There are many web sites for nonprofit organizations online that could use a little direction, a little help from people in the web design and internet marketing communities.
I came across a site this weekend that works to connect professionals interested in helping non-profits with organizations that need their help.
The Taproot Foundation is a non-profit that partners with corporations, universities, and trade associations to help provide pro bono marketing, human resources and IT consulting to non-profit organizations.
The term “pro bono” means “for the good,” and Taproot has been working to connect business professionals with non-profits since 2001, enabling those professionals to provide a few hours a week to help organizations that can benefit from their experience and expertise.
Many of the Taproot projects involved in creating or updating web sites for non-profits. Here are some of the names of non-profits that have been benefitting with Taproot, on projects involving basic or advanced web sites:
Brooklyn:
Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment (now closed) Children’s Arts & Science Workshops Inc.
New York City:
Disabilities Network of New York City Hamilton-Madison House Jamaica Service Program For Older Adults
Washington, DC:
Alexandria, DC:
San Francisco, Ca:
CARECEN San Francisco Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto Conservatory of Flowers
Oakland, Ca:
Fred Finch Youth Center Friends of the Urban Forest Hamilton Family Center Hand in Hand Parenting
San Mateo, Ca:
Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County
Chicago, Il:
Chicago Communities In Schools, Inc. Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Deicke Center for Visual Rehabilitation Housing Opportunities for Women Latinos Progresando Literacy Chicago
Chelsea, MA:
Chelsea Collaborative, Inc.
Seattle, WA:
ECOSS – Environmental Coalition of South Seattle Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession Hanford Challenge Parent Trust for Washington Children
Taproot appears to be limited to 6 regions around the US:
- Bay Area
- Seattle
- Chicago
- New York
- Boston
- Washington DC
In addition to helping organizations that need help and are working to help change the world for the better, by getting involved with Taproot, you have the opportunity to meet other professionals and get involved with people from corporate partners such as Microsoft, Yahoo, TimeWarner, Idealist.org, Deloitte, and many others.
If you are outside of Taproot’s regions, there are other places to learn about volunteer opportunities. For instance, a “virtual” search on the VolunteerMatch Website for web designer reveals 166 opportunites from organizations like:
Family Crisis Center of Baltimore County, Inc. Common Peace, Center for the Advancement of Nonviolence Harvest Home Silence the Violence, Inc.
Want to help change the world and peoples’ lives? There are plenty of opportunities.