Fear and anger are go emotions and carry a powerful kinetic charge. Unless they are expressed in action, they will burn us up inside with their galvanic fire. This wrought inauguration week, I invite one to take their anxiety, dread, anger and revenge to the volunteer portal at volunteernow.org. Their charge can help us build the beloved community from the bottom up. There those bad vibes will revolve into hazy feelings of compassion and love.
Volunteernow.org is powered by CVNL, the Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership. With a staff of 55 and offices in Napa, Sonoma, Marin and Solano counties, this nonprofit is the North Bay’s go-to resource for volunteers and nonprofits.
I Zoomed with Katelyn Willoughby, their director of marketing and communications, about our opportunities to act locally.
CH: I see you have volunteer opportunities in 16 broad categories, including school mentoring, civil rights, seniors, veterans, homeless and disaster relief.
KW: Yes. With that last category, we contract with the counties to coordinate volunteers and donations during local disasters.
CH: That’s something to remember. About how many local nonprofits utilize this free-to-use volunteer matching tool?
KW: About 400. We are always reaching out to add more.
CH: Our readers will spread the word. Four hundred nonprofits and nonprofit causes. I didn’t even know there were that many in the North Bay. And how many volunteers did you match to them last year?
KW: Approximately 15,000 matches. And that includes single days of service, project-based volunteering and long-term positions.
CH: Volunteernow.org is just one of the many services provided by the Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership. I see from your main website that your nonprofit trains and advises nonprofit leaders, helps find new nonprofit leaders and conducts peer-nominated nonprofit award events, too. What would you say is the role or position of CVNL in the nonprofit sector?
KW: A lot of people refer to us as a hub—a resource hub, the place to go when nonprofits have needs or questions. At the end of the day, nonprofits are businesses, too. They need the same kind of support that for-profit small businesses need, particularly around infrastructure, finances, fund development, recruiting, running an effective board of directors, and recruiting volunteers of course, how to deliver effective programs and who to partner with in their communities. If nonprofits stay in business, more good is going to happen in our world.
Learn more. Civil society is the bulwark of democracy, so we need to build it out. Volunteering can change one’s life. Go to cvnl.org.
