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.
Community Forward SF received an application from John for a Tech Systems consultation call.
Performing Arts Workshop received an application from Vincent for a Marketing Strategy Consultation project.
Jeanne from San Francisco Flower Mart LLC listed a Website consultation call.
Jeanne from San Francisco Flower Mart LLC listed a Tech Systems consultation call.
San Francisco Flower Mart LLC received an application from divek for a Website consultation call.
San Francisco Flower Mart LLC received an application from Jojo for a Website consultation call.
San Francisco Flower Mart LLC received an application from Shokai for a Website consultation call.
San Francisco Flower Mart LLC received an application from Kaspars for a Tech Systems consultation call.
Community Forward SF received an application from Kaspars for a Tech Systems consultation call.
Felicia from Community Forward SF listed a Tech Systems consultation call.
Community Forward SF received an application from Ross for a Tech Systems consultation call.
Collective Impact received an application from Daniel for a Brand Messaging consultation call.
Collective Impact received an application from Sheila for a Brand Messaging consultation call.
Collective Impact received an application from Angela for a Professional Bio Writing project.
Project Artivism received an application from Timilehin for a Social Media Content Calendar project.
Taryn matched with Cynthia from Mission Bit for a Copyediting project!
Lynn matched with Kathleen from Meals on Wheels San Francisco for a Print Materials Design project!
African Arts Academy received an application from Rumalka for an Event Logistics Planning project.
Collective Impact received an application from Chante for a Brand Messaging consultation call.
Cora from Mission Bit listed a Social Media Content Calendar project.
Cora from Mission Bit listed a Flexible Graphic Design Support project.
Rafiki Coalition for Health and Wellness received an application from Rafael for a Flexible Web Development Support project.
Collective Impact received an application from Jennifer for a Professional Bio Writing project.
Collective Impact received an application from Donald for a Professional Bio Writing project.
Alex matched with Daniel from Bay Area Video Coalition for a Google Analytics Set Up & Training project!
Raul matched with Nancy from Collective Impact for a Data & Analytics consultation call!
Summerlea from Cartoon Art Museum of California listed a Fundraising Plan Assessment project.
May from Rafiki Coalition for Health and Wellness listed a Flexible Web Development Support project.
Holy Stitch received an application from Peter for a Website Audit project.
Transgender, Gender Variant and Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP) received an application from Catherine for a Salesforce Training project.
Holy Stitch received an application from sam for a Website Audit project.
Performing Arts Workshop received an application from Nathan for a Marketing Strategy Consultation project.
Rafiki Coalition for Health and Wellness received an application from Jinisha for a Flexible Web Development Support project.
David matched with Nancy from Collective Impact for a Tech Systems consultation call!
Nancy from Collective Impact listed a Professional Bio Writing project.
Vrushali matched with Nancy from Collective Impact for an Organizational One-Pager project!
Nancy from Collective Impact listed a Brand Messaging consultation call.
Holy Stitch received an application from Bernie for a Website Audit project.
Julian from Holy Stitch listed a Website Audit project.
Vrushali matched with Nancy from Collective Impact for a Brand Messaging consultation call!
Project Artivism received an application from Jordan for a Social Media Content Calendar project.
Collective Impact received an application from Zora for a Website Copywriting project.
Collective Impact received an application from Magy for a Website Copywriting project.
Harini matched with Leye from African Arts Academy for a Project Management Plan project!
Dan matched with Raissa from Push Dance Company for a New Employee Onboarding project!
Nancy from Collective Impact listed a Website Copywriting project.
Kathleen from Meals on Wheels San Francisco listed a Volunteer Manual project.
Community Thrift Store received an application from Molly for a Human Resources consultation call.
Catia matched with Emily from San Francisco Youth Theatre for a Google Ads Campaign Support project!
Community Thrift Store received an application from Chloe for a Human Resources 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 Taryn M. helped Mission Bit
How Lynn D. helped Meals on Wheels San Francisco
How Alex D. helped Bay Area Video Coalition
How Raul V. helped Collective Impact
How Harini P. helped African Arts Academy
How Dan L. helped Push Dance Company
How Catia N. helped San Francisco Youth Theatre
How Blaire B. helped African American Parent Advisory Council
How Luke L. helped San Francisco Housing and Development Corp...
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, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, East Bay Community Foundation’s ASCEND:BLO Initiative 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 The San Francisco Foundation, Marin Community Foundation, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, East Bay Community Foundation’s ASCEND:BLO Initiative, 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
