-appropriate tasks that everyone can enjoy.
Family Volunteer Day Activities
Learn about different cultures
Cultural immersion is an unmatched experience and can expand your horizons about the different cultures you will volunteer to help. Even if you are not volunteering, it is important to be aware of different cultures and sentiments to live harmoniously.
Sign up for volunteering
Sign up with your family to volunteer at your local center and do your bit in contributing to society. Your efforts and time will aid in creating a thriving community.
Donate resources
Donate whatever you can in terms of books, clothes, shoes, home items, or funds. These hand-me-downs can be useful to someone who cannot afford them and ease their financial burden.
5 Important Facts About Volunteering
Adds to the country’s economy
In Australia, volunteers end up contributing close to $200 million to the country’s economy.
Improves mental health
Volunteering gives you inner satisfaction, and the feeling of helping someone can improve your mental health.
Fundraising is popular
The most popular type of volunteering is often fundraising activities for various causes.
India for volunteering
People often tout India as the most popular country to volunteer, owing to the range of volunteering projects available there.
Skill-based volunteering
People practice skill-based volunteering where they teach other people skills such as writing, photography, reading, etc.
Why We Love Family Volunteer Day
Children learn to care for others
Through family volunteering, parents can instill the value of caring in children from an early age. Children see families looking after each other and learn empathy, compassion, and love. Thus, it is important to promote Family Volunteer Day to help children learn the spirit of volunteerism.
Uplifts families
Volunteer families help other families out in the community and serve a higher purpose in serving others, uplifting the families in need of emotional or physical support. Families can benefit from the help they receive and live happier lives.
Builds communities
They say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” and communities or neighborhoods aren’t either. Families volunteering can build, uplift, and change entire communities for the better.
Family Volunteer Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | November 22 | Saturday |
| 2026 | November 21 | Saturday |
Social Media Tips for Family Volunteer Day
Individuals
Creators
Brands