By ARA Content
What’s your excuse for not getting involved: Not enough time? No skills or experience you think could help anyone? Nothing nearby?
If you had information on thousands of non-profit agencies looking for volunteers anywhere nationwide, and also were able to choose how much time to spend, the type of cause you want to support, and set your own hours for volunteering. It would be hard to find a reason not to volunteer, wouldn’t it?
No more excuses. Whether you can spend 10 hours a week or 10 minutes; whether you live on the coast, in the mountains, on an island or the plains; whether you want to support the arts, the environment or social issues, there are thousands of opportunities waiting on VolunteerMatch.
VolunteerMatch is a non-profit Web site that serves as a clearinghouse for organizations needing individuals to volunteer and volunteers looking for organizations who can use their skills and experience. To date, nearly 20,000 non-profit and tax-exempt organizations have received more than 700,000 volunteer referrals through the site.
Any non-profit or tax-exempt organization can list an unlimited number of volunteer opportunities on VolunteerMatch. Visitors to VolunteerMatch enter their ZIP code to find local opportunities. Volunteers can also search by interest, date and keyword to generate a personally customized list. Once an opportunity of choice is found, the interested volunteer simply clicks on it to contact the organization and get involved.
Jan Mucklestone Fischer is one volunteer who found “the perfect opportunity” on VolunteerMatch - with a twist.
Wanting to put her background as a costume designer and fashion illustrator to good use. Fischer, who lives in the San Francisco area, explored the VolunteerMatch Web site two years ago, but didn’t expect to find much in the design field. To her surprise, she found what she called a “perfect match” for her skills and interests: a small dance troupe looking for costume design for a ballet production. She contacted the director and e-mailed sketches of her work.
“It wasn’t until the director called me back to talk about my designs that I found out the dance company is actually located in Maui,” Fischer said. “I had no idea I was volunteering over such a distance!”
Fischer has worked with the troupe for nearly two years now. She traveled to Maui to visit the site where the ballet will be staged, and in the process has become friends with the troupe’s director. If funding is approved, her volunteer work may even evolve into a paid position.
“VolunteerMatch is fabulous — I have nothing but accolades for the site,” Fischer said. “It’s a great way to volunteer because it’s easy to use, provides flexibility, a direct hook-up with any organization you’re interested in, and doesn’t require you to divulge any personal information until you want. I think it’s especially valuable for anyone who is homebound but has valid skills to share, because you don’t necessarily have to leave home to volunteer.”
Non-profit organizations find VolunteerMatch an easy and efficient way to connect with people who can support their efforts through volunteer activity. One example is NetMentors.Org. Since its inception in 1999, NetMentors.Org has recruited about half of its volunteers through VolunteerMatch.
To find volunteer opportunities in your area, or to learn more about VolunteerMatch, visit www.volunteermatch.org.
