Welcome to the Bay Area Capacity Building Collective

Strengthen your organization with the help of pro bono volunteers

SUPPORTED BY

Connect With Talented and Engaged Professionals

Skills-based volunteering is a powerful resource for driving operational growth, which ultimately helps you achieve your mission.

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.
HAPPENING NOW

Jordan from End Hep C SF, SF Public Health Foundation listed an Operating Budget project.

Akinsanmi matched with Amanda from Bike East Bay for a Finance consultation call!

USA Cycling Foundation received an application from Shreyans for a Tech Systems consultation call.

Hellman Foundation received an application from Karen for a Leadership Coaching project.

EatSF, Vouchers 4 Veggies received an application from Nora for a Translation project.

Bike East Bay received an application from Ajay for a Google Ads Set Up project.

Seth from The Crucible listed a Branded Digital Assets project.

Jess from USA Cycling Foundation listed a Tech Systems consultation call.

Tom matched with Jess from USA Cycling Foundation for a Tech Systems consultation call!

Annie matched with Lea from EatSF, Vouchers 4 Veggies for a Flexible Graphic Design Support project!

Lea from EatSF, Vouchers 4 Veggies listed a Translation project.

Julie from Embodied Jewish Learning listed a Finance consultation call.

Bike East Bay received an application from Darlington for a Google Ads Set Up project.

Bike East Bay received an application from Chantz for a Google Ads Set Up project.

Hellman Foundation received an application from Julie for a Leadership Coaching project.

Rich City Rides received an application from Kruti for an Accounting Systems Review project.

Hellman Foundation received an application from Nate for a Leadership Coaching project.

Heather from Oakland Literacy Coalition listed a Flexible Tech Support project.

Laura matched with Jamileh from RYSE Center for a Translation project!

Bike East Bay received an application from Ahmet Berke for a Google Ads Set Up project.

Lea from EatSF, Vouchers 4 Veggies listed a Translation project.

Chelsey from Bike East Bay listed a Google Ads Set Up project.

Bike East Bay received an application from Ayomide for a Google Ads Set Up project.

Hellman Foundation received an application from Michael for a Leadership Coaching project.

Bike East Bay received an application from Paul for a Google Ads Set Up project.

California Film Institute received an application from Elizabeth for a Meeting Facilitation Coaching project.

Elizabeth from Hellman Foundation listed a Leadership Coaching project.

Kelly matched with Zoe from Food as Medicine Collaborative for a Meeting Facilitation Coaching project!

California Film Institute received an application from Mary Barbara for a Meeting Facilitation Coaching project.

Liana from California Film Institute listed a Meeting Facilitation Coaching project.

Ro matched with Leah from Elementary Institute of Science for a Marketing Strategy consultation call!

P matched with Jordan from End Hep C SF, SF Public Health Foundation for a Flexible Web Development Support project!

Nicholas matched with Jordan from End Hep C SF, SF Public Health Foundation for a Finance consultation call!

Babatunde from Rich City Rides listed an Accounting Systems Review project.

USA Cycling Foundation received an application from Sascha for a Tech Systems consultation call.

KeyShawn matched with Angie from LA CASA DE LAS MADRES for a Flexible Graphic Design Support project!

Eric matched with Heather from Oakland Literacy Coalition for a Website consultation call!

Mihai matched with Heather from Oakland Literacy Coalition for a Website consultation call!

The Monkey House, Berkeley received an application from Nadia for an Organizational Strategy consultation call.

Food Pharmacy Alliance, University of California San Francisco Foundation received an application from Bekrattou for a Translation project.

The Monkey House, Berkeley received an application from Michael for an Organizational Strategy consultation call.

Ira from The Monkey House, Berkeley listed an Organizational Strategy consultation call.

USA Cycling Foundation received an application from Kali Prasad for a Tech Systems consultation call.

Marybeth matched with Tony from NICOS Chinese Health Coalition for a Logo Design & Visual Brand Identity project!

Laura matched with Mercedes from BANANAS Inc. for a Translation project!

USA Cycling Foundation received an application from Emily for a Tech Systems consultation call.

USA Cycling Foundation received an application from mehdi for a Tech Systems consultation call.

USA Cycling Foundation received an application from David for a Tech Systems consultation call.

USA Cycling Foundation received an application from Chris for a Tech Systems consultation call.

Laura matched with Mercedes from BANANAS Inc. for a Translation project!

How It Works

Whether you need pro bono support on a project, or want advice from an industry expert, get it all done with Catchafire.
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
Get on the phone with an industry expert to get answers to burning questions, brainstorm organizational challenges, or get feedback.
Projects
Work with a skilled professional to complete critical projects such as graphic design, website development, copywriting, database customization, and more!

What Do You Need Help With?

Select from 150+ pre-scoped projects or post a consultation call to get started.

ABOUT THE VOLUNTEERS

Work With Talented Professionals From Around the World

Catchafire's virtual volunteering network connects you with passionate professionals across a diverse range of fields, from Fortune 500s to 1-person startups, all over 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

“Monica was terrific. She took a relatively convoluted process and creatively developed a way to present it clearly in a manner that met our needs. We are very happy to have had the opportunity to work with Monica!”
Andrew CEO & Founder, Sanivation
“This is an amazing opportunity for small organizations like ours to be able to tap into the knowledge and experience of others.”
Shannon Quality Improvement Coordinator, Caswell Family Medical Center

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