Pro Bono Service - Just works!
Originally published on National Council of Nonprofits
When the iPad was released in 2010, the world knew: Tablet computing had arrived.
Before then, there were just too many problems with tablets… limited battery life, overheating, slow processing speed, and awkward interfaces. The iPad fixed those problems, creating a pleasant user experience. It just worked.
For nonprofit leaders, using skilled volunteers to help build organizational capacity used to be similarly riddled with problems. Finding the right volunteer was difficult. Scoping and managing projects was complicated and time-consuming. Meanwhile, paid consultants were often too costly.
But that has changed. Today, online platforms like Taproot+, NPower, and Public Architecture’s 1% Program are simplifying the user experience, making pro bono projects “just work” in ways they didn’t before.
Just as the iPad experienced rapid adoption, so too have these platforms. As one example, Taproot+, launched less than a year ago by the Taproot Foundation, has already delivered more than $1.7 million worth of professional services to nonprofits.
How does it work? The Taproot+ platform allows nonprofit organizations—free of charge—to access marketing, IT, design, HR, finance, and strategy professionals any time, any place. Nonprofits post a need on the site, speak with skilled professionals and pick the expert that works best for them. Then, they work together either in-person or virtually for 6-8 weeks with ongoing access to Taproot tools and support. The user experience breakthroughs reported by nonprofits include the ease of use, the screening process, and the project guidance each step of the way.
