Are You Part of the Pro Bono Movement?

Pro bono service is a movement. It’s made up of people who see not just a challenge in their communities, but a solution. The movement is filled with nonprofit professionals who refuse to be held back by their lack of resources. They’re scrappy, determined, and bursting at the seams with ideas to make their communities a better place. And the movement is fueled by companies and corporate professionals who wake up with their hands raised, ready to work alongside their community partners to make those ideas a reality.

Each year at the end of October, Taproot celebrates this partnership between nonprofits and corporate professionals as part of Pro Bono Week, an annual celebration of the impact of this work. This year, we’re making the case for more pro bono across all sectors, because we know just how impactful these resources and experiences can be for everyone involved.

JOIN IN THE MOVEMENT

• Find out how to give or receive skills in two Taproot+ webinars. These workshop-style webinars—offered for both US and global audiences—will guide nonprofits in posting exceptional projects (October 25) and help skilled volunteers find their perfect project match (October 26). REGISTER HERE
   
• Be a part of the conversation on social media with the hashtag #PBW17. Share how #probono has impacted your #nonprofit or how it’s inspired you as a #volunteer. FIND #PBW17 ON TWITTER
   
• Are you a creative? Raise your hand for the Ad Council’s CreateforChange program, a collaboration with Taproot to make top creative talent available to nonprofits. READ MORE

ADVOCATE AT YOUR COMPANY

• How do you connect pro bono to your bottom line? Taproot’s Advisory Services practice will launch the Business Case for Pro Bono, outlining ways CSR practitioners can tie pro bono programs to their companies’ business objectives. Stay tuned – the resource launches later this week!
   
• Taproot will bring together nonprofit, philanthropic, and corporate professionals at Leading the Way in San Francisco. This invitation-only leadership convening, sponsored by Prudential Financial, Inc., will focus on pro bono as a unique tool for personal and professional development through experiential learning. READ MORE

ADVOCATE AT YOUR NONPROFIT

• 68% of nonprofit professionals report that they don’t have enough financial resources to do the work they do. In the 2017 State of Pro Bono Survey, Taproot brings light to key challenges facing the social sector and identifies some of the resources that can help them overcome their barriers. READ MORE

BE INSPIRED

• Taproot+ was launched in 2014 as a way to provide nonprofits and social change organizations with easily accessible, effective pro bono support. Now, on its third anniversary, Taproot+ is expanding globally to Singapore in partnership with Empact Ltd., the United Kingdom, and India. READ MORE ABOUT THE SINGAPORE LAUNCH
   
• In the face of disasters and tragedies, we want to be a part of the bigger solution. But sometimes civic engagement means waiting until our communities are truly ready for the type of help we’re most suited to provide. Pro bono can be a part of that solution. Stay tuned for an inspiring blog calling professionals to action.

If you’re not already part of the pro bono movement, there’s no better time to join than today. How will you get involved?

About Pro Bono Week
Pro Bono Week (#PBW17) is a global campaign that celebrates and activates pro bono service across all professions that use their talents to make a difference. Inspired by the American Bar Association's National Celebration of Pro Bono, Taproot works with partners around the globe to focus attention on the pro bono movement each year in October.

About Pro Bono Service
Pro bono--short for pro bono publico, "for the public good"—refers to professional services delivered without expectation of a fee to organizations serving the social good. It is both a form of support for community organizations as well as an increasingly core part of the ethic of business professionals from design to HR and technology, who believe that high-quality professional services are too important to only be available to those who can afford them.

About Taproot Foundation
Taproot Foundation, a U.S. based nonprofit, connects nonprofits and social change organizations with passionate, skilled volunteers who share their expertise pro bono. Taproot is creating a world where organizations dedicated to social change have full access—through pro bono service—to the marketing, strategy, HR, and IT resources they need to be most effective. Since 2001, Taproot’s skilled volunteers have served 4,600 social change organizations providing 1.5 million hours of work worth over $160 million in value. Taproot, a national organization, has offices in New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Chicago and is leading a network of global pro bono providers in over 30 countries around the world. www.taprootfoundation.org @taprootfound