Taproot celebrated its annual U.S. Pro Bono Summit in New York City earlier in May, generously hosted by venue sponsor PwC at their Midtown Manhattan location. The Summit was a dynamic cross-sector gathering of practitioners from across corporate, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors, all working to amplify and support social change through skilled volunteerism. The first fully in-person Pro Bono Summit since 2019, this year’s event theme was “Better Together;” presenters and attendees focused on fostering community, connection, and creativity with thought-provoking, informative, and action-oriented content.
These are just a few of the key insights from days one and two of this event. Our speakers touched on multiple aspects of pro bono support, employee engagement, and nonprofit concerns:
Small Projects can Lead to a Bigger Impact
In the first session, “Why Pro Bono? Skills-Based Volunteering in Practice,” panelists from Taproot Foundation, Uptown & Boogie Health Project, New Neighbors Partnership, and The Community Bots, shared how using pro-bono volunteers had helped them meet—and at times surpass—their social impact goals.
They discussed how working with the Taproot Plus team had allowed them to identify potential gaps in their organizations that they may not have otherwise known could be filled by pro-bono volunteers, as well as how small projects often lead to something bigger:
- Jack Cooley of The Community Bots shared how working with a pro-bono videographer for a series of videos to use on the charity’s social media had developed into that same volunteer making a documentary on their work in the Nicaragua.
- Shoshana Barzel of New Neighbors Partnership shared how a pro-bono accountant had set up their accounting system to ensure they were fully compliant.
- Judith Desire of Uptown & Boogie Health Project shared that a volunteer developed an automated payment system for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members’ weekly or seasonal share payments.
Key Takeaways:
- Requests for well-scoped, specific, short-term projects are easier to fill compared to longer-term, ambitious efforts. Start with small projects that have clear parameters and allow your organization’s relationships with volunteers, as well as the projects they are involved with, to grow organically.
Skills-based volunteering can be a symbiotic learning and workforce development experience; volunteers can learn from nonprofit staff members just as much as staff can learn from volunteers. Volunteers often have hidden skills that could be useful, like a passion for woodworking, or photography, or the ability to speak different languages. - Resist the temptation to partner with a volunteer if it’s not the right fit. Be realistic and upfront about your organization’s expectations from the volunteer.
- Key ingredients for successful volunteer engagement include patience, planning, and adaptability. Make sure the volunteer feels connected to the work and the people they’re ultimately supporting. “Our impact would not be possible without support from skills-based volunteers,” said Shoshana Barzel.
“The day underscored the importance of centering the nonprofit, identifying discreet and well-scoped projects that can lead to deeper engagement down the line, and purposefully incorporating talent development for both corporate and nonprofit participants into this work.” – Tara Cardone, Leader in Corporate Social Responsibility, Employee Engagement and Nonprofit Management
Skills-Based Volunteering as a Company-wide Incentive
On day two of the Summit, panelists Karen Daly from Prudential and Katie Merkel from Pfizer joined David Kaiser-Jones, Advisory Services Director at Taproot, to discuss “Skills-Based Volunteering (SBV) as a Talent Development Strategy,” citing how SBV can support talent development goals for associates through executives.
Key Takeaways:
- Pro bono volunteering develops inclusive leaders and prepares team members for people leadership. Remind volunteers not to jump straight to solutions, to sit with the learnings along the way, really listening to the needs of the nonprofit, and take those learnings with them back to their ‘day jobs.’
- Executives can provide pro bono support to nonprofits in the form of high-level problem solving and strategy development for business challenges, which in turn helps team leaders understand the communities they serve and the problems they are facing on a deeper level.
- Talent development integration into SBV programs exists on a spectrum. Even without direct involvement from Learning & Development, talent development can be considered an inherent outcome of SBV. Other SBV programs may partner with L&D more intensively, e.g., adding explicit talent development goals, additional trainings, or integration with a leadership development cohort.
“Corporate teams have decades of knowledge and expertise that can be a game changer for non-profits doing crucial work in our communities. These volunteers are ready to engage, so building a culture of giving back is key to unlocking their knowledge. I’m looking forward to introducing more of my peers to how programs like this can stoke a new passion and sense of engagement.” – Scott O’Hara, BNY
Pro Bono Work as the First Step in a Career Change
Both days of this year’s Summit were punctuated by Flash Talks, giving a more intimate depiction of how volunteers, nonprofits and companies have benefited through Taproot’s work.
Russatta Buford shared how partnering with Taproot as a volunteer gave her the confidence to change her career path. A desire to be more deeply involved in her community led her to a volunteering opportunity with Brooklyn Community Services, which in turn led to her joining their board. It was then, as she found herself wanting to move beyond governance as a board member to management responsibilities, that she realized she wanted to make the switch to a nonprofit career. “I don’t think the nonprofit sector could do its work as effectively without volunteers and pro bono,” Buford shared.
Roberto Pietrobon is the Director of Partnerships & Philanthropy at Red Dust Role Models. Based in Australia’s Northern Territory, Red Dust Role Models delivers innovative health and well-being programs co-designed in partnership with remote Indigenous communities. They partnered with volunteers from Johnson & Johnson to develop a business plan to guide the growth of the organization’s new social enterprise strategy for its Reconciliation Education Programs.
“When approaching SBV, have an eye on future development and growth, from both a project-based and team-based mindset,” Roberto advised. “SBV is a two-way partnership, both the nonprofit team and the volunteers are dedicating time and effort. The donation of time and knowledge can be equally as important as a financial contribution.”
Estelle Roth, Global Head Giving & Volunteering at Novartis, spoke about the importance of focusing on a real needs-driven, partner-led and strategic employee volunteering approach, don’t just “show up and show off.” Be bold by getting rid of the ‘week of service’ style model in favor of impactful programs and support for community partners that are based on their long-term needs. After conducting a 2-year impact evaluation study, they learned that 100% of Novartis employees feel volunteering is meaningful and personally fulfilling to them.
We’ll be sharing out more takeaways from the event featuring lots of great insights from our Summit speakers and guests, so stay tuned!
