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.
Transform received an application from Jonathan for a Management consultation call.
3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic received an application from Nancy for a Customer Database (CRM) Audit project.
Safe & Sound received an application from Temiloluwa for a Flexible Graphic Design Support project.
Project Open Hand received an application from Eric for a Tech Systems Set Up project.
Ready, Resilient, and Rising!, UCSF Benioff received an application from Charity for a Video Editing project.
Perry matched with Justin from Bike East Bay for a Public Speaking Coach project!
Ready, Resilient, and Rising!, UCSF Benioff received an application from Mark for a Video Editing project.
Ready, Resilient, and Rising!, UCSF Benioff received an application from Alliah Jane for a Video Editing project.
Diane from Ready, Resilient, and Rising!, UCSF Benioff listed a Video Editing project.
3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic received an application from Ankitha for a Customer Database (CRM) Audit project.
3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic received an application from Naman for a Customer Database (CRM) Audit project.
3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic received an application from Fernando for a Customer Database (CRM) Audit project.
Project Open Hand received an application from Kaviprakash for a Tech Systems Set Up project.
Claudia matched with Malini from The Pop-Up Village, Designing Justice + Designing Spaces for a Logo Design & Visual Brand Identity project!
Project Open Hand received an application from Wesley for a Tech Systems Set Up project.
Nancy matched with Jill from Bike East Bay for a Print Materials Design project!
Damian matched with Mercedes from BANANAS Inc. for an Impact Report Graphic Design project!
Bike East Bay received an application from Makeda for a Public Speaking Coach project.
Mercedes from BANANAS Inc. listed a Flyer Graphic Design project.
Amanda matched with Meg from Northern California Land Trust for a Website Major Update project!
Jason from 3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic listed a Customer Database (CRM) Audit project.
3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic received an application from Bhavana Chowdary for a Customer Database (CRM) Audit project.
3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic received an application from Gerusa for a Customer Database (CRM) Audit project.
3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic received an application from Riya for a Customer Database (CRM) Audit project.
Project Open Hand received an application from Devashree for a Tech Systems Set Up project.
Frances from Safe & Sound listed a Flexible Graphic Design Support project.
Joan matched with Rebecca from Waterside Workshops for a Human Resources consultation call!
Vanessa from Project Open Hand listed a Tech Systems Set Up project.
Project Open Hand received an application from Tanaka for a Tech Systems Set Up project.
Project Open Hand received an application from Ravali for a Tech Systems Set Up project.
Kimberly from Project Open Hand listed a Press Kit project.
Mercedes from BANANAS Inc. listed a Public Speaking Coach project.
Kinga matched with Seth from The Crucible for an Impact Report Graphic Design project!
Sean matched with Annie from East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Beau from California Film Institute for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Pegah from Safe & Sound SF for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Brian from Safe & Sound SF for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Sarah from BANANAS Inc. for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Elizabeth from Hellman Foundation for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Vanessa from Project Open Hand for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Jordan from End Hep C SF, SF Public Health Foundation for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Julie from Embodied Jewish Learning for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Denise from Bay Area Discovery Museum for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Elizabeth from Hellman Foundation for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Mercedes from BANANAS Inc. for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Mia from Food as Medicine Collaborative for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Adrienne from BANANAS Inc. for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Nancy from Bike East Bay for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Sean matched with Michelle from LA CASA DE LAS MADRES for a Strategic Prioritization Workshop consultation call!
Jill from Bike East Bay listed a Public Speaking Coach project.
When you join, you get unlimited access to a suite of services...
On-demand project support
Access expert pro bono consultants to fill every skill and staffing gap
On-site volunteers
Recruit in-person volunteers for your next community event
Technical training
Get technical advice and training on new software
Coaching
One-on-one coaching and professional development
Custom work, at no expense to you
Get specific deliverables done for every need including translation, website creation, donor letters, HR handbook, and more
Community groups
Meet leaders like you with access to peer to peer forums and networking opportunities
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 Perry B. helped Bike East Bay
How Claudia D. helped The Pop-Up Village, Designing Justice + Designing Spaces
How Damian R. helped BANANAS Inc.
How Amanda B. helped Northern California Land Trust
How Joan B. helped Waterside Workshops
How Yessi K. helped Oakland Literacy Coalition
How Carmen D. helped San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Education Fund Inc
How Klein W. helped EatSF, Vouchers 4 Veggies
How Helen H. helped The Crucible
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