What do they call that thing where two people meet and hit it off right away? Perhaps “love at first sight” or “to get on like a house on fire”? In any case, when a social good organization meets a skilled professional, it’s called Catchafire. Not a Bob Marley album, but a certified B corporation that matches professionals with nonprofits and social enterprises to give them the help they need. In a way, it’s the eHarmony for professionals and social ventures.
For the nonprofit and social enterprise, accessing talent to build their ventures can be a time-consuming and strenuous activity. They often need more than just a volunteer or intern, but people who have specific skills to help accomplish specific goals.
Catchafire acts as the intermediary. Professionals can sign up and volunteer their skills – whether in finance, accounting, marketing, design, multimedia, strategy, or another discipline – to help organizations with their projects while getting an opportunity to challenge themselves, work for a cause they care about, and expand their professional network.
The work is pro bono and short-term, usually requiring less than 50 hours and completed in less than 3 months. Each Catchafire Project has a clearly defined deliverable and is completed by one individual. Most projects can be conducted virtually, though Catchafire is based in New York with all of their registered organizations having presence in New York and Boston.
Nonprofits and social enterprises can apply as a member as long as they meet four criteria: 1) have a social mission approved by Catchafire, 2) have at least 1-2 full time staff, 3) have a presence in the Greater NYC and Greater Boston areas, and 4) are committed to leveraging pro bono professionals strategically and providing them with great experiences. As a member, they will pay an annual, sliding scale membership fee to match with professionals for their projects.
Currently, Catchafire has almost 2,000 registered organizations and 10,000 professionals on their network. If eHarmony success rates are any indication that online matching works, Catchafire could mean big impact for society as it grows.
