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Civic and Community Engagement » Capacity for Nonprofits

Why It's Important

Nonprofits are on the front lines of using the time and energy of volunteers. Capacity to use this assistance must be supported and managed, providing an efficient system for matching demand and availability of volunteers.

 

How Richmond Is Doing

  • 30 percent of Richmond area nonprofits are “very interested” in information on help in skill-based volunteering assignments. (ODP CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, 2009)

Nonprofits are interested in Help, Capitalizing on skills, knowledge tops list

(CENSUS BUREAU, ACS, 2007)

As part of the ODP’s Civic Engagement Work Group, many nonprofit organizations have entered the dialogue of how to best communicate and match opportunities to volunteers. More needs to be done in this area.

How Virginia Is Doing

Content coming.

How the U.S. Is Doing

According to a 2007 VolunteerMatch.com survey, over 70% of nonprofits surveyed agreed that the increased availability of skilled volunteers would be helpful to their volunteer program. In general and beyond skills capability, the vast majority of nonprofits reported wanting more information about potential volunteers.

Online volunteer recruiting tools such as VolunteerMatch.com provide non-profits with a powerful tool for to expand their volunteer recruiting capacity. Among nonprofit users:

  • 84% say it makes it easier for them to reach out and recruit more volunteers
  • 82% say it makes it easier to find the right volunteers
  • 77% say it helps them find volunteers with the skills and abilities they need
  • 65% say it helps free up valuable resources

(VOLUNTEERMATCH.COM GREAT EXPECTATIONS, 2007)

 

80% of NPs Want More Info on Volunteers; 70% Want More Skilled Volunteers

(VOLUNTEERMATCH.COM GREAT EXPECTATIONS, 2007)

 

Empowering

(VOLUNTEERMATCH.COM GREAT EXPECTATIONS, 2007)

Data & Information Sources

Corporation for National & Community Service

http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/

Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics
http://www.agingstats.gov/agingstatsdotnet/main_site/default.aspx

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/

Volunteer Match, Great Expectations, 2007

http://www.volunteermatch.org/nonprofits/resources/greatexpectations/GreatExpectations_FullReport.pdf