The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) is providing 150 nonprofit organizations in the Territory with access to Catchafire through January 2021, allowing the nonprofits to match with pro bono professionals all over the U.S. and around the world on a wide range of projects. Catchafire can assist with more than 130 types of projects in a variety of categories, including marketing and communications, HR, fundraising, professional development, finance and operations, program management, technology and more. Each project is scoped out with useful steps, expectations, and recommended timelines that eliminate the time an organization would typically spend writing up instructions for a volunteer.
Shortly after the program’s official launch in September 2019, CFVI and Catchafire hosted three informational sessions for the participating nonprofits on St. John, St. Croix and St. Thomas, which drew more than 100 attendees. Since then, the program has taken off. So far, 88 of the organizations have registered to use the online platform. Of those, 27 have already matched with volunteers on 55 projects and calls, resulting in a total of 1,071 volunteer hours donated and more than $200,000 saved.
“We couldn’t be happier that so many of our nonprofit partners throughout the Territory are taking advantage of this incredible resource right at their fingertips. We’re looking forward to seeing how much we can accomplish through our partnerships with Catchafire over the next year as we continue to build forward here in the Virgin Islands.”
-Dee Baecher-Brown, CFVI President
Catchafire makes it easy for users to connect with volunteers, either for short-term projects or one hour consultation calls with an expert. First, the nonprofit looking for help posts a project or requests a call. Next, the nonprofit reviews applications, resumes and portfolios from volunteer candidates who want to donate their time and expertise. Once the right volunteer is selected, then the project can get underway.
“So far the Catchafire experience has been amazing. It is almost surreal that a small organization like ours can receive so much valuable and priceless assistance in so many critical areas. We are working with a number of volunteers on a variety of projects, including website usability audit, logo design, and program assessments. We ‘caught the fire’ about two months ago and have saved so much time and money,”
-Rashida Lester, Director of Programs, My S.I.S.T.A.H.S. Keeper
Become a Catchafire Volunteer
Interested in giving your skills back to Virgin Islands nonprofits? Click here to set up your volunteer profile and get started. After that, you can apply to a wide range of opportunities with nonprofits that require your specific skill set, focus on a cause you care about, and align with your availability. The time commitment ranges from one hour to up to 50 hours, and projects include everything from strategic planning to leadership coaching to graphic design.