Taproot Foundation: Building the Pro Bono Marketplace

Since 2001, Taproot Foundation has proven that pro bono service is a viable and reliable tool for strengthening nonprofit organizations. Today, Taproot continues to lead the field nationally, and seeks to build a pro bono marketplace that, like philanthropy, is large, accessible, professional and transparent. By taking lessons learned from our award-winning Service Grant Program and applying them to our innovative new program areas, we work to stimulate the supply of pro bono resources through our corporate Advisory Services practice, as well as demand for these services by giving nonprofits the tools and training that sets them up for successful pro bono engagements. Our work has evolved to include thought leadership and international field-building, convening global leaders in the social sector to guide the design and direction of the pro bono movement while focusing on infusing a pro bono ethic into business professions, professional schools, companies and nonprofits in communities across the country and around the world. Visit www.taprootfoundation.org to learn more.

Videos from this campaign

Content from this campaign

Social Impact & Volunteering

A Whole Lot of Good: Making the Case for More Pro Bono and Skills-Based Volunteering in the Workplace
Let’s get real: It’s fairly easy for us to pull up to our desks each morning, put our heads down, and not look up till it’s time to go home in the evening. After all, in our rapidly-changing, quickly-moving, information-overloading world, there’s a lot of work to get done.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

WEBINAR: How to Launch a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign Without a Budget
Planning and executing a successful crowdfunding campaign can be daunting. You need a compelling promo video, inviting graphics, simple yet informative communications, an engaging email strategy, and stand-out social media. Don’t panic: all this is achievable even without a budget or in-house expertise. This webinar will teach you how to harness the expertise of marketing, graphic design, videography, and communications professionals who want to volunteer to help your cause.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Quick Consult: Engaging the C-Suite
Getting time on the c-suite’s calendar can be next to impossible. Yet time and again Taproot has seen that pro bono programs are most successful when the highest levels of leadership are bought in. If leadership doesn’t understand how it works or see its value, it could easily end up on the chopping block as resources and priorities shift year over year.

If you want to ensure the sustainability of your pro bono program, get the c-suite involved. Here are three tactics to help you get the right folks on board. Which tactics you use and what will work best differs company to company, but regardless the benefit of buy-in from leadership is big – and worth exploring.

Events, Media & Communications

Taproot Foundation Convenes Technology Experts and Corporate Social Responsibility Leaders from Across Nation for 6th Annual U.S. Pro Bono Summit, April 26 & 27, New York City
The Taproot Foundation convenes its 6th annual U.S. Pro Bono Summit on April 26 and 27 in New York City. This cross-sector gathering brings together leaders in the corporate, nonprofit and government sectors who are committed to expanding the use and impact of pro bono programming.

Social Impact & Volunteering

NBCUniversal’s HR for GOOD Merges Pro Bono Work and Professional Development
"Work and live to serve others, to leave the world a little better than you found it and garner for yourself as much peace of mind as you can. This is happiness." The quote by NBC’s founder David Sarnoff is featured in a book of inspirational phrases that NBCUniversal gives to each participant in its HR for GOOD program, developed in partnership with the Taproot Foundation.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Making the Match, Part 1: Differentiating Technical and Strategic Support in Pro Bono Programming
At the Taproot Foundation, we see two distinct kinds of pro bono support: technical and strategic. Understanding which type nonprofits need is essential, both to ensure nonprofits receive the right support and that corporate talent has a positive experience.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Making the Match: A 3-Part Series for Corporate Pro Bono Leaders from Taproot
It’s a common misconception that the bigger and more complex a pro bono initiative is, the higher the impact will be for nonprofits, your employees, and the company itself. In fact, the biggest determinant of a program’s impact is not its scale or complexity but the quality of the match between employees’ expertise and nonprofits’ needs. Great pro bono initiatives have one thing in common – the right support for the right nonprofit at the right time.

Events, Media & Communications

Tackling Global Issues with Pro Bono: Experts from 27 Countries Convene in Portugal to Take On Challenges at Global Summit
Taproot Foundation and BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt will convene the 5th Annual Global Pro Bono Summit, March 7 - 10, 2017, in Lisbon, Portugal, with local host Social Entrepreneurs Agency (Agência de Empreendedores Sociais, or SEA).

Social Impact & Volunteering

Exploring the New Frontier of Pro Bono Service

Diversity & Inclusion

New York Companies Profit from Giving Away Their Time
When Carissa Biggie was 
selected for Goldman Sachs’ six-month leadership-acceleration program, one of her tasks was to figure out a template for growth—not for the firm or even for her department but for STRIVE, a national nonprofit that provides skills training for low-income people and helps them get jobs.



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