COMPACT Cohort

Coordinating Opportunities for Meaningful Participation and Advancing Community Ties

The Hello Neighbor Network, powered by Hello Neighbor, is honored to steward the COMPACT Cohort pilot, an initiative made possible through generous funding from the Walmart Foundation.

A group of women from the Echo Collective, smiling, holding certificates and a bouquet of flowers.
ECHO Collective | Omaha, NE
Three women, resting their hands on one another's shoulders smiling, from Heart Felt Tidbits.
Heartfelt tidbits | Cincinatti, OH
Two women in flowy dresses standing in from of a Home is Here banner, smiling brightly.
Home is Here NOLA | New Orleans, LA
Two women from Miry's List, facing the camera smiling, inside a brightly colored building.
Miry’s List | Los Angeles, CA
A group of women standing together from Mozaic, smiling.
Mozaic l Sterling, VA
Two women outside, one with her arm around the other's shoulder, smiling at the camera, from the New Neighbors Partnership.

About the Program

The COMPACT Cohort is a 30-month pilot program designed to strengthen volunteer infrastructure and advance belonging through sustained, meaningful community engagement.

At the center of this initiative is a strategic investment in full-time dedicated Volunteer Coordinators at six Hello Neighbor Network members across the country. By creating roles focused exclusively on volunteer engagement, the pilot tests whether dedicated staffing can significantly increase volunteer participation, deepen community relationships, and expand organizational capacity. 

The program is grounded in evidence-based intergroup contact theory, which demonstrates that structured, sustained contact across differences reduces prejudice and builds trust. Through intentional volunteer engagement models, the COMPACT Cohort aims to foster connections between long-time community members and newcomers, strengthening social cohesion at the local level. 

Cohort organizations participate in a structured peer learning community while receiving foundational training in volunteer engagement strategy, capacity building, and the principles of intergroup connection. Together, the cohort serves as a learning laboratory to refine models that can be adapted and scaled across diverse communities.

Partner Organizations

We are proud to partner with six incredible organizations representing diverse geographic regions and community contexts, working together to to reshape the landscape of volunteerism nationwide:

Omaha, NE
Cincinatti, OH
New Orleans, LA
Los Angeles, CA
Sterling, VA
New York, NY

Looking Forward

The COMPACT Cohort is designed not only to support six organizations, but to generate practical insights for the broader nonprofit sector. As the pilot progresses, the Hello Neighbor Network will share learnings, tools, and strategies to foster innovation in volunteer engagement across the country.