Welcome to the Bay Area Capacity Building Collective
Strengthen your organization with the help of pro bono volunteers
Connect With Talented and Engaged Professionals
This program connects you with talented professionals looking to give back, allowing you to access expertise in areas such as marketing, web development, operations, strategy, and more.
Catchafire's menu of 150+ pre-scoped projects, each with specific deliverables and project steps, makes it easy to find what you need and match with a volunteer with the right skills for the job. And if you aren't sure where to begin, start by talking to a volunteer to get advice and explore ideas.
Dr. Kelly from Visionary HealthCare listed a Marketing Materials consultation call.
Dr. Kelly from Visionary HealthCare listed a Website consultation call.
Gretchen from Children for Change listed a Translation project.
Lindsay matched with Adrianna from Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area for an Email Marketing Copywriting project!
Drawdown Bay Area received an application from Chevoy for a Google Ads Campaign Support project.
Marin Shakespeare Company received an application from Melanie for a Transcription project.
Alter Theater received an application from Jeffrey for a Logo Design & Visual Brand Identity project.
Drawdown Bay Area received an application from Md Ziaur for a Google Ads Campaign Support project.
Denise from Drawdown Bay Area listed a Google Ads Campaign Support project.
Michelle matched with Gretchen from Children for Change for a Translation project!
Alter Theater received an application from Amos Semayi for a Logo Design & Visual Brand Identity project.
Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California received an application from Carol for a Logo Design & Visual Brand Identity project.
Alter Theater received an application from Carol for a Logo Design & Visual Brand Identity project.
Family and Children's Law Center received an application from Angela for a Website Major Update project.
Marin Housing Authority received an application from Ken for a Marketing Materials consultation call.
Eric from Alter Theater listed a Logo Design & Visual Brand Identity project.
Drawdown Bay Area received an application from Karen for a Google Ads Set Up project.
Family and Children's Law Center received an application from God'stime for a Website Major Update project.
Melissa matched with Felicia from Systems Thinking Marin for a Marketing Strategy consultation call!
Jeannine from Opening the World listed a Website Set Up (CMS-Based) project.
E3: Education, Excellence & Equity received an application from Ai for a Flexible Web Development Support project.
Felicia from Systems Thinking Marin listed a Marketing Channel Plan project.
E3: Education, Excellence & Equity received an application from HE for a Flexible Web Development Support project.
Marin Shakespeare Company received an application from ahmed for a Transcription project.
Family and Children's Law Center received an application from Kaung Si for a Website Major Update project.
MULTICULTURAL CENTER OR MARIN received an application from Ji for a Website consultation call.
Alcohol Justice received an application from Yvonne for a Website consultation call.
MULTICULTURAL CENTER OR MARIN received an application from Aina for a Website consultation call.
Alcohol Justice received an application from Noah for a Website consultation call.
Alcohol Justice received an application from Joshua for a Website consultation call.
Leslie from Drawdown Bay Area listed a Google Ads Set Up project.
Alcohol Justice received an application from Ryan for a Website consultation call.
Marin Shakespeare Company received an application from Tracy for a Transcription project.
Lesley from Marin Shakespeare Company listed a Transcription project.
Alcohol Justice received an application from CHEUKLING for a Website consultation call.
Alcohol Justice received an application from David for a Website consultation call.
E3: Education, Excellence & Equity received an application from Ahmet for a Flexible Web Development Support project.
Marin Shakespeare Company received an application from Sairakshitha for a Transcription project.
Alcohol Justice received an application from Tadd for a Website consultation call.
E3: Education, Excellence & Equity received an application from Nadav for a Flexible Web Development Support project.
Family and Children's Law Center received an application from Sohaib for a Website Major Update project.
E3: Education, Excellence & Equity received an application from Hadeel for a Flexible Web Development Support project.
MULTICULTURAL CENTER OR MARIN received an application from Jéthron for a Website consultation call.
E3: Education, Excellence & Equity received an application from Matthew for a Flexible Web Development Support project.
Alcohol Justice received an application from David for a Website consultation call.
Alcohol Justice received an application from Jéthron for a Website consultation call.
Michael from Alcohol Justice listed a Website consultation call.
E3 from E3: Education, Excellence & Equity listed a Flexible Web Development Support project.
E3: Education, Excellence & Equity received an application from Naveen for a Flexible Web Development Support project.
Alcohol Justice received an application from Troy for a Website consultation call.
How It Works
1. Explore Available Projects
Browse through over 150 pre-scoped projects and post your own.2. Find Your Pro Bono Professional
Review applications from interested professionals and choose who you want to work with.3. Get The Help You Need
Kick off your project and start making progress.Two ways to connect!
