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Volunteering has many merits. You can help others, feel good about yourself, meet other like-minded people and develop your skills. But volunteering can be frustrating if you’re looking for an organization whose cause you believe in, that can make use of your skills and whose needs fit within your schedule. Finding the right fit for volunteering can be a challenge.
Catchafire is a website designed to make volunteering easier. Catchafire analyzes a volunteer’s interests and skills to find an opportunity with an organization whose cause the volunteer supports. Think of it like eHarmony for volunteering.
I recently spoke with Rachael Chong, CEO and Founder of Catchafire, about the ways in which the company matches volunteers with organizations needing help.
“We believe that a great pro bono volunteer experience can be transformational. We’re really committed to providing not only meaningful and impactful but delightful pro bono experiences,” explained Chong.
About Catchafire
Catchafire matches volunteers with non-profit organizations that need the help. Many non-profits have a need for a professional staff but lack the budget to hire people to do the work. Catchafire helps non-profit organizations staff projects with volunteers who have professional skills. The company was named after the Bob Marley album and currently has about 10,000 volunteers and 2500 organizations enrolled.
How Catchafire Works
Volunteers provide Catchafire with their LinkedIn profile or a resume which they can manually enter on the application, as well as what types of causes they are interested in. “We’re then able to push projects that match a person’s skill sets and interests to their inbox or their Catchafire dashboard,” Chong said.
When volunteers see a project they like, either that they found on the Catchafire website or that was sent to them by Catchafire, they can apply for the project. The application is then sent to the organization who reviews the volunteer’s resume and application. “That gives the organization vetted and rich information so they can make an assessment of whether they want to move forward with this specific pro bono professional for their specific project,” Chong explained.
To get an idea of volunteer opportunities available through Catchafire, you can search the projects by cause, such as Education, Poverty Alleviation, Human Rights, Civil Rights, International Affairs, or I Just Want to Do Good. You can also filter the results by the skills you offer, such as Event Planning, Finance, Marketing, Writing, and Social Media. Chong said, “The most popular projects we’re finding are in marketing, communications, and design, anything to do with helping an organization build awareness and get the word out about the amazing work that they’re doing for their beneficiaries.”
Most of the organizations at Catchafire are smaller non-profits. They must have a physical presence in the United States, though these organizations help people throughout the world.
Volunteers can be from outside the US, though Chong advises that it’s easier if the volunteer and the organization are in the same time zone. Local volunteer opportunities are available in New York, Boston and the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill areas.
Chong is looking to expand the demographics of the volunteers at Catchafire. “Most of our working professionals are in between the ages of 24-45 but we’re really interested in expanding our opportunities to the Baby Boomer generation, the retirees who have the deep skill sets and a lot of experience and oftentimes a desire to now apply those skills for good.”
People can volunteer for free but organizations must pay a fee. Catchafire charges volunteer organizations a small commitment fee to list a project.
Chong explained, “The commitment fee that organizations pay us to participate in our service is very important in insuring that that organization is serious before we match them with one of our busy professionals whose time is the most important thing. We have two customers, the non-profit who we want to deliver great value to from a professional services standpoint, and the volunteer.”
Chong believes that the commitment fee ensures that both parties are invested in the volunteer experience. Volunteers are giving their time and skills and the commitment fee shows that the organization recognizes the value of what is being provided, according to Chong.
Benefits of Using Catchafire
Catchafire’s volunteering opportunities can provide flexibility for busy professionals. “The majority of our projects can be done virtually,” said Chong.
Catchafire can also be beneficial for those who aren’t currently employed. Volunteers who have professional skills can use volunteer projects to keep their skills fresh and can actively continue to build experience in their profession.
Chong said, “We are trying to create great volunteer opportunities for people so that they can have an experience that only comes through giving one’s time. It doesn’t come through donating because when you donate money you don’t get an experience. When you give your time you actually have the opportunity to connect with another individual on a deeper level that has the potential to be transformational.”
A Catchafire Volunteer’s Experience
I also spoke with Kit Thompson who is working on a project through Catchafire with the National School Climate Center, a non-profit organization that seeks to create safe school environments. She signed on with Catchafire because of the flexibility of the volunteer opportunities as well as the “wide array of interesting pro bono opportunities.” Thompson recently started her own business, Kitaliana, which provides Social Strategy for Small and Growing Businesses. Catchafire provided her with a way to make use of her professional skills and develop some new skills.
