Donating your Time and Skills

There are many opportunities to offer your services as a volunteer - the following is a summary:

Financial Contributions

To make the most impact with your giving, here's a quick summary of the resources available to you:

All For Good - offering of Points of Light - 64 million searches for 300,000 volunteer projects in 2016.  Short duration activity and event support

VolunteerMatch - good mix of both short duration/event support and longer term volunteering opportunities

SKILLS BASED

Taproot+ creates new opportunities for nonprofit professionals and skilled volunteers to connect and engage in 6 wks/30 hours pro bono by consolidating information and resources for the market. Taproot+ is a program of the Taproot Foundation.

SCORE volunteers provide confidential business mentoring services to small business owners, including nonprofits, both in person and online. They lead seminars and workshops to help small business owners meet their goals and achieve success.

48in48.org offers annual weekend events in Atlanta, New York, Boston and Twin Cities where volunteers build/refresh WordPress websites for nonprofit organizations with annual operating budgets less than $3m.  Funding is provided by sponsoring organizations including Delta Airlines.

Catchafire - network of pro bono professionals offering 1-hour phone calls with nonprofits that pay annual membership fees.  Topics include Marketing Strategy, Salesforce Database Customization, CMS-based Website Construction, Logo Design & Visual Brand Identity, Fundraising, Mission, Vision & Values.

 

Global Pro Bono Network - created in 2012 by the BMW Foundation and Taproot Foundation who convened social entrepreneurs developing pro bono service organizations.

PYXERA Global - originally Citizens Development Corps [>Solutions] > pyxis [greek word for navigational device] and terra [latin for earth] - professional services to social-mission driven clients in communities in which the employees do not live or work on a regular basis. Projects are intended to provide economic and social benefit to the local organization and community while building leadership competencies, creating market insights, and spurring innovative thinking for the participating employee.>>>>>

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Create the Good - created by AARP but open to all volunteers - ongoing opportunities to provide community support.

Executive Service Corps-United States - national network of organizations that provide consulting, coaching, facilitation and many other services to strengthen nonprofits, schools and government organizations.

International Executive Service Corps - For more than 50 years, IESC has set the global standard for identifying and fielding volunteer experts to serve on international economic development programs. IESC leverages its existing database of more than 5,000 registered volunteer experts and employs tested methodologies and procedures to coordinate volunteer technical assistance assignments.

Encore Fellowship Network EFN - formerly Civic Ventures - national network of organizations offering pathways to connect people in later life with opportunities for work that benefits society.

Corporation for National & Community Service (CNCS) - federal agency sponsoring AmeriCorps, Senior Corps (RSVP), The Social Innovation Fund and the Volunteer Generation Fund.

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PILnet - Global Network for Public Interest Law

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Announcement of the organizations using skill-based volunteerism that were winners of the 2013 Bankers without Borders grants (a Grameen Foundation initiative:)

Atlas Service Corps - addresses critical social issues by developing leaders, strengthening organizations, and promoting innovation through an overseas fellowship of skilled nonprofit professionals.

Echoing Green - works with social entrepreneurs internationally with start-up funding, customized support services and access to a global network of "champions."

Project Concern International (PCI) - mission is to prevent disease, improve community health and promote sustainable development worldwide.

PYXERA Global (see above on this page)

Trócaire - the official overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland

 

Linkedin For Good -

 

EnergizeInc.com - an international training, consulting and publishing firm specializing in volunteerism. Founded by Susan J. Ellis in 1977, Energize has assisted organizations of all types to start, expand, or strengthen volunteer involvement.  Good link to US Volunteering sites

SmartVolunteer.org - site is down on 5/5/17 - also SmartVolunteer.com [also "down for tech mnt"] - a New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to matching skilled professionals with volunteer opportunities at nonprofits and charities.

 

 

Guidestar - best starting point since every nonprofit that has been active for over a year will be listed.  Currently 1.8 million can be searched by sector, size, location and other criteria.  Organizations are encouraged to self-report information about their programs and results.  Philanthropedia is a division of Guidestar and gathers expert reviews of nonprofits with targeted services.

Charity Navigator - provides ratings for charities based on their financial health, accountability & transparency, and eventually, results reporting.  Currently 8,359 US-based, publicly supported charities with over 6 year of IRS reporting with revenues over $1 million for two consecutive years.

Charity Watch - in depth research and "Letter Grades" [A to F] on 622 charitable organizations for an annual membership of $50.    The top rated charities (spending $25 or less to raise $100 in public support) are available to the general public - definitely worth a look.

GiveWell - thorough investigations of 61 charities that help the global poor.  Four criteria: effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, transparency,  and "room for more funding" for a series of identified programs.   Article by Derek Thompson in The Atlantic - The Greatest Good - with a good perspective - and extensive commenting.

The Life You Can Save - advocacy and fundraising for 18 global organizations fighting extreme poverty based on the work of author Peter Singer.  Offers "Giving Game" to provide a forum for engaging in discussions about the relative merits of charities and the challenges of allocating donations.

United Way - over 1,800 local United Way organizations conducts annual reviews of local nonprofits and publishes lists of their grantees and their approach to outcomes measurement.   Even if you don't support them through workplace giving, United Way grantees are a good starting point for your local community.

Combined Federal Campaign - the official workplace giving campaign of the Federal government. To participate in one of the hundreds of local CFC regional areas, as opposed to being nationally eligible and participating in every campaign area, a charitable organization must be able to demonstrate that it has a "substantial" program presence within the campaign's (or an adjacent campaign's) geographical boundaries or within the state of the campaign.

