Every 32 Seconds, VolunteerMatch Makes a Difference
Pat Hairston really loves animals, especially her Airdale Terrier, Delta Mae. She also wanted to get involved as a volunteer in her local area. While at an azalea festival, Pat discovered Carolina Canines for Service (CCES), and realized it was the connection she had been looking for. She began volunteering in the office, and after watching a team training session and seeing a person with limited mobility get matched with a service dog, she was hooked. Pat believed that Delta Mae would be a perfect fit for a therapy dog because, “She never met someone that was not her best friend!” Her belief was tested early. Delta Mae was in the middle of her training when Pat’s good friend Carole was told her breast cancer was terminal. When she was moved into a hospice center, she asked if Delta Mae could come visit her. Pat remembers that her normally rambunctious dog seemed to know that her sick friend needed gentle care. When asked, Delta Mae would climb into Carole’s bed with her and lie there quietly. She was at Carole’s side the morning she passed away. Pat takes comfort from the fact that her friend did not die alone. “She was surrounded by companions who loved her the most,” she says. Delta Mae has now been a licensed therapy dog for five years. Pat enjoys giving back to her community but knows she couldn’t do it without her partner. “We have dedicated these years to being with the many people and their families who have experienced the final days of life,” she says, “and we’ll continue to bring comfort to others in the future.”
In Pittsburg, Pennsylvania the Benedicts power up their computer and connect with their “Net Buddy,” Tumi in sub-Saharan Africa. Working through a program called Infinite Family, they are just one of a number of families who are making a difference by mentoring children who have been orphaned by AIDS. Often left to fend for themselves, care for younger siblings, and sort out life’s challenges on their own, they are desperate for adult love, friendship, and guidance. Through the miracle of the internet and web cameras with built-in microphones, Linda Benedict says 15 year-old Tumi—who lost her parents to AIDS when she was young---talks excitedly about boys and cars with her daughter, also a teenager. She also shares websites and draws things on the Infinite Family’s website whiteboard with her son. Says Linda,” They just giggle. It’s so funny. All the barriers of being in a different country and being a different age seem to melt away, and they’re just kids having fun.” Linda also talks with Tumi about her schoolwork and asks if she needs any help with math problems. Assisted by staff members of Infinite Family who traveled to Africa, the Benedicts have shared photos of the family. In return they received an envelope filled with homemade gifts from Tumi. “These kids are in no position to be giving gifts,” says Linda. “It just blew me away.” Linda believes the connection with Tumi has been a gift for the entire family. “Each time I’ve done anything as a volunteer, I’ve always gotten more out of it than I put in, she says. “Tumi has changed our life.”
Although they come from different lifestyles and different parts of the country, these Americans are connected by a common thread----they all want to make a difference. They are not alone. "Every 31.6 seconds a volunteer connects to an organization in need via VolunteerMatch, seeking a chance to “give back” and make the world a little bit better."
Launched in 1998, VolunteerMatch.org was started to help everyone find a great place to volunteer. It was founded as a merger between Impact Online, Inc., a California nonprofit organization started by MBAs Mark Benning, Joanee Ernst, Steve Glikbarg, and Cindy Shove and Volunteer America, a project co-founded by Jay Backstrand and Craig Jocoby. Today the organization is called Impact Online, Inc., dba VolunteerMatch.org and it is considered by many to be one of the most important nonprofit organizations in the world.
From the beginning, VolunteerMatch.org earned high praise from both business and academic communities. In 1998 it was selected for inclusion in the Smithsonian Institution’s Permanent Research Collection, and it was the recipient of the 1999 Socially Responsible Award from MIT Sloan School of Management. Later on Oprah Winfrey promoted the company on her show, and in 2007 it was listed in Time magazine’s “50 Top 10 Lists.”
Currently VolunteerMatch.org is experiencing a new growth spurt, due in large part to an increased interest in disaster relief volunteering. After Hurricane Katrina, the American Red Cross reported 26,000 volunteers and VolunteerMatch.org had over 3000 emails a day from people wanting to help. Seeing the overwhelming need and the huge response from volunteers, it partnered with the American Red Cross to integrate VolunteerMatch Solutions with the Red Cross volunteer opportunity search system, a relationship which still exists today.
The organization has also worked to recruit older adults, a population which promises to become even larger as the “baby boomers” reach retirement age. Their publication “Boomer Volunteer Engagement: Collaborate Today, Thrive Tomorrow” is an effort to promote this type of older adult engagement and to harness the skills such volunteers bring to the table.
The current president of VolunteerMatch.org is Greg Baldwin, who has been with the company in different capacities for almost 14 years and is himself a life-long volunteer. Baldwin’s vision mirrors that of the organization---bringing “good people and good causes together.” It is a goal that is being met. As of 2008, VolunteerMatch.org supported a community of over six million users. And in 2010 it launched its first iPhone app, which makes it easier for users to connect with volunteer opportunities on the run.
This past year, VolunteerMatch.org generated its 4,000,000th referral. And it shows no signs of slowing down. It continues to win countless awards, such as “Best.org Web Site” at the Nonprofit Technology Conference, and to strengthen its partnerships with corporate sponsors like Morgan Stanley and Exelon, among others. It has also caught the eye of America’s political leaders. After 9/ll, the organization (whose referrals were up 70 percent) was praised by then president George Bush who stated, “The response to the call of service has been strong.” President Bill Clinton cited VolunteerMatch.org as a resource in his book, Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World, and in a January, 2008 platform statement on service and volunteering, President Barak Obama wrote, “Technology can help. Existing sites like USAFreedomCorps.gov.and VolunteerMatch.org represent a good start.”
In its Vision Statement, VolunteerMatch.org asks:
- What if, somewhere on the internet, there was a community of people who believed in the power of volunteering to enrich our lives and the world around us?
- What if, somewhere on the internet, millions of good people and good causes could come together to form relationships that serve us all?
- What if, somewhere on the internet, technology was being used to advance the values and partnerships that strengthen our civil society?
Today it appears this praiseworthy organization is making its dream a reality. By connecting millions of volunteers with organizations that desperately need their help, VolunteerMatch.org is changing the lives of people all over the world for the better.
To learn more about VolunteerMatch.org or to find out how to volunteer in your community, go to www.volunteermatch.org