Thompson was searching for volunteer opportunities when she discovered Catchafire. “Their website seemed so compelling, I figured they must be doing something right.” She applied immediately to be a volunteer and Catchafire contacted her soon after that, suggesting a project that was a good match for her. “They’re pretty hands-on. It wasn’t as if I signed up and then I was on my own.”
When Thompson signed up with Catchafire, she listed her skills as a writer and a social media strategist, but she was offered a project that also required graphic design skills. She applied for the project and was accepted. “It was good for me to use my graphic design skills. I’m not a graphic designer nor do I pretend to be but this experience allowed me to practice my skills.” Her design (shown on the right) is now being printed for distribution.
For Thompson the key to success with volunteer projects is taking the job as seriously as a paid job. “It’s good to remember that it’s still a commitment – deadlines must be honored and deliverables delivered, just as with a regular job. Yes, you’re working for free, but the social nature of a community site Catchafire and the social network in general, demands that you give your best efforts – your reputation may depend on it.”
Thompson said that she would definitely do another project using Catchafire. Thompson sees Catchafire as a valuable tool for those who want to volunteer. “For freelancers, independent contractors, and especially the unemployed, it’s a gateway to not only give back but to hone skills, create portfolio content, bolster professional experience, and interact and network with interesting people. Volunteer projects can even lead to paid work or a full-time job.”
Bottom Line
If you find yourself having the inclination and opportunity to do good in the world, check out Catchafire to match your passions, skills and interests with those of a worthy organization.
Have you been looking to do volunteer projects? Have you had difficulty finding opportunities that are a good match for your skills, interests and schedule? Let us know in the Comments section below!
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Rachael Chong, CEO and Founder of Catchafire, will be a speaker at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women on October 2, 2012 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Conference for Women is a non-profit, non-partisan, one-day professional and personal development event for women that features dozens of renowned speakers sharing inspirational stories and leading seminars on issues, including health, personal finance, executive leadership, small business and entrepreneurship, work/life balance, branding and social media marketing, and more.
You can learn more about the Conference at their website.
this is great! I have often wondered how I could volunteer using the design skills I have.
thanks Carolyn!
Hi Rene, I am so glad that you found this article helpful. The non-profit that you volunteer for will greatly appreciate the many skills and talents that you have to offer! (*)
Hi Carolyn,
This is a good idea, we need more opportunities and incentives for professional people to volunteer in the UK. I was bored when I was in hospital and so I offered to teach people who are in hospital for a while about writing, the idea wasn’t met with much enthusiasm. It seems now there are courses for volunteers about safety, first aid and so on and they want young people to do those and then they decide what they want them to do. In practice though, it is the baby boomers who actually volunteer and many of them are getting a bit too old now.
Hi Mike, Yes, you have so many talents that you can share with others. Even though you are in a different time zone than the US, you still may be able to volunteer with Catchafire and help others around the world.
You are so helpful to others in teaching us on your blogs. People learn so much from you as you generously share your knowledge with us! :-bd
Just what I need, to volunteer for something else…..
This seems to be more on a global or national perspective, but I’m sure there is applicability for the local guys as well.
I don’t think you can ever have too many volunteers however.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Bill, You certainly do a lot of wonderful volunteering and you have matched your skills and talents quite well with your interests. Local projects are available in New York, Boston and Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area.
For those who need help finding volunteer opportunities, Catchafire could be very helpful!
I love this idea! I had never heard of Catchafire until today! Volunteering is always a wonderful thing. Truthfully, I have met many people that didn’t know how to volunteer unless is was something offered through their jobs. I can definitly see the benefits of using a service like this and how it could change the way volunteering is done.
Aaron
Hi Aaron, As a stay-at-home dad you might really enjoy volunteering through Catchafire. I know when I had young children at home it was difficult to find volunteer opportunities that were challenging and I could do from home.
I hope you find some great projects, Aaron!
Carolyn,
I so agree! The hardest part for me and volunteering is finding things I can do from home. It’s part of the reason I started blogging. I have a degree in social work. I thought I would put my credentials to work for me. Blogging allows me the opportunity to offer advice and help people.
I can honestly say writing a blog post is less stressful than writing a court document (usually minimum 30 pages.) As a social worker, I used to be a child abuse investigator and anything I sent to court would be read by a judge. My one suggestion to anyone writing for a judge is to make sure you get all your facts correct and check it a dozen times for errors. Thank you again for this! I plan on looking into it and see if they have any opportunities for a stay-at-home dad.
