Pro Bono Giving and Receiving
Posted on September 19, 2011
Aaron Hurst, the president of the Taproot Foundation, offers advice about both giving and receiving pro bono services in an article titled, “The New Frontier of Community Service” which I just read. He writes that:
“While much of the focus has been on using volunteers to provide direct services, such as preparing meals, painting playground equipment and cleaning up rivers, this is not the type of volunteer help that nonprofit leaders say they need the most, however. Instead they say they need donations that will strengthen their organizational structures – services from skilled professionals who spend their days working in marketing, human resources, accounting, information technology, finance, setting strategy, and other areas of management. In the 2009 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey, 95 percent of nonprofit groups reported that they need more pro bono service.”
Here are some pieces of advice Aaron Hurst gives for utilizing pro bono services that I found rather helpful:
– Think of pro bono volunteerism as an actual form of currency that can offset the decline in giving and help your nonprofit stretch its budget.
– Learn more about skills-based volunteerism and pro bono trends, best practices, and ways to get started by reaching out to the Taproot Foundation, the Hands On Network, and Deloitte Community Involvement.
– Assign board members to solicit and perhaps oversee pro bono engagements in their area of expertise
