(ARA) - 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 a coast, in the
mountains, on an island or on 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
simply 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.
"We have found the convenience factor to be a big driver in finding
volunteers for our program," says James Green, executive director. "And
that's on both sides. We recruit high school students to participate as
well as mentors to give them information and guidance as these youth
begin to explore career opportunities."
NetMentors.Org provides career development mentoring to at-risk youth or
first-generation college candidates. It's free to students and allows
them an opportunity to gather "real life" information in careers as
diverse as law, information technology, medicine or any other area where
mentors can provide expertise. Currently, it reaches students primarily
in the Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. areas, but is expanding
nationwide through partnerships with several major universities and
business schools.
Mentors participate via e-mail from all over the nation and can devote
as much -- or as little -- time as they'd like. "If you can only spare
10 minutes a week, that can be enough time to e-mail a student and
answer some questions," Green says. This flexibility benefits the
students, as well. "If they have demanding school work, part-time jobs
or commitments at home, they can still benefit from the mentoring
relationship on their own schedule. By taking advantage of the Internet,
volunteering doesn't have to be a big, complicated commitment."
Well-established organizations also benefit from listing their
opportunities on VolunteerMatch. The American Red Cross, Bay Area
chapter, has used the site for more than four years, says Rita Chick,
chief human resources officer and director of volunteer resources. "We
average five or six hits a week from VolunteerMatch," she said. That
amounts to 250 to 300 potential new volunteers every year. "I simply
forward information to the appropriate volunteer manager, who then
follows-up with e-mail or phone calls to check availability and
qualifications, and then sets up training."
Chick says VolunteerMatch is a great way for interested volunteers to
find out if their skills meet an organization's needs before they make
contact, and it's also a good way to get the word out about projects and
special needs within a specific community. "If there's a local disaster
or even something like a marathon that needs volunteers, help can be
coordinated online," she says. Her Red Cross chapter generally has
volunteer opportunities for clerical help, receptionists in county
offices, instructors for first aid, CPR and babysitting classes, and
presenters for emergency preparedness workshops. "If someone calls
offering expertise that we can't use, we can generally find a group who
can, either through our own staff or through VolunteerMatch," she says.
"VolunteerMatch makes it easy to bring
volunteers and charitable organizations together to meet the needs of
their community," says the service’s president, Jay Backstrand. "And
National Volunteer Week, April 21 - 27, gives everyone a great excuse to
log on, sign up and help out."
To find volunteer opportunities in your area, or to learn more about
VolunteerMatch, visit
www.volunteermatch.org
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