The supply and demand for pro bono services is inversely correlated to the strength of the economy. With the fall of the market, we see a sharp increase in:
- people in need of services from nonprofits
- nonprofits in need of professional services to help sustain their revenues and identify ways to increase efficiencies; and
- talented business professionals raising their hands to donate their skills
Increase in the demand of pro bono
Since September, we have seen a bump in the demand for our Service Grant program and an equally large (if not larger) increase in interest from business professionals seeking to serve.
We often see the greatest examples of civic engagement during tough times. The silver lining amid all the suffering is that these times cause us to reflect and put our lives in to perspective. We see how close we are to having our reality collapse and suddenly have compassion for those we had beforehand only read about in the paper–those who once seemed so foreign.
It is in these times that the government, corporations and philanthropic leaders must create vehicles for the newly compassionate to convert their intention into action. Some individuals will only engage in a short window of service, which will end when the headlines change. For many more professionals, it will be the start of a life-long commitment to service, their community and to society as a whole.
America needs to engage these citizen professionals. They are the next social entrepreneurs, politicians and community leaders. They will be our children’s role models.
