Nonprofit Times
June 1, 2004
June 1, 2004
By Matthew Sinclair
The Taproot Foundation has tapped into the United Way of New York City (UWNYC) as a means to direct volunteers from corporations into months-long projects at nonprofits in the Big Apple. The effort is designed to help build capacity at the organizations, with Taproot serving as sort of a pro bono service bureau, managing the volunteers and making sure projects reach completion.
Thought the value of the partnership is primarily in making contacts, the UWNYC provided a $40,000 startup grant and will fund another $50,000 in fiscal year 2005.
Based in San Francisco, Taproot is establishing New York as its second office. “Taproot was formed with the intent to become a national organization,” said Aaron Hurst, president and founder of the group.
What it does is match business professionals with nonprofits that need their specific skills to complete projects, for example Web site development pr developing marketing brochures.
Jacqueline Ebanks, UWNYC’s vice president for community investment, had run the organization’s management assistance program. She said UENYC has heard from its grantees that while they enjoyed access to corporate volunteers at the episodic level and board level, there was a need for longer-term, skilled middle-management volunteers.
She said that the key attraction of Taproot’s model was that the foundation would manage the program, tracking issues that might arise rather than simply matching skilled volunteers with need. “We looked for a partnership that would satisfy the corporate donors we have and the nonprofits, “ she said.
The UWNYC’s access to 1,100 corporations was a chief attraction to develop a partnership, Hurst added. In addition, its management assistance program, which was retained after shifting to a community-focused action area model this past year, made the United Way a logical choice for Taproot.
With 1,100, often very large corporations among UWNYC’s supporters, Hurst was confident of being able to recruit enough volunteers. “In the first year, we’re looking to recruit about 250, but that will grow over time,” he said.
Hurst said a big part of Taproot’s effort is to look at the human capital part of the capacity-building equation. “There are so few dollars around capacity building. It is a crime in my book,” he said. “(But) human capital is a large part of what’s needed to work on this capacity building.”
He added that he’s seen projects begun with volunteers that end up three-fourths complete, sometimes wasting time and energy of the entire effort. “That’s the opposite of capacity building,” he said.
Ebanks said the key is strong volunteer management. “The concept is not new,” she said. “But if it’s not well managed…it breeds frustration and ill will. The attraction with Taproot is there is a management infrastructure, so it’s not just awarding of a service grant… Otherwise it’s not worth it for either of us.”
A less direct value of the program is developing better donors. Hurst said that the experience in San Francisco has shown the development of volunteers who are giving both time and money, “but doing it in a more savvy way.”
Though the partnership was described as exclusive, Taproot will be able to serve nonprofits that are not already supported by the UWNYC. “A third will be for organizations that are supported by the United Way,” Hurst said. “The other two-thirds will come from other organizations in the community.”
Taproot, founded in 2001, receives its funding through foundation support and a fee-for-service model. “We look to foundations and organizations like United Ways to sponsor projects,” Hurst said. “That covers our overhead as an organization, and for that they’re able to help their grantees…It’s a cost-effective way to make a bigger impact on their grantees.”
Fran Schreiber, vice president of marketing communications with Moneyline Telerate, attended an orientation for volunteers. She said she hopes to serve on a branding analysis project.
“I’ve done a lot of volunteer work over the years,” she said, noting efforts with a New York City-based theater festival. “I’ve been looking for something where I could use my skills and experience directly…I wanted something that was more substantial that I could be a part of from start to finish.”
She was impressed with the orientation, where volunteers were presented with job descriptions, project plans and a list of available tools. “They were really approaching this from a professional, well thought out (perspective),” she said. “It’s like taking a job.”
The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families (CHFC) in New York City is one of the grantees. The volunteer team will help develop a brochure geared to making more potential clients aware of its services and possible attract gifts, said Joe Semidei, executive deputy director.
“They didn’t see the request as merely doing a brochure but as part of a marketing strategy,” he said. “They don’t see it as one time only…It’s a way for their volunteers to give us lesions in marketing (that will) be a long-term benefit.”
He explained that the marketing efforts would help CHCF “think more about clients, what they’re like, what patterns they exhibit, and help us be more relevant to our client base. …That would also help us refine out sense of mission and our identity as a social service entity.”
Semidei said Taproot also advised the 22-year old CHCF to think further about strategic planning. “The first 10 years were very different form the second 10 years,” he said. “I think it’s a good time to have some kind of strategic session.”
