Cities of Service

Become a City of Service

The global Cities of Service coalition and its over 190 member cities —47 from right here in Illinois— are finding new and innovative ways to harness the power of volunteers. Cities of Service builds on the work of former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who created the nation’s first high-impact service plan in April 2009 and appointed the nation’s first municipal Chief Service Officer.

As part of Cities of Service, mayors engage citizens in addressing critical city needs through impact volunteering. The coalition aims to create a vibrant and growing network of municipal governments effectively leveraging citizen service as a reliable, viable tool to achieve measurable impact on pressing local challenges. By accelerating the service movement at the most local level—connecting local needs to the supply of willing volunteers in innovative and impactful new ways—Cities of Service aspires to create a new chapter in America’s longstanding history of service while making local government more effective.

Today, the Cities of Service coalition includes over 190 mayors. 4,257,735 Illinoisans (33% of all Illinoi​sans) live in a City of Service. Like the founding mayors, each coalition member has made a commitment to work with other mayors around the country and advance service strategies in their own city by crafting a high-impact service plan.

Cities of Service Approach

Cities of Service efforts focus on "impact volunteering"—volunteer strategies that target community needs, use best practices, and set clear outcomes and measures to gauge progress.

Cities of Service is leading a multi-year effort to engage mayors across the country by:

• Developing a comprehensive service plan and a coordinated strategy focused on matching volunteers and established community partners to the areas of greatest local need.
• Working with other mayors and elected officials to advance strategies and best practices that accelerate the service movement and produce measurable results.
• Encouraging other mayors to join this national effort to engage our citizens.
• Ensuring that the voice of cities is heard in federal legislative, policy, and program discussions related to service, which will help the country achieve the ambitious goals of the Serve America Act.

Learn more at Cities of Service.org.

Want to become a City of Service?

If you would like to see your city become a City of Service, contact Scott McFarland.

Cities of Service in Illinois

There are currently 47 Cities of Service in Illinois. We rank 1st in the nation!

Learn More About Volunteerism

• Volunteer Awards & Recognition
• Volunteer Spotlight
• Find / Submit a Volunteer Opportunity
• Conferences
• Illinois Volunteer Management Network
• Cities of Service
• Volunteer Connectors of Illinois
• Managing Programs
• Days of Service
• Professional Development
• Trends and Research