Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have added significant strain to a host of human development challenges across the globe. These challenges attracted numerous innovative solutions from the volunteering community at all levels. Despite the vast experience that volunteer involving organizations (VIOs) have gained in the face of natural disasters, incidents of mass violence, and infectious disease outbreaks over many years, COVID-19 has exposed these organizations to a new and frightening set of realities on a global scale not previously experienced. How well volunteer effort responds to this pandemic is dependent on factors such as capacity, resourcing and relationships. In this context, national volunteering leadership organizations (VLOs) are an increasingly important asset in supporting and developing the global volunteer movement to meet current and future challenges. This new reality has raised several volunteer development and managerial questions about VLO interventions in the pandemic.

The research serves as a body of knowledge about the experience of VLOs in responding to the pandemic. It examines how COVID-19 has impacted the strategic leadership role of VLOs in advocacy, development and mobilization. It also considers what these findings means for them and the future of volunteering.