The Taproot Foundation has tapped into the United Way of New York City (UWNYC) as a means to direct volunteers from corporations into months-long projects at nonprofits in the Big Apple. The effort is designed to help build capacity at the organizations, with Taproot serving as sort of a pro bono service bureau, managing the volunteers and making sure projects reach completion.
Thought the value of the partnership is primarily in making contacts, the UWNYC provided a $40,000 startup grant and will fund another $50,000 in fiscal year 2005.
Based in San Francisco, Taproot is establishing New York as its second office. “Taproot was formed with the intent to become a national organization,” said Aaron Hurst, president and founder of the group.
What it does is match business professionals with nonprofits that need their specific skills to complete projects, for example Web site development pr developing marketing brochures.
Jacqueline Ebanks, UWNYC’s vice president for community investment, had run the organization’s management assistance program. She said UENYC has heard from its grantees that while they enjoyed access to corporate volunteers at the episodic level and board level, there was a need for longer-term, skilled middle-management volunteers.
She said that the key attraction of Taproot’s model was that the foundation would manage the program, tracking issues that might arise rather than simply matching skilled volunteers with need. “We looked for a partnership that would satisfy the corporate donors we have and the nonprofits, “ she said.
The UWNYC’s access to 1,100 corporations was a chief attraction to develop a partnership, Hurst added. In addition, its management assistance program, which was retained after shifting to a community-focused action area model this past year, made the United Way a logical choice for Taproot.
With 1,100, often very large corporations among UWNYC’s supporters, Hurst was confident of being able to recruit enough volunteers. “In the first year, we’re looking to recruit about 250, but that will grow over time,” he said.
Hurst said a big part of Taproot’s effort is to look at the human capital part of the capacity-building equation. “There are so few dollars around capacity building. It is a crime in my book,” he said. “(But) human capital is a large part of what’s needed to work on this capacity building.”
He added that he’s seen projects begun with volunteers that end up three-fourths complete, sometimes wasting time and energy of the entire effort. “That’s the opposite of capacity building,” he said.
Ebanks said the key is strong volunteer management. “The concept is not new,” she said. “But if it’s not well managed…it breeds frustration and ill will. The attraction with Taproot is there is a management infrastructure, so it’s not just awarding of a service grant… Otherwise it’s not worth it for either of us.”
A less direct value of the program is developing better donors. Hurst said that the experience in San Francisco has shown the development of volunteers who are giving both time and money, “but doing it in a more savvy way.”
Though the partnership was described as exclusive, Taproot will be able to serve nonprofits that are not already supported by the UWNYC. “A third will be for organizations that are supported by the United Way,” Hurst said. “The other two-thirds will come from other organizations in the community.”
Taproot, founded in 2001, receives its funding through foundation support and a fee-for-service model. “We look to foundations and organizations like United Ways to sponsor projects,” Hurst said. “That covers our overhead as an organization, and for that they’re able to help their grantees…It’s a cost-effective way to make a bigger impact on their grantees.”
Fran Schreiber, vice president of marketing communications with Moneyline Telerate, attended an orientation for volunteers. She said she hopes to serve on a branding analysis project.
“I’ve done a lot of volunteer work over the years,” she said, noting efforts with a New York City-based theater festival. “I’ve been looking for something where I could use my skills and experience directly…I wanted something that was more substantial that I could be a part of from start to finish.”
She was impressed with the orientation, where volunteers were presented with job descriptions, project plans and a list of available tools. “They were really approaching this from a professional, well thought out (perspective),” she said. “It’s like taking a job.”
The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families (CHFC) in New York City is one of the grantees. The volunteer team will help develop a brochure geared to making more potential clients aware of its services and possible attract gifts, said Joe Semidei, executive deputy director.
“They didn’t see the request as merely doing a brochure but as part of a marketing strategy,” he said. “They don’t see it as one time only…It’s a way for their volunteers to give us lesions in marketing (that will) be a long-term benefit.”
He explained that the marketing efforts would help CHCF “think more about clients, what they’re like, what patterns they exhibit, and help us be more relevant to our client base. …That would also help us refine out sense of mission and our identity as a social service entity.”
Semidei said Taproot also advised the 22-year old CHCF to think further about strategic planning. “The first 10 years were very different form the second 10 years,” he said. “I think it’s a good time to have some kind of strategic session.”
