United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and
SKILLS BASED VOLUNTEERING

Did you know that over 85% of non profits nationwide are missing out on millions of dollars of resources? Resources that they can find in their own backyard amongst the very volunteers they interact with day in and day out.

Besides being friendly faces and a much needed extra pair of hands, volunteers also contain a variety of skills and specialized abilities that, if harnessed correctly, can save a nonprofit a whole lot of time, money and even frustration. More importantly, connecting the right skills to the right project at the right time will allow for greater impact by building stronger organizations and ultimately, a stronger community.

The idea of providing one's business services for free, or pro bono, was recently only common in the legal profession. Now, a completely new branch of service called Skills Based Volunteering has emerged which utilizes the variety of skills offered by volunteers to aid nonprofits in accomplishing specific goals. Due to a number of reasons, including the rise of Corporate Social Responsibility, new baby boomer retirees looking to put their skills to use in all their spare time, and the recent economic downturn, Skills Based Volunteering has been increasing in momentum and is becoming a national movement.