iHubs: Strengthening Our Civic Network
Today’s post originally appeared on the Points of Light blog site on June 18, 2012.
HandsOn Network is engaged in a focused field investment strategy called Innovation Hubs (iHubs), designed to dramatically accelerate the growth, effectiveness and impact of our network. Through iHubs we are engaging a cohort of our strongest, most progressive market leaders to formulate innovative approaches and pilot best-in-class initiatives with the intent of scaling the most impactful opportunities to benefit the entire network, and ultimately, the communities we serve.
In 2011, through a competitive application process, 10 affiliates were selected to comprise the initial iHub cohort. Leveraging resources provided by Points of Light’s Service Generation Campaign, these affiliates also received leadership development training, coaching and $30,000 in seed funding to launch and learn from their own concepts of innovation. By 2014, we plan to expand to 30 iHubs.
Our strategy compels a conversation that teams with possibility. Imagine the potential of a learning cohort of nonprofit executive leaders and funders who are committed to identifying, testing, implementing and evaluating replicable models for 21st century volunteer engagement. Imagine the power of 30 iHubs to change local communities and to influence, guide and mentor an additional 230 HandsOn Network affiliates. As a result, we have the opportunity to lift up the work of the entire network and test cutting-edge strategies for engaging 
more than 70,000 nonprofit partners and millions of volunteers.
Current HandsOn Network affiliate iHubs include:
- Volunteer Center of Bergen County
- Boston Cares
- New York Cares
- HandsOn Twin Cities
- Chicago Cares
- HandsOn Central Ohio
- Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County
- Seattle Works
- Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership
- HandsOn Greater Portland
Below are a few examples of the innovative work from iHubs:
Boston Cares believes their future and the future of HandsOn Network depends more than just telling stories, but requires showing them. They use new tools including info graphics, data animation and visual statistics to reveal volunteerism for what it is – our nation’s most untapped resource.
Seattle Works is building on the concepts of collective giving and team-based volunteering to break down the silo
s between donors, volunteers and causes. Their innovative concept is to develop an integrated service model that brings together groups of investors and creates unified teams to seed, lead, staff and support projects from concept to evaluation.
One of the more provocative iHubs projects comes to us from HandsOn Greater Portland. As a way to lessen their dependence on more traditional funding sources, this affiliate seeks to test market the feasibility of offering tailor-made service learning experiences and issue-based service opportunities to individuals and groups for a fee.
By investing in iHubs, there is an opportunity to significantly expand and transform the nation’s long-standing civic infrastructure. We can help reimagine a network of service and civic geographically based hubs that have been vital to local communities for 100 years. The iHubs initiative can ensure the vitality and efficacy of this network for a new generation of engagement for the next century.
For more information please contact Paul Hollahan at , or .
