Brielle Maxwell is one of those people who loves to juggle ten things at once. Although she enjoys her career as a graphic designer/project manager, simply working on corporate projects then coming home and sitting in front of the TV just doesn’t do it for her.
She tried several random volunteer gigs at soup kitchens and the like, but felt she wasn’t making much of a contribution — and she certainly wasn’t using the valuable skills that make her a success in the working world.
But when she heard about Catchafire, a new venture that matches professionals with nonprofits and social enterprises in need of help from trained professionals to work on specific projects, Maxwell knew she had found a volunteer opportunity made for her. Catchafire matched her with Sparkseed, an organization that aims to develop the next generation of social entrepreneurs. They desperately needed a designer to create a killer brochure for an upcoming conference — and Maxwell delivered the goods.
“Design is something I’m passionate about and Catchafire gave me the opportunity to work on something that matters,” Maxwell tells Tonic.
Rachael Chong, Catchafire’s founder and CEO, launched Catchafire about a year ago after she struggled to find volunteer positions that would put her financial skills to good use. The former investment banker for Goldman Sachs and UBS tells Tonic she literally searched every day for six months for a way to offer her financial skills, but found nothing, even though she knew there had to be tons of organizations that would welcome her help.
Chong, 28, eventually launched Catchafire — named for her favorite Bob Marley album — as a way to make it easy for organizations and skills-based volunteers to connect.
“So many people have these powerful skills and feel strongly about using them for something they care about,” explains Chong. “Before Catchafire, it could be really hard to find the right opportunity, and now we make it easy.”
Chong explains that Catchafire essentially works like Match.com or eHarmony. Companies that need help contact Catchafire, which vets the organization and makes sure their project meets three criteria: 1. It requires 50 hours or less of flexible volunteer time over no more than a three-month period. 2. It is discrete. In other words, the project has a clearly defined deliverable. 3. It can be completed by one person.
Nonprofits and social ventures pay Catchafire (a for-profit social mission business) a $200 flat fee for the service, which Chong says ensures that the companies are serious about what they need, which can lead to a more positive volunteering experience.
Meanwhile, potential volunteers register on the Catchafire site, provide a resume or link to a LinkedIn profile, and a list of their areas of expertise. Catchafire then contacts volunteers with potential projects that suit their experience. Once matched, volunteers and organizations have a two-week grace period to get comfortable or walk away, and after the two weeks are up both the volunteer and the organization are expected to iron out any issues.
Right now, Catchafire is only working with organizations in the greater New York City area, and prioritizing NYC-based volunteers (although others can sign up, too) because they believe in the value of face-to-face meetings. Plus, they periodically host fun volunteer get-togethers, so you can hang out with other big-hearted professionals and reward yourselves for all your hard work.
According to Chong, there are 25 million Americans who have skills they could use in a nonprofit capacity, but with so many volunteer matches not made, it’s an incredible amount of time and money lost. To that end, Catchafire is challenging folks to volunteer on the site to raise $1 million in pro bono volunteer services by Jan. 31.
So, what are you waiting for? We know you are skilled and we know you care about the world around you — why else would you be reading Tonic? So sign up here and put those hard-earned skills to good use. Your soul will thank you.
Brielle Maxwell photo by Kalissa Maxwell/Rachael Chong photo at a Catchafire event courtesy of Catchafire.