About Us

Reaching an estimated 100 million Americans through over 270 member groups, ServiceNation played a leading role in the drafting and April 2009 enactment of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which authorized the greatest expansion of national service in America since the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression.

Originally convened by Be the Change, Inc., Civic Enterprises, City Year, and the Points of Light Institute, ServiceNation was launched September 11 and 12, 2008 with the ServiceNation Presidential Candidates Forum and Summit in New York City, where Presidential Candidates Obama and McCain publicly endorsed the policy framework developed by ServiceNation and its coalition.  The Act itself was unveiled by Senator Orrin Hatch and Caroline Kennedy, speaking on behalf of her uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy.   The Summit was attended by over 750 leaders and the Presidential Forum, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.

Now that the Act has passed, the ServiceNation coalition is working to inspire a powerful culture of service in America through the promotion of national days of service and strategic partnerships across the philanthropic, government, military, entertainment, retail and other corporate sectors.  We envision an America in which a commonly asked question is, “Where do you serve?”

Help us spread the word, share your story, and explore service opportunities.

ServiceNation is the first campaign of Be the Change, Inc., a Cambridge, MA-based non-profit dedicated to strengthening American democracy by uniting citizens, social entrepreneurs, the service world and leaders from every sector of American society. Be the Change taps the wisdom, experience, and networks of these practitioners and thought leaders to craft post-partisan policy solutions to our greatest challenges and build powerful coalitions to advocate for them.

Also, have a look at our sister campaign, OpportunityNation.