Aaron
Good luck with Catchafire, Aaron. Between your skills as a writer and your social work background, I imagine you will find plenty of products that work well for you!
You should also check out Bill Dorman’s post, NATURE VERSUS NURTURE – WHICH IS THE TRUMP CARD?http://billdorman.me/2012/07/19/nature-versus-nurture-which-is-the-trump-card/, for his impressive account of his experiences as a guardian ad litem in Florida.
Please keep us posted on your experiences with Catchafire, Aaron. 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
I know what volunteering means as i have volunteered in Common Wealth Games 2010 held in India.It feels good to be a helping hand in the other activities apart from the daily routine work.
Catchafire is providing a great platform for the people who wants to help the society in different domains.I guess NGO’s are also playing the same role situated in Different countries.But this Catchafire has some really great opportunities for unemployed as well as employed persons.
But it may be the possibility that professional may not find time to do join this service due to their busy professional life.
Hi Aditya, That must have been a wonderful experience to have helped out with the Commonwealth Games in India. I was living in the UK then and those games were a huge deal there!
You’re right, professionals can have difficulty finding volunteer opportunities that fit within their schedule, but that’s one of the great things about Catchafire. They can help professionals find projects that fit within their schedule.
Yes Carolyn that was an amazing experience.And you must have heard about the corruption going on as well but all went accordingly and the games are a huge hit with lots of college students and professionals helping the authorities out here.The man behind the corruption is now facing charges and in jail right now.
And if Catchafire will adjust according to the professionals schedule then its the best service one can get.
This is the first time I’ve heard of Catchafire Carolyn. I really like what I’ve read so far, and I’ll be visiting their website as well. I have thought a lot about volunteering when I was a lot younger. I am not sure how much time I have to volunteer at the moment (my wife just gave birth to our third child yesterday), but maybe in a few months 🙂
Congratulations, Jens! I’m sure you heard that having the third child keeps you exponentially busier than having two children. I wouldn’t know myself because I only had two children for one minute. 🙂
Yes, you probably will be busy, but if you have the time and the inclination, you should check out Catchafire. They could definitely use your help, especially with writing and marketing.
This is such a wonderful concept, kind of revolutionizing volunteering. Many of us would want to do some sort of volunteering, but would be put off by the lack of right opportunities that match both our skill and interest. Also most such opportunities that I’ve come across in the past have required some sort of physical/local presence to participate. What I find really interesting about Catchafire is that it not only bridges this gap between volunteers and projects in a perfect manner, but also the fact that most projects can be done virtually.
Thanks for sharing these details with us, I’ll visit Catchafire website soon.
Hi Sarah, I’m so glad you found this article helpful! You’re right, Catchafire provides professionals with a great opportunity to find volunteer projects that can be done virtually and can fit within their schedule.
I hope you have great success with Catchafire, Sarah!
Hey Carolyn
Catchafire sounds like a great organisation to know. It’s a pity, as Mike said, that they’re not in the UK as well.
There’s so many places people could volunteer but they just don’t know how to go about it or what is out there. So this would join up the dots.
Thank you for sharing.
Tim
Hi Tim, There certainly seems to be interest in expanding Catchafire into the UK. I am not surprised, having lived in the UK for nearly four years, I know how generous and caring Brits can be!
Even though you don’t live in the US, you still might be able to find projects at Catchafire for you that have a global reach.
Wow Carolyn, I love this idea. I think this gives us a great opportunity to see what all is out there and possibly try our hand at different things. Although Houston is a very large city, sometimes I want to do something different and not the same old things. Don’t get me wrong, they are all wonderful organizations but I’m sure there are some out there that could use much more support yet haven’t gotten the attention they need.
I love this, thanks for sharing this one with us.
~Adrienne
P.S. By the way, I used Paper Karma and got rid of ALL of Mom’s junk mail. Yay!! It was a breeze thanks to you.
Hi Adrienne, I’m so glad you like Catchafire. With your many skills, you will probably find many projects that are interesting to you. You’re right, there are a lot of wonderful organizations that need help and it’s great that Catchafire can bring volunteers and non-profit organizations together!
Thanks so much for letting me know how helpful Paper Karma was for you. It’s such a helpful app to rid your mailbox of junk mail and I love how it’s free! :-bd
I’v been considering volunteering at the nursing home to spend time with elderly people. I have a particular fondness for them and know that many of them are lonely in “God’s waiting room”.
Hi Amberr, That’s great that you are considering volunteering at a nursing home. I bet you will bring a lot of joy to them with your beautiful smile! 🙂