Volunteering Reconnected

Social connection and trust are in free fall. Today, we contribute roughly a third as much civic effort as we did in 1950. Closing this gap requires doubling the amount of volunteering in this country - another $500 billion in service.

But this can’t just be charitable service. We need to restore hyper-local and mutual service in support of social connection and trust. We need to mobilize and equip millions of Americans to enable everyone to integrate the Six Points of Connection into their lives.

  • Lonely employees are 4.5x more likely to report productivity issues

  • Only 39% of Americans are strongly connected

  • 18% of the formal volunteers participated in online volunteering

  • Lonelier employees also tend to work less hard (63% vs. 74%)

  • Engaged workers are 64% less likely to report loneliness

  • 1 in 4 Americans say they have no close friends.

  • Only 32% of Americans say “most people can be trusted."

  • 1 in 5 employees feel lonely at work daily

  • Strong relationships are the #1 predictor of happiness and longevity

  • Connection makes us more resilient to disasters and lowers crime.

Download the Report on the Future of Volunteering

What began as dialogue among leaders has evolved into a framework for action: a transformative approach to volunteering that makes connection intentional, measurable, and scalable.

This founding document captures that framework: a shared vision for how America can rebuild connection through service, and the collective steps needed to make it real.

What You’ll Gain & Why It Matters

A new lens on the defining issue of our time: Understand why social connection underpins every dimension of health, culture, democracy, and economic vitality, and why solving for it requires coordinated, cross-sector design.

A clear path to scale impact through service: Learn how volunteering can be one of the most powerful, scalable mechanisms to close the connection gap and rebuild trust at pace.

A shared framework for action: See how common language and measurement standards enable organizations to design with rigor, validate impact, and build accountability for connection outcomes.

A shift toward mutuality: Discover how leading with humanity, by prioritizing relationships over efficiency and interdependence over individualism, drives stronger, more sustainable impact.

A roadmap for connection-first design: Explore how connection-centered approaches can fit seamlessly within existing systems, supported by new infrastructure that makes connection measurable, fundable, and scalable.

From the US Chamber of Connection in partnership with Goodera, Idealist, the Foundation for Social Connection, Big Think, and the Berkeley Greater Good Science Center.

Missed the Webinar?
Watch the Recording

If you missed the live conversation, or want to spend more time with the ideas, you can watch the webinar recording.

This session explores why connection matters, how disconnection became structural, and how service can help bring people back together.

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