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Blog Post – Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Possible online services disruption due to Internet related outage
Blog Post - June 28, 2016
Skills-Based Volunteerism...Why it Works!
Last year, approximately one in four Americans volunteered with a nonprofit organization, according to research by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Though that 25% put in 7.9 billion hours of service, that means that 75% of the population did NOT engage in volunteerism.* As society shifts and schedules become busier than ever before, lack of time can play a key role in hindering many well-intentioned individuals from getting involved and giving back.
At WomenOnCall, we aim to change those statistics. By scoping our projects to be short-term (requiring approximately ten hours of service or less) and often virtual, we help individuals find ways to fit volunteering into even the busiest of schedules. Volunteers and nonprofits from throughout the country connect via our technology platform on high-impact projects that leverage an individual’s skills. Projects range from the graphic design of a program brochure or the facilitation of a focus group session to the revision of a grant narrative or the legal review of a Memorandum of Understanding. Though short-term, those opportunities have significant benefits for both the nonprofits and volunteers.
Each nonprofit walks away having completed a key task. Skilled volunteers provide an opportunity to achieve objectives in ways not imagined before. Organizations who have completed the WomenOnCall process report that the engagement helped them meet a goal that may not have otherwise been met without the help of our volunteer.
And for volunteers, they reap the benefits of honing skills, expanding networks and getting to know an organization more intimately – all while helping an organization work more efficiently and/or effectively in the community. In addition to helping grow and advance one’s career, skills-based volunteerism helps a volunteer better understand an organization and its work and can often create a deeper relationship.
To learn more about WomenOnCall or to join us as a volunteer or nonprofit member, simply visit WomenOnCall. WomenOnCall has more than 4,000 nonprofit and volunteer members in all 50 states.
*Data from the Corporation for National and Community Service, 2013 study