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3 minute read
“Our organization will be better in the future because of her time today.”
Kirstin, Philanthropy Manager
Wonder Connection
Nonprofits across the Mid-Atlantic have had a similar experience; working with volunteers on Catchafire boosts organizational capacity, frees up staff time, and creates long-lasting relationships that ultimately benefit the nonprofit ecosystem. Each project and call supported by a volunteer helps nonprofits focus on their mission and community, allowing them to improve their operations and programming long-term.
We share the impact stories of these Mid-Atlantic nonprofits as stellar examples of the collective impact nonprofits, funders, and volunteers can make when they come together.
Glass Soldier
Baltimore, Maryland
Causes: Military & Veterans Affairs, LGBTQ+, Science & Technology
Sponsored by Catchafire Baltimore
Glass Soldier is a duty-bound and data-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to the elimination of sexual assault in the military. They aim to end the epidemic of rape and sexual trauma in the armed forces and combat a culture of pervasive misogyny, sexual harassment, and retribution against victims.
The organization has saved $10,561 on five projects by working with volunteers on Catchafire. They spoke to Gary, a nonprofit consultant, on a call for strategic advice on creating and implementing a fundraising strategy. Their goal was to attract more donors to the organization.
“Gary gave me world-class advice. In the one hour session, the suggestions he gave made a tangible difference. Gary was able to help us with the look of our website and how to make impactful changes. Due to this, we have seen an increase of 300 clicks to our site since the change. Very rare to see the impact of advice immediately, but we did and that is why I am amazed at the people who volunteer to help others on this platform.”
Diandra P., Founder
Wonder Connection
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Causes: Youth Development, Education, Health & Nutrition
Foundation Partner: Oak Foundation
Wonder Connection’s mission is to empower pediatric patients with the wonders of nature and science through multi-sensory learning experiences that promote joy and well-being. Wonder Connection has made an incredible use of Catchafire and skills-based volunteers; the organization has posted 56 projects and saved $180,670 on project support since 2020.
For their first project, Wonder Connection matched with Julie on a call about marketing materials. The organization was working on their first comprehensive communications and fundraising plan, and wanted to receive expert feedback on their framework.
“Julie was fantastic, she is a true seasoned professional. She had taken time to learn about our organization prior to the call. She presented feedback in a manner that made the tasks we need to do moving forward approachable and understandable. Our organization will be better in the future because of her time today.”
Kirstin M., Philanthropy Manager
Cape Ivy
Charlottesville, Virginia
Cause: Health & Nutrition
Foundation Partner: Charlottesville Area Community Foundation
The mission of Cape Ivy is to provide warmth, comfort, and support to children who have chronic or critical illnesses and their families. Cape Ivy provides fleece ponchos to children in the hospital because robes, sweaters, and jackets don't work well with IV lines and other medical equipment. Cape Ivy is a resource for families experiencing long-term hospitalization of children.
Since joining Catchafire in 2021, the organization has saved over $20,000 on 5 projects, allowing them to focus on their mission and reach more children. Cape Ivy matched with Nathan, a digital marketing strategist, on a Google Ads set up project that saved the organization money and drove more traffic to their website.
“I didn’t even know about the Google Ad grant until Catchafire sent an email with resources and a link to the webinar about Google Ads! I applied and received the grant. Then I posted the project on Catchafire on the 12th and by the 16th had my volunteers lined up. And the volunteer was Nathan – he was on the webinar that Catchafire hosted.
Nathan is knowledgeable and easy to work with. His explanations are clear and understandable. After setting up the Google Ads, he spent time explaining to me the different parts of the account, what to track, what to look for, how to add another ad group, and recommend what I need to do weekly to make sure the ads are working. He also suggested we do a follow-up call in 1 week to make sure I understood everything so I can continue on my own. He was patient and thorough. I highly recommend Nathan for Google Ads set up!”
Cindy H., Co-Founder
Co-Founders of Cape Ivy, Meg and Cindy, pictured above.
Volunteer Spotlight
Our top contributing volunteer from the Mid-Atlantic is Deborah, a leadership and transformative life coach from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Prior to starting her coaching practice, Deborah was the Chief Operating Officer with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, and before that, was the founding CEO of Cool Space Locator, a non-profit dedicated to bringing businesses into urban neighborhoods.
Since 2019, Deborah has completed 97 projects with a total impact of $349,034 for nonprofits!
There’s many ways to get involved with Catchafire
- Sign up to volunteer and support critical programming for nonprofits.
- If you’re a grantmaker and would like to learn more about equipping nonprofits in your community with responsive, high-quality operational support, let’s connect. Email us here.
