Volunteering Filter

January 30, 2008 11:27 AM

How can I grow my list of "high impact" volunteering opportunities in San Francisco?

I'd like to expand my list of "high impact" volunteering opportunities in San Francisco. I’m in an e-commerce/professional services role where I lead technical teams of ~10 people and I'm targeting opportunities where I can utilize much of my skill set and experience.

Through volunteer match I've found some solid candidates like entrepreneurial coaching at micromentor, IT/web support at Korematsu Discovery Academy and web development at taproot foundation. I'd like to stay clear of opportunities from sites like onebrick.org that are heavy with sorting/packing activities.

Can anyone share their experiences with avenues to opportunities like these?

posted by meifool to Society & Culture (5 answers total)

I haven't volunteered through Taproot but did apply for a job there once. They're really, really cool and good at matching people with solid experience with non-profits that need them. They also help with the project management side of things and act as a go between (sometimes business speak and non-profit speak needs some translation.) Their application process is relatively simple, and they'll do a skills assessment and match you up with a project. They especially like people with lead experience, so if you enjoy doing that, definitely say so.
posted by nerdcore at 11:51 AM on January 30, 2008

No personal experience, but I've heard good things about The Volunteer Center. It looks like they do something similar to Volunteer Match, but may have a different set of opportunities.
posted by wemayfreeze at 11:53 AM on January 30, 2008

I work with lots of volunteer programs nationally. I will Second The Volunteer Center in SF. The staff are smart and professional. Their understanding of volunteerism is transformative. I think that they can set you on the right path.

Good luck!
posted by zerobyproxy at 3:16 PM on January 30, 2008

Oh yeah, drop me a mefi mail if you would like to talk off line.
posted by zerobyproxy at 3:17 PM on January 30, 2008

Idealist.org is my one stop shop for posted volunteer activities.

You have skills that would be in high demand for any non-profit, so I think you'll have your pick of a lot of opportunities. You could also just call up causes that you are passionate about and see if the organizations have need for services like yours.
posted by paddingtonb at 11:21 AM on January 31, 2008