America's Charities - Employers seeking to launch or revitalize workplace giving programs and meet the challenges presented by our digital culture to produce robust and meaningful employee engagement programs.

GlobalGiving - a helpful list of global organizations that have grassroots support - strong in the areas of their focus.

Wise Giving Alliance - offering of BBB - agencies that have accepted the Better Business Bureau's invitation to be listed - definitely not "extreme vetting."

JustGive.org - online resource to facilitate giving.

Great Nonprofits - consumer comments - social media posts

Local Independent Charities of America - federation of more than 700 local nonprofit charitable organizations that help its member charities participate more efficiently in work-place giving campaigns.

Ashoka - through a global network of over 3,300 social entrepreneurs - Ashoka Fellows - this community is finding patterns of social development, providing key levers and a framework for living in the world as a changemaker.  Impressive list of partners.

CNN Heroes - annual awards with video documentaries celebrating everyday people changing the world - nearly all are aligned with a equally impressive charitable organization worthy of your support

CORPORATE GIVING

Salesforce.com - Force for Change Grants Program - impressive descriptions of annual awards to support organizations using information technology to accelerate social impact with the potential for cause-wide deployment.

National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) - source of high quality data on nonprofit organizations - division of Urban Institute

National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO) - good resources page

WORST CHARITIES

Tampa Bay Times and California-based Center for Investigative Reporting, along with CNN have done good work looking at sham charities.

Readers Digest article by Derek Burnett" How Charities Spend your Money: Eye-opening Truths to Read before you Donate

PAID Advertising

GiveSpot - interesting collection of nonprofit sites - banner ads - part of the StartSpot Network - GourmetSpot, PeopleSpot, TripSpot

There are many opportunities to offer your services as a volunteer - the following is a summary:

All For Good - offering of Points of Light - 64 million searches for 300,000 volunteer projects in 2016.  Short duration activity and event support

VolunteerMatch - good mix of both short duration/event support and longer term volunteering opportunities

SKILLS BASED

Taproot+ creates new opportunities for nonprofit professionals and skilled volunteers to connect and engage in 6 wks/30 hours pro bono by consolidating information and resources for the market. Taproot+ is a program of the Taproot Foundation.

SCORE volunteers provide confidential business mentoring services to small business owners, including nonprofits, both in person and online. They lead seminars and workshops to help small business owners meet their goals and achieve success.

48in48.org offers annual weekend events in Atlanta, New York, Boston and Twin Cities where volunteers build/refresh WordPress websites for nonprofit organizations with annual operating budgets less than $3m.  Funding is provided by sponsoring organizations including Delta Airlines.

Catchafire - network of pro bono professionals offering 1-hour phone calls with nonprofits that pay annual membership fees.  Topics include Marketing Strategy, Salesforce Database Customization, CMS-based Website Construction, Logo Design & Visual Brand Identity, Fundraising, Mission, Vision & Values.

 

Global Pro Bono Network - created in 2012 by the BMW Foundation and Taproot Foundation who convened social entrepreneurs developing pro bono service organizations.

PYXERA Global - originally Citizens Development Corps [>Solutions] > pyxis [greek word for navigational device] and terra [latin for earth] - professional services to social-mission driven clients in communities in which the employees do not live or work on a regular basis. Projects are intended to provide economic and social benefit to the local organization and community while building leadership competencies, creating market insights, and spurring innovative thinking for the participating employee.>>>>>

<<

Create the Good - created by AARP but open to all volunteers - ongoing opportunities to provide community support.

Executive Service Corps-United States - national network of organizations that provide consulting, coaching, facilitation and many other services to strengthen nonprofits, schools and government organizations.

International Executive Service Corps - For more than 50 years, IESC has set the global standard for identifying and fielding volunteer experts to serve on international economic development programs. IESC leverages its existing database of more than 5,000 registered volunteer experts and employs tested methodologies and procedures to coordinate volunteer technical assistance assignments.

Encore Fellowship Network EFN - formerly Civic Ventures - national network of organizations offering pathways to connect people in later life with opportunities for work that benefits society.

Corporation for National & Community Service (CNCS) - federal agency sponsoring AmeriCorps, Senior Corps (RSVP), The Social Innovation Fund and the Volunteer Generation Fund.

>>

PILnet - Global Network for Public Interest Law

>>

Announcement of the organizations using skill-based volunteerism that were winners of the 2013 Bankers without Borders grants (a Grameen Foundation initiative:)

Atlas Service Corps - addresses critical social issues by developing leaders, strengthening organizations, and promoting innovation through an overseas fellowship of skilled nonprofit professionals.

Echoing Green - works with social entrepreneurs internationally with start-up funding, customized support services and access to a global network of "champions."

Project Concern International (PCI) - mission is to prevent disease, improve community health and promote sustainable development worldwide.

PYXERA Global (see above on this page)

Trócaire - the official overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland

 

Linkedin For Good -

 

EnergizeInc.com - an international training, consulting and publishing firm specializing in volunteerism. Founded by Susan J. Ellis in 1977, Energize has assisted organizations of all types to start, expand, or strengthen volunteer involvement.  Good link to US Volunteering sites

SmartVolunteer.org - site is down on 5/5/17 - also SmartVolunteer.com [also "down for tech mnt"] - a New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to matching skilled professionals with volunteer opportunities at nonprofits and charities.