U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Hundreds of Volunteers Join Largest Pro Bono Service Event in D.C. Area
The Taproot Foundation and Project Management member organizations provide local nonprofits with over $200,000 worth of project management consulting at one-day ScopeAthon
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 19, 2015 /3BL Media/ – As part of today’s Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will underscore the importance of pro bono service at the largest service project of its kind in the Washington metropolitan region. More than 300 professional project managers will donate their time and expertise to help nearly 100 area nonprofits during the inaugural Project Managers’ Day of Service ScopeAthon.
During this marathon-style service event facilitated by the Taproot Foundation, project managers will provide speed consulting to nonprofit leaders, with the end result being a well-defined scope of work and project plan that nonprofits can then use to address specific challenges. Project managers cut across industries but are less common in the nonprofit world, often due to a lack of resources. “We are so excited about our partnership with the Project Management Institute. On this day of service across the country, today’s ScopeAthon will give critical resources to 100 nonprofit organizations in one day, tapping the expertise of 300 project management professionals,“ said Liz Hamburg, President and CEO, Taproot Foundation.
On a National Day of Service, skill-based volunteering events like the ScopeAthon are even more impactful because they provide nonprofit organizations with specialized support that can be five times greater in value than traditional volunteering, according to True Impact and The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Through the ScopeAthon, volunteers will contribute over 1,500 hours of direct service to area nonprofits, making a collective contribution of over $200,000 worth of business consulting in a single day,” says Georgia Gillette, leader of A Billion + Change – the national campaign dedicated to pro bono service.
“I’m excited to show the D.C. business community and local nonprofits that project managers are change agents. This record-setting day of service shows the power a profession can have when we work together to use our knowledge to make our communities stronger,” says Kendall Lott, CEO of M Powered Strategies and event leader of the ScopeAthon.
The initiative is supported by the sponsorship of Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Charity Engine, University of Maryland and PMI Educational Foundation, with significant in-kind and pro bono support being provided by the Sheraton Tysons Hotel, Charity Engine, Capitol Asset, and A Billion + Change.
About PMI and the Baltimore-Washington Region
Project Management Institute is the world's leading not-for-profit professional membership association for the project, program and portfolio management profession. PMI delivers value for more than 2.9 million professionals working in nearly every country in the world through global advocacy, collaboration, education and research. PMI advances careers, improves organizational success and further matures the profession of project management through its globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses, and networking opportunities through its extensive member organized chapters. The Project Management Day of Service is supported by the five local Chapters of PMI: Baltimore, Montgomery County, Silver Spring, Southern Maryland and Washington DC.
About Taproot Foundation
The Taproot Foundation 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 own pro bono programs. By leading, mobilizing, and engaging professionals in pro bono service, we envision all organizations with promising solutions will be equipped to successfully take on urgent social challenges. Taproot Foundation has connected nearly $140 million in pro bono services through pro bono programs with volunteers and corporations since 2001.
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