Other Places to Find Volunteers

Our volunteers are geeks who generally help with one-time projects, or projects with set goals and endpoints.  Although they may be willing to give more time, it is entirely up to them.

For example, they may build a web-site, fix a printer, convert your database, or tweak your social media landing page.   However, if you are looking for longer term help, or a non-techie volunteer,  here are some sites we suggest you check out:

VolunteerMatch.org - This site has a special section for nonprofits that allows them to search for particular volunteer services.  Volunteers may also search for specific opportunities in their area.

Idealist.org – this is also a free volunteer matching service where people can search for volunteer opportunities and access other helpful resources.

MediaCause – is a free service that connects nonprofits with marketing volunteers who will help nonprofits learn how to best utilize their SEO, SEM, and social media to spread their message.

The Analysis Exchange – TAE  is an effort to dramatically increase the number of people on Earth doing web analytics the right way by connecting great causes with experienced mentors and motivated students.  Causes gain access to a global network of free web analytics resources, mentors contribute to the growth of the entire industry, and students gain experience mining data for actionable, analytics-driven business insights.

Sparked – The world’s first “mircovolunteering” forum, where volunteering takes place entirely online. Sparked helps nonprofits increase capacity by giving them a low-maintenance way to get free work done from a huge pool of talented professionals; including creative design, job description review, new product brainstorms, new website focus-grouping, media relations strategies, and so much more.

Trident United Way and the 2-1-1 hotline – TUW and 2-1-1 help match people in need of assistance with volunteers.  You can also post a profile of your nonprofit, along with ongoing volunteer needs.

If you have a need for an ongoing project, i.e. someone to write your newsletter each month, or manage your social media, we suggest the use of an unpaid intern.  Many college students in the area are looking for this type of position, which gives them both college credit and real world experience before they graduate.  These unpaid internships typically last for the duration of the school semester (about 4 months).  Each school has different requirements outlining what constitutes an internship that will count toward college credit.  Make sure that you carefully read over the guidelines in the links below before submitting an application to secure an intern.

Local colleges & guidelines for intern programs:
College of Charleston
Trident Tech
The Citadel
Charleston Southern
Art Institute of Charleston