Nonprofits, Professionals Show Increased Interest in Pro Bono Services

New York, N.Y., November 18, 2014 /3BL Media/ – The second annual Pro Bono Day NYC 2014: Connecting Passion with Purpose, convened by Taproot Foundation and supported by the Citi Foundation, drew record crowds, with 500 individuals attending. This represents nearly triple the crowd from the inaugural Pro Bono Day NYC in 2013 and indicates a growing interest in pro bono services from nonprofits, individuals, and corporations.

Pro Bono Day NYC 2014: Connecting Passion with Purpose kicked off with a Morning Networking & Plenary Session, where Taproot Foundation launched Taproot+ (www.taprootplus.org), a first-of-its-kind resource connecting nonprofits that need pro bono talent to business professionals who want to donate their expertise. Richard Buery, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives gave keynote remarks, with the morning session also including words from Suni Harford, Citi’s Regional Head of North American Markets, and Paula Gavin, New York City’s Chief Service Officer.

Paula Gavin thanked pro bono service providers saying, "the ability to make a difference when we match talented individuals with the needs of our city is remarkable. Volunteering is good for you and good for the city. I thank you and I celebrate you." Deputy Mayor Buery invoked his own personal experience of volunteering at a housing project while he was a student at Harvard, as an example of the power of volunteerism.

Taproot Foundation's Executive Director for operations in New York City, Robert Acton introduced the packed auditorium at Citi offices in Manhattan to Taproot+, through a live-demo of the new online tool. With Taproot+ (www.taprootplus.org), nonprofits can define the right pro bono project for their needs, secure the ideal pro bono professionals to help, and kick off a project with confidence, knowing that they can access project management and coaching support throughout the process.

Liz Hamburg, President and CEO of Taproot Foundation, described the new site, where participants get a uniquely high level of support in creating profiles along with the speed of service they require. "We've helped thousands of nonprofits over our 13 years, but we couldn't get to all the organizations that needed help. Taproot+ allows us to reach nonprofits across the country, on their schedule. It enables us to connect them with a curated list of professionals who can help them meet their goals," said Hamburg.

Pro Bono Day NYC 2014: Connecting Passion with Purpose featured eight events throughout the day at different locations across the city, including panels on securing legal pro bono, cybersecurity for nonprofits, innovations in corporate pro bono, workshops on leveraging pro bono from a seat on the board, how nonprofits can make the most of free technology; and concluding with an evening reception, to celebrate the thousands of business professionals who give their time and skills to improve the nonprofit sector.

Many NYC’s community of pro bono intermediary organizations, also called pro bono providers, participated in Pro Bono Day NYC, including NPower, Arts & Business Council, Net Impact New York City chapter, desigNYC, Catchafire, American Express Serve2Gether Consulting, DataKind, and additional partners. Events took take place at Citi, Google, The Centre for Social Innovation, and The Foundation Center. Speakers and panel/workshop participants included: NYC Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Richard Buery, Suni Harford, Managing Director and Regional Head of Markets for North America, Citi, Robert  Acton, NYC’s Executive Director of Taproot Foundation, and representatives from Symantec, Google, PwC, Goldman Sachs, Time Warner, Met Life, Lawyers Alliance for New York, the Arts & Business Council of New York, and more.

To learn more about Pro Bono Day NYC 2014: Connecting Passion with Purpose, click here.  

About Taproot

Taproot is a nonprofit organization that makes business talent available to organizations working to improve society. We engage the nation’s millions of business professionals in pro bono services both through our award-winning programs and by partnering with companies to develop their pro bono programs. One day, we envision all organizations with promising solutions will be equipped to successfully take on urgent social challenges.

About the Citi Foundation

The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress in communities around the world and focuses on initiatives that expand financial inclusion. We collaborate with best-in-class partners to create measurable economic improvements that strengthen low-income families and communities. Through a “More than Philanthropy” approach, Citi’s business resources and human capital enhance our philanthropic investments and impact. For more information, visit www.citifoundation.com.

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