Consultation Calls
Projects
What Do You Need Help With?
Select from 150+ pre-scoped projects or post a consultation call to get started.
Great Connections Are Made Here
How Lindsay F. helped Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area
How Michelle B. helped Children for Change
How Melissa L. helped Systems Thinking Marin
How Dominic G. helped Alter Theater
How Dee C. helped Homeward Bound of Marin
How Anthony G. helped Performing Stars of Marin
How Tari M. helped Parent Services Project, Inc.
How Jill S. helped North Marin Community Services
How Sundar S. helped Sanzuma
ABOUT THE VOLUNTEERS
Work With Talented Professionals From Around the World
Finding the right match is important. Each of the 150+ pre-scoped projects contains prerequisite skills and experience, core deliverables, and time estimates, so volunteers know exactly what is required when they apply to work with you.
The rigorous application process, which includes work experience, portfolios, and statements of interest, limits applicants to those who are serious about working with you. It's not a one-click application, and it shouldn't be.
You can review up to three applications at a time, and interview candidates before deciding. The decision is yours.
What Other Organizations are Saying
Frequently Asked Questions
New around here? Start with the basics.
Catchafire is an online platform for virtual, skills-based volunteering. Through Catchafire, professionals are able to directly support causes they care about by helping nonprofits with projects that match their skill sets. And because projects can be completed from anywhere, Catchafire makes it possible for organizations and skilled volunteers to connect for good, from all around the world!
Skills-based volunteering is a high impact form of volunteering that allows an individual to donate his or her professional skills and expertise, which in turn allows a nonprofit to build its capacity and focus more efficiently on its mission.
Skilled volunteers help nonprofits fill critical knowledge and staffing gaps, they work as thought partners on strategic projects, and they complete specific projects that require specialized skills, training, or experience. Very often, the relationships between volunteers and nonprofits extend far beyond the scope of the initial project that brought them together.
A specific example of skills-based volunteering is a marketing professional who volunteers to help a nonprofit create a marketing strategy.
We are partnering with Catchafire to provide grantees with access to virtual, skilled volunteers. We believe that by providing this valuable resource for capacity building and strategic project work, we can help our grantees amplify and accelerate the impact they have on the communities and beneficiaries they serve.
No. Your access to Catchafire is sponsored through this program, so it’s completely free for your organization.
In order to participate, you must first register your organization and then post your first project or consultation call. Get started by visiting the Project Menu to browse through over 150+ detailed project types.
You can work on an unlimited number of projects and calls throughout your membership. Once you finish a project, just make sure to mark it “complete”.
Your posted projects are visible to Catchafire’s entire skills-based volunteer community of 40,000+ talented professionals on the platform, and millions more via Catchafire's partnership with LinkedIn. Those who are interested in your organization’s cause area and who have the skills required for your project will be able to apply.
Skills-based volunteers may apply to your projects from all across the country and around the world. We encourage you to engage with virtual skills-based volunteers. If you prefer to work with somebody local, please expect it to take longer than normal to receive applications from a professional in the area.
On average, projects are matched within two weeks. If you are not seeing the response you hoped for, please reach out to [email protected], and one of Catchafire's Nonprofit Advisors will get in touch with you.
After the interview, you can log into your account dashboard and ACCEPT or PASS on the match. Once both parties accept, you are officially matched and can begin the project! If you need to exchange any materials or have follow-up conversations to determine if it is a good fit after the interview, you are encouraged to do so.
Absolutely! Schedule a call, or email your questions to [email protected] and one of Catchafire’s Nonprofit Advisors will be in touch within 24 business hours.
About this Program
Marin Community Foundation, San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and the Hellman Foundation have joined together to launch the Catchafire Bay Area Collective. This program provides capacity building resources to local nonprofit organizations working to build stronger, more equitable communities.
The participating foundations have partnered with Catchafire to support nonprofit organizations by making connections to pro bono professionals here in the Bay Area and across the world. Through these connections, the Collective maximizes the impact organizations are able to make on the communities they serve.
Catchafire is the largest, online tool that connects social good organizations with talented professionals looking to donate their skills. This resource provides organizations with expert support in areas like marketing and communications, web development, operations, strategy and much, much more.
Learn more about Marin Community Foundation, San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and the Hellman Foundation.
Have more questions? Drop us a line.
Email the Catchafire team at [email protected], or schedule a Catchafire introduction call to learn more about how your organization can build capacity with help from skilled pro bono professionals
