What an exciting week of activities it has been to honor all of our helpers in celebration of National Volunteering Week!
To all who participated as guests on our panels and in our events, to all of you who shared stories, asked questions, and helped amplify our message, a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU.
Highlighting helpers — who are truly the heart and soul of our communities -- inspires us and brings us together when we are physically separated. That’s why we developed a program with a mix of live music, authors, activists, actors, and journalists to show our gratitude and make our world a little brighter.
We hope we were able to spark a bit of joy for you during these difficult times, as our community of volunteers does for us each day through their tireless dedication to helping others.
VolunteerMatch exists because of you: the nonprofit organizations, the volunteer leaders, and the volunteers who enrich communities and help where and when our neighbors need it most.
Celebrating National Volunteer Week 2020
In celebration of all our helpers, we created a full week of digital programming featuring inspirational volunteering leaders, activists, actors, authors, and journalists.
Here are some of the highlights with links, so you can enjoy them again and again:
- Violin for Volunteers Facebook Live Mini Concert by violinist D-Sharp
- Spotify Playlist, a special gift to you
- Interactive Panel: Volunteers: The Heart and Soul of Communities Password for video: 0D!8?#8I
- Host: Jeff Johnson, MSNBC Contributor and White House Correspondent
- Panelists:
- Rev. Dr. Michael Louis Pfleger, Senior Pastor, The Faith Community of Saint Sabina, and noted Social Activis
- Bea Stotzer, New Economics For Women
- Hill Harper, Actor & Author
- Anita Ramachandran, MicroMentor
- Greg Baldwin, Volunteer Match
- Stuart Wood, PhD, Executive Director, Sustainable Claremont
- Charles Lewis, Regional President, Howard University Alumni Association
- Panelists:
- Host: Jeff Johnson, MSNBC Contributor and White House Correspondent
- Curated Book List by noted analyst, attorney and author Bakari Sellers -- this list of literary works is one the entire family can enjoy.
Celebrating the 22nd Anniversary of VolunteerMatch
It's fitting that this year, as we're wrapping up National Volunteer Week, it's also our 22nd Anniversary. For 22 years, we’ve been a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving other nonprofits. Looking back at the journey, it’s inspirational to see how deep an impact all our volunteers, volunteer leaders, and nonprofit teams have made in supporting our communities and transforming our world.
Volunteers are truly the personification of the phrase, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Acting as a connector and convener to empower organizations and volunteers to make a difference in so many communities and hearing the incredible stories of people giving their time and talent to help others is such a profound experience, and it fills me with deep gratitude to be on this journey with our entire VolunteerMatch team.
Everyone Can #BeAHelper
We can attest to the fact that each one of us has the power to be a force for change. We’re the ones who will make a difference for people and causes in need. As one of our panelists, Hill Harper, shared this week, inspiration for a life of service comes when you find the thing you love the most, care about the most, and go after making a change in that area.
We’ve been fortunate to hear and collect many of these stories over the years. And, we’d love it if you would share more of them with us. We want to hear your inspiring story and the stories of those who inspire you, so we can keep the inspiration flowing.
Please join us and continue the celebration of our helpers that we began this week by sharing your stories. Let’s make today, and every day, one of ongoing connection and upliftment.
Upcoming Virtual Panel | Volunteerism during COVID-19 | Wednesday, April 29, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the very nature of how people can connect with and help each other. Join the Independent Sector and VolunteerMatch for a dynamic conversation, where you'll learn how to:
- Sustain volunteerism based upon the critical needs and long-term opportunities in your community in this unusual time
- Engage volunteers safely with the latest policies and processes
- Explore the longer-term implications for leveraging skilled volunteers to build nonprofit capacity and resilience
