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Where Can You Find Pro Bono Volunteers?

Published on 2/6/2020

There are lots of ways to find skilled volunteers on your own. Organizations such as HandsOn Twin CitiesTaproot, Catchafire, and Volunteer Match offer matchmaking services that pair nonprofits with skilled volunteers, or you can ask board members or friends of the organization to refer people.

But wait! Before you start looking for volunteers for a project, it’s important to establish the scope. Here are three tips from our presentation and from my own experience on scoping a project to successfully work with volunteers:

1. Specify the desired outcome and timeline for the project, in writing.
2. Be clear on what role will be played by the volunteer, whether it’s an expert adviser, extra pair of hands, hands-on problem-solver, or something else. What decisions can they make on their own? What needs your input or approval? Are there privacy or security considerations?
3. Understand what support from you will be necessary, and make sure you can commit to that.

Don’t make the mistake of accepting offers of pro bono support that you don’t really need. Managing pro bono projects is a lot of work—and it’s well worth it—but only when the interests of the skilled volunteer and the organization are aligned. Consider keeping a few “someday” projects in your back pocket so that, when a well-intentioned person offers you their expertise (or their hairball idea), you can steer them toward something that will have a truly positive impact on your organization.

Once you do have a promising project and a well-developed scope, look for volunteers who have the right knowledge and skills for the project. It sounds like hiring a consultant, right? It’s very much like hiring a consultant—except instead of monetary compensation, your pro bono volunteer is getting some other kind of compensation or reward. You’ll want to know what’s in it for them. What are they hoping to get out of this engagement? How can you make sure that happens?

Principles of good pro bono