Skill CONNECT

Connecting skills-based volunteers to local nonprofits seeking operational assistance.

BECOME A SKILLS-BASED VOLUNTEER
FIND ASSISTANCE FOR YOUR NONPROFIT

We connect the unique needs of nonprofits to our network of skills-based volunteers, making the perfect connections to generate the biggest impact. 

The time commitment varies for each option, but the benefits remain constant.

Opportunities for nonprofits to meet one-on-one with a subject matter expert

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Individual skills-based volunteers provide up to 20 hours of service to local nonprofit

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Long-term projects range from 20 to 100 hours, stipend provided

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Multidisciplinary business teams tackle an issue for a Northeast Ohio nonprofit

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Volunteer Your Professional Skills

Northeast Ohio nonprofits need you or your business team to make recommendations or solve issues in HR, Marketing, etc..

BECOME A SKILLS-BASED VOLUNTEER

It’s As Easy As…

APPLY

Fill out the Skill CONNECT Volunteer Application and provide you areas of experience and interest to BVU’s team.

CONSULT

Meet with a leadership development associate from BVU to assess your personal interests and experience.

CONNECT

BVU will connect you to volunteer opportunity according to your interests, experience, and strengths.

Find Help For Your Nonprofit

BVU will connect your organization with skills-based volunteers for FREE after learning more about your organization’s unique needs. 

REQUEST PRO BONO VOLUNTEER(S)

Skill CONNECT Testimonials

{BVU is the great facilitator. If a company has an interest in using their skills to volunteer, BVU is the institution that knows the nonprofits doing the work.
Joe Faulhaber
Former President, Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland
{I wouldn’t have been able to fill the position, hire somebody who had the depth and breadth of knowledge and have the ability to truly be an independent and functioning person. I wouldn’t have been able to afford that level of person.
Melanie Hogan
Executive director, LEAP
{We get someone of exceptional quality at an amount that we can afford. We can focus on projects that are high priority that we don’t have the professional resources to complete.
Jean Polster
President and CEO, Neighborhood Family Practice
{We had somebody who could dedicate their time and energy to an initiative that we just weren’t ready for from an internal standpoint.
Ron Soeder
President, Boys and Girls Clubs of Cleveland
{The event was great. I cannot stop talking about all of the information and tips I received from BVU’s Skill CONNECT. The opportunities you provide to nonprofit organizations through Skill CONNECT are invaluable. Thank you so much for the knowledge I have gained through BVU’s skilled-based volunteers.
Cynthia Carter-Harris, BSN, MBA, D.Min,
Executive Director, Cornerstone Pregnancy Services
{I’m writing to thank you — working with Judy [our skill CONNECT volunteer] has been such a gift for our organization. Literary Cleveland is stronger because of Judy’s smart mind and hard work. We are incredibly grateful to her and BVU for this program.
Brandi Larsen
Board President, Literary Cleveland
{BVU matched us with the perfect financial expert who catapulted our capacity and increased Executive Director skillset and widened organizational bandwidth. We are stronger and more ready to equip youth and uplift Cleveland’s communities through music and design.
Doc Harril
Refresh Collective
{I was thinking small when at a recent “Ask the Expert” event, I was told to think and behave like IBM. This sentence, supported by tactical advice from an expert in finance and Quickbooks, made things become suddenly very clear to me. I was grateful to connect with someone who could told me to on my level about a very specific financial situation we were dealing with.
Kristi Horner
Founder & Executive Director, Courage to Caregivers
{I know the volunteer assignment through BVU was only to be a few months but I believe on June 30 I will have completed over 13 years at E Prep/Breakthrough. It has been a great experience. Who knows – I may want to try our new volunteer opportunities in the future.
Jeff Fast
Skill CONNECT Volunteer, Breakthrough Schools
{Within a span of 60 minutes, Jamie [Gallagher skill-based volunteer] assessed my organization's situation, explained the options we could consider, helped me put an action plan in place, and answered ALL of my questions. 
Lynn Foran
Executive Director, Reach Out and Read Greater Cleveland
{I didn’t know what I had to give until I did the first skill CONNECT program. I’m always excited at the end of these “Ask the Expert” sessions. The nonprofits are so grateful and thankful. Nonprofit leaders are great at leading their organizations, so being able to help these professionals improve in areas where they don’t have expertise is so rewarding. When you work in a specific field every day, you almost forget that what you have IS a valuable asset to others without that skillset
Stephanie Smith
Strategic Communications and Engagement Manager, Bober Markey Fedorovich

Tracking Our Impact

BVU’s Skill CONNECT harnesses the time and talent of business and community volunteers to build capacity and create opportunities for nonprofits.

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events at this time.

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Career Opportunity at Minds Matter Cleveland

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Adopting a Code of Conduct

With the variety of challenges and issues facing nonprofits (and therefore their boards) these days, adopting a code of conduct may be good practice.  Read this Chronicle of Philanthropy letter to the editor to learn more.
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Career Opportunity: Associate Director at Goods Bank NEO

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Career Opportunity: Executive Director of Coach Sam’s Inner Circle Foundation

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The Board’s Role in and Organization’s Financial Resources

Board members have many responsibilities to the nonprofit where they serve, and one of them is to help ensure there are appropriate financial resources.  ALL board members need to participate in fundraising with their organizations, and that can take many different forms.  Here are a few tips from...
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The Board and DEI

What we're reading today: Blue Avocado's article titled, "7 Ideas for Pushing Your Board Forward in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging"  Belonging was a new identifier for me in the IDEA/DEI/DEII space but this article paints a picture of the importance of belonging and how your board can...
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Medical Mutual’s Transformational Volunteer Experience

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Made possible by the Community Impact Fund

Nonprofits faced unprecedented strain during the COVID-19 pandemic, so BVU waived all Ask the Expert program fees to provide the expertise necessary to address strategic and financial pressures. 

BVU’s Community Impact Fund was launched to maintain Ask the Expert as a free service to all Northeast Ohio nonprofits indefinitely and to pay tribute to Brian Broadbent, BVU’s former CEO and a passionate advocate for Skill CONNECT.