HomeSKILLS-BASED VOLUNTEERING

SKILLS-BASED VOLUNTEERING

What is skills-based volunteering?

Skills-based volunteering gives nonprofits access to professional expertise in areas like marketing, HR, data management, and strategic planning—skills they may not have on staff. Volunteers aren’t just extra hands; they bring high-impact support that helps nonprofits run smoother, fill important gaps, and expand their reach in the community. By helping strengthen their operations, skills-based volunteers empower nonprofits to grow sustainably and make an even bigger difference in the long run.

The benefits are just as exciting for companies and volunteers. Companies can use skills-based volunteering to develop their employees’ leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills in a real-world setting. It also helps boost team morale and retention while bringing different departments together to work on meaningful projects. For volunteers, it’s a chance to sharpen their skills, find personal fulfillment, and give back to causes they care about. The result? Happier employees, stronger teams, and a deeper connection to the community.

Explore the impact of skills-based volunteering from three perspectives:
nonprofits, volunteers, and companies

Skills-based volunteering is transforming the way companies and employees contribute to their communities, offering high-impact opportunities to apply professional expertise for social good.

The case for skills-based volunteering

  • In a recent Benevity report, over 470 companies noted that 51% of volunteer hours were virtual (up from 23% before the pandemic), enabling remote and hybrid employees to donate their time and skills to nonprofits they care about from anywhere.
  • Benevity also reports that of the companies surveyed, 55% are evolving their volunteer programs to focus more deeply on driving social impact through skills-based volunteering and nonprofit board service.
  • 95% of employees said it’s important that their employer is making a positive impact in the community and that they are also personally doing so, according to a Deloitte survey of over 1,000 U.S. workers. In-person volunteer opportunities with community organizations and other ways to put their professional skills to use are the best ways their companies can support them in those efforts, workers said in the survey.
  • According to True Impact, skills-based volunteering outperforms traditional volunteering in most areas, increasing nonprofit reach by 35% and improving efficiency and effectiveness by 28%.
  • True Impact also found that skills-based volunteer projects build job-related skills and experiences more effectively than traditional volunteer projects, offering greater management responsibility, increased client or stakeholder interactions, and exposure to new subject matter—at 95% the rate of traditional projects.

Our skills-based volunteering program models

DESIGN & PLAN

Strategic Consulting

For companies looking to start or expand a skills-based volunteer (SBV) program.

ACTIVATE EMPLOYEES

Program Management

For companies looking for expert support in implementing a successful SBV program.

AMPLIFY YOUR IMPACT

Training & Tools

For companies seeking to improve how they run, evaluate, and grow their programs internally.

Ask us how we can build a program tailored to your corporate goals and culture.

‘Volunteer. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

-Arthur Ashe