Written by: Abelard Lormond

VolunteerMatch and the Newwave Foundation are hosting the first of webinar series, "Money Talk$" focused on developing financial wellness and bridging the information gap for communities of color left behind by current educational practices. This need is particularly urgent within the Black community where, according to a 2020 study on the Personal Finance Index (P-Fin Index), only 38% of African Americans were able to correctly answer a financial literacy questionnaire, compared to 55% of white respondents.

Written by Abelard Lormond

Note: This VolunteerMatch Young Ambassador Series post is written by Abelard Lormond. The Ambassador series blogs offer practical insights into causes and volunteer opportunities championed by VolunteerMatch or members of our partner network, to provide personal insight and shine a light on the unique work of our nonprofit partners.

Throughout the years, and even today, many people have displayed their acknowledgement for the unique injustices faced by African-Americans and sought to create a more equitable society for all. Some have taken physical action, while others have used the power of their words. Today, we take a look at some empowering quotes from 10 of these inspirational, quotable people. 

Thousands of volunteer opportunities available in support of healthier communities during American Heart Month

OAKLAND, Calif., February 11, 2021 – VolunteerMatch, the largest nonprofit network on the web connecting volunteers with opportunities to give back, today announced the release of 9 additional community-based Guides in Apple Maps. Residents and visitors in Austin, Denver, Minneapolis, Portland, and Nashville can now use the Maps app to identify meaningful places to volunteer in-person and virtually.

Black History Month in February is a great time to celebrate, honor, recognize, and delve deeper into Black history. Here are 13 things you can do to celebrate Black History Month to expand your knowledge, share with others, and get involved in your communities.

Almost one year ago, I wrote the first blog post of 2020 to kick off MLK Day and what we were confident would be a powerful year of grassroots service across our VolunteerMatch community. We hoped to inspire others and make it even easier and more accessible to get out into volunteer service in the new year than ever before.

December 5 marks the 35th anniversary of International Volunteer Day, established by the United Nations. The resolution recognized the role of volunteer service in “making an important contribution to socio-economic development activities” and “the desirability of stimulating the work of all volunteers both in the field and in organizations, and of giving encouragement to those volunteers, many of whom engage in volunteer service at considerable personal sacrifice”. Governments, NGOs, the private sector, and other stakeholders were invited to observe the work of volunteers on this day each year.

We’re joining forces with U.S. Bank to inspire good people to #GiveTime in honor of #GivingTuesday, and you’re invited!

After Black Friday and Cyber Monday, your wallet may be feeling a little thin by the time GivingTuesday rolls around, so we want to help you find ways to #GiveTime and help make #CommunityPossible.

This year, we’re focusing on what’s near and dear to so many of us during the holidays — community.

Music moves the human heart like no other force I know.

Just a few notes of a song have the power to lift us up when we’re feeling down, make us feel closer when we’re apart, and inspire us to boldly try new things we’ve been afraid to even dare to dream about.

OAKLAND, Calif., September 23, 2020 — VolunteerMatch, the world’s largest volunteer engagement network, has launched a new website designed to make election-related volunteering more accessible. Nonprofits including Turnout Nation, Open Progress, and Civic Works are featured, each of which offer volunteer actions that can be performed virtually via computer, phone, and mail.

For the entire month of September, in honor of the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance, we’re joining together with 911day.org to encourage all our colleagues and neighbors to make a difference.