MOBILIZE VOLUNTEERS
Connecting nonprofit organizations with individual and team volunteers
Do you need volunteers? We can help.
Whether you’re looking for a skilled accountant or attorney to provide pro-bono advice or a team of enthusiastic colleagues to pack boxes, we can help you find them.
Leverage our online Volunteer Center
Rhode Island nonprofits can use our Volunteer Center online system to find volunteers. Simply register as an agency with the Volunteer Center, then post general volunteer needs and specific volunteer events on the site. You can ask volunteers to contact you. You can even post specific times and enable online registration.
Once you have posted a listing, volunteers find you by searching by location, date, cause, etc. on the site. Registered volunteers search the site each week using their personalized dashboards. In addition, your volunteer needs will be shared seamlessly on All for Good, the Points of Light network’s national volunteer platform.
We continuously promote the Volunteer Center and selected listings in a weekly Providence Journal column, as well as via this site and social media.
Skills-based volunteers
Looking for highly skilled volunteers? You may find them via the Volunteer Center. You can also speak with one of our skilled volunteer coordinators. They work with our workplace partners to find opportunities for individuals and smaller teams to use their professional expertise to help the community.
Contact us today to start finding volunteers for your organization. Janice Pothier Pac, our director of volunteer engagement, may be reached at janice.pothierpac@unitedwayri.org.
Program aims to reverse learning loss
WPRI
For 30 hours a week for six weeks, the Summer Learning Initiative gives students the opportunity to learn in fun and out-of-the-box ways... "There’s ways to be able to explore and be creative without feeling like they are falling farther and farther behind, which I think a lot of youth are feeling right now because of the pandemic," [Marlene] Guay said.
Summer energy bill assistance is available
The Westerly Sun
The Rhode Island Good Neighbor Energy Fund is open to all eligible Rhode Island households experiencing financial difficulty and [needing] assistance with energy expenses, even in the summer. The fund is sponsored by Rhode Island Energy, Block Island Utility District, Ocean State Power, Pascoag Utility District, Petro Home Services and RISEC LP and administered by United Way of Rhode Island.
10 Ways Nonprofits Can Influence Giving
Forbes Nonprofit Council
As nonprofits seek out donations, leveraging... win-win opportunities can be an effective way to further the social goals of the nonprofit and potential donors. Below, a panel of experts from Forbes Nonprofit Council, including Cortney Nicolato, United Way of Rhode Island's president and CEO, each share one... strategy nonprofit leaders can leverage to influence major corporations to support community-serving efforts.
United Way Launches Nonprofit Leadership Development Series
United Way of Rhode Island is launching a new leadership development series for staff of local nonprofits with annual budgets of $5 million and under and is currently accepting applications from interested participants. The no-cost program is the Deputy Director Learning Circle, and it was developed specifically to strengthen the competencies of nonprofit staff who aspire to become executive directors.
United Way Issues VITA Program RFP
In support of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program that returns millions of dollars to the pockets of eligible Rhode Islanders, United Way of Rhode Island is making a total of $500,000 in funding available over a two-year grant cycle.
Olneyville Programs Awarded $182,708
Through its Olneyville Community Fund, United Way of Rhode Island has awarded $182,708 in grants to programs whose work is strengthening the Providence neighborhood it calls home… Investments focus on creating opportunities for all by improving access to services for residents, enhancing educational offerings for children through adults, and increasing nonprofit capacity to meet community need. Eleven organizations received funding.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Barbershop Books Prep4Success!
Join United Way of Rhode Island for Barbershop Books Prep4Success! on Friday, August 12 from noon - 3 p.m. at Haircuts & Heritage in Pawtucket. Barbershop Books inspires Black boys and other vulnerable children to read for fun by providing free books at local barbershops. Stop by for free haircut vouchers and backpacks with back-to-school essentials, and enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers, and soft drinks.
United Way of Rhode Island’s 96th Annual Celebration
Join United Way of Rhode Island for our 96th Annual Celebration on Wednesday, October 12 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Farm Fresh Rhode Island in Providence. Together, we'll celebrate the positive impact we've made this year, thanks to you — our donors, partners, and volunteers — and honor the heroes among us. This event is free and open to all. Registration is required.