DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF)- As the U.S. has emerged from the pandemic lockdown and moved toward navigating around the virus, there has been a lot of discussion about lasting impacts — especially in relation to how local funders and nonprofits continue to work together to support our communities most in need.
The Dallas Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas, and Lyda Hill Philanthropies came together to partner with Catchafire to bring time-sensitive, virtual support to more than 300 nonprofit organizations in the North Texas region. The funders teamed up with Catchafire to give nonprofits access to the professional help they need to build organizational capacity.
“Bridging the North Texas nonprofit community to the resources of Catchafire during the pandemic provided us with an opportunity to not only support, but strengthen these organizations which, over the course of 2020, lost both in-person volunteers and many long-standing fundraising opportunities,” said Matthew Randazzo, President & CEO of The Dallas Foundation. “Catchafire’s virtual approach helps close that gap, allowing just in time access to services that match an organization’s unique needs and, ultimately, better equip them to help individuals and families in our community reach their full potential.”
When the pandemic hit, these virtual volunteers were a lifeline to nonprofits struggling to adapt to distance work. Catchafire, an organization that partners with nonprofits to match them with professionally-skilled volunteers, helped hundreds of Texas nonprofits access $1.4 million in critical services (via 6,700 volunteer hours), as nonprofits in the area struggled to adapt to the pandemic.
From a youth organization that had to reimagine their sleepaway camp for middle schools girls interested in STEM to a nonprofit helping women veteran owned businesses scale to a literacy institution helping adults earn their Texas Certificate of High School Equivalency (TxCHSE), virtual volunteers worked hard to provide Dallas nonprofits with professional expertise they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to access.
AES Literacy Institute is a North Texas nonprofit that helps individuals 17 and older that did not finish high school by offering a three to six months alternative program that allows them to earn their Texas certificate of high school equivalency. AES Literacy Institute was given Catchafire access via the North Texas program, and completed their first project in March. They have since engaged in 21 projects and calls, gaining significant support for their organization in the areas of graphic design, website, and finance, among others. And sometimes, the volunteer engagement turns into much more than just a completed project.
“(Volunteer) Josh has helped us on so many levels. It was simply supposed to be an organizational one-pager but he ended up helping us with quick pitches, and elevator pitches, and turned into a friendship. He’s not just a volunteer, he has more so become a mentor and we’re able to contact him on a regular basis to connect and bounce ideas off one another. And he’s constantly feeding into us and feeding into our organization, providing us with outlets, Catchafire volunteers offer assistance on a wide variety of projects, including fundraising, data resources and information,” noted founders ShaKimberly and Germaine Cooper.
To say AES Literacy Institute is happy with what they’ve been able to accomplish on Catchafire is an understatement. “We are very appreciative, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to just have these unlimited resources, and everything is so organized and well put together on the Catchafire portal. I honestly feel like it has catapulted us to the next level. As a small nonprofit, as a fresh nonprofit, this…has really helped us establish a strong foundation and let the world know who we are and we are definitely appreciative.” ShaKimberly Cooper plans to continue to use Catchafire as long as they have access.
“We’re thrilled to be able to enhance the organizational capacity of North Texas nonprofits through this effort. Participating organizations are making great use of the Catchafire platform and its offerings to help strengthen their work and advance their missions, and that translates into positive strides toward the thriving community for all that we strive for,” said Sarah Cotton Nelson, Chief Philanthropy Officer at Communities Foundation of Texas.
If your nonprofit is interested in participating in an opportunity with Catchafire, email grants@cftexas.org to learn more.
