Calling all Local Nonprofits!

It’s that time of year again!

Although the United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring is on September 21, 2011, project registration for nonprofits and schools begins NOW! As of June 13, nonprofits can register their projects online. Registration will remain open until July 29th, but DON'T WAIT! Every year we run in to the same issue - because the event is in September, organizations think they have lots of time before they have to submit a project.

But...with 2,500 volunteers, we need the month of August and most of September to match those volunteers with projects. If the projects are not in our system, they won't be available for  volunteer teams to view. If you have any connection to a local nonprofit or school, please urge them to register their projects as soon as possible.

The United Way Day of Caring is a gift to local nonprofits. They get the opportunity to provide meaningful introductions to their organizations and missions to a group of ready, willing and able volunteers who are eager to help. It is our hope that nonprofits will then follow up with those volunteers after the Day of Caring through thank you notes, newsletters and ongoing volunteer opportunities.

Need a room painted or have some gardening that needs to be done? If you work at a nonprofit or area school, start to brainstorm meaningful projects for volunteers now. Use our Project Development Toolkit to think of needed supplies, number of volunteers needed, etc. Check out our list of ideas for projects if you need help brainstorming.

This is your chance to have volunteers help you complete projects and learn more about your organization - maybe even become longer-term volunteers or advocates for your agency!

Once you’ve planned out your project(s), check out this step-by-step guide on how to register your project using our Volunteer Center website.

  If you have questions or need assistance with the new registration process, email United Way Volunteer Center director Jessica Snyder at jsnyder@unitedwaytja.org or call (434) 972-1705.