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Catchafire: Connecting Passionate Professionals with Organizations in Need in honor of National Volunteer Month, Hawai‘i Community Foundation highlights a new way to volunteer
When The Bobby Benson Center on O‘ahu’s North Shore needed help with their website and digital strategy, they decided to try something new. Catchafire. Co-founded by Hawai‘i native Scott Smith along with Rachael Chong, Catchafire was created to unlock
a global resource for volunteers to help Hawai‘i’s nonprofits.Think of it as a Match.com for skilled professionals who want to volunteer to lend a hand to organizations. The Center didn’t have many resources Catchafire Founder and CEO, Rachael Chong, presenting to nonprofit leaders at HCF’s Advancing Nonprofit Excellence Conference in 2015
to devote to marketing and project manager. They could communications, and through now reach more people in Catchafire, they meaningful ways connected with Brett, Think of it as because Brett made a web developer the website “accessible Match.com passionate about to mobile devices, for skilled their mission. Three professionals added key fundraising months later, their who want to functions, and cleaned digital audit was up outdated and volunteer to complete and their incorrect information.” lend a hand strategy clear. It was almost too good to nonprofit to be true. organizations. “Brett transformed our website into an Catchafire began in impressive and vital marketing 2010, and not surprisingly, tool,” said Lily, the Center’s “caught fire” matching
organizations and volunteers at an incredible rate. So in 2015, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation partnered with Catchafire to launch a portal specifically for worthy nonprofits in Hawai‘i. So far, almost 200 nonprofits in Hawai‘i are registered with Catchafire, resulting in close to 5,000 volunteer hours donated and over half a million dollars saved.
> Did you know: Catchafire has launched a Phone Consultation feature where nonprofits can connect with volunteer subject-matter experts on a 1-hour, one-time phone call about a challenge or question. Volunteers and nonprofits can sign up at Catchafire.com
Learn m ore about H CF ’s par tner s hips at hawaiicommunity founda tio n . o r g