For Immediate Release May 26, 2020
Contact:
California Volunteers: Cristina Valdivia Aguilar, cristina.valdivia@cv.ca.gov (916) 508-9018
VolunteerMatch: Tashion Macon, strut AGENCY, tashion@strutagency.com, (818) 749-8786
California Volunteers, VolunteerMatch Partner to Bolster #CaliforniansForAll Statewide Volunteer Corps
SACRAMENTO – California Volunteers, Office of the Governor today announced a first-of-its-kind public sector/nonprofit technology partnership with VolunteerMatch to enhance its new volunteer engagement platform. The partnership will build on the #CaliforniansForAll service initiative and the efforts to build a statewide volunteer corps to help with the state’s response to COVID-19.
“Since we announced the #CaliforniansForAll service initiative in late April, more than 38,000 have signed up,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “I am proud of those who have matched their passion with action and am grateful to VolunteerMatch for their partnership as more Californians continue to meet this moment.”
When interested volunteers visit CaliforniansForAll.ca.gov, they are given a variety of options to engage in service from activities you can easily and safely do at home to opportunities with local organizations. The partnership will provide more than 10,000 volunteer engagement opportunities in California.
“We are creating service opportunities for everyone, whether you want to do something at home to help a neighbor, volunteer for an hour or dedicate a year to service,” said Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday. “We are proud to partner with VolunteerMatch, who has the unique capacity to complement the Governor’s call to action and help connect volunteers to local needs throughout the state.”
“COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on communities across the State of California and our entire nation,” said Greg Baldwin, CEO of VolunteerMatch. “VolunteerMatch is proud to step up to respond to Governor Newsom’s statewide call to service, and to partner with California’s Chief Service Officer, Josh Fryday and the team at California Volunteers to help get volunteers efficiently into service where they’re needed most.”
VolunteerMatch has been actively learning from its community of nonprofits since the COVID-19 crisis began. These learnings have helped them enhance their technology and develop new features including COVID-19- and Virtual Volunteering-specific markers, and ways to communicate safer local volunteering activities.
In April, Governor Gavin Newsom announced California Volunteers’ #CaliforniansForAll service initiative to connect Californians with safe volunteer opportunities and encourage those unable to physically volunteer to think creatively about ways to make a difference in their communities.
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California Volunteers, Office of the Governor is tasked with empowering Californians to take action to improve their communities. Follow California Volunteers on social media. VolunteerMatch believes everyone should have the chance to make a difference. As the web’s largest volunteer engagement network, serving over 128,000 participating nonprofits, 150 corporate network partners, and 13 million annual visitors, VolunteerMatch offers unique, award-winning solutions for individuals, nonprofits and companies to make this vision a reality. Since its launch in 1998, VolunteerMatch has helped the social sector attract more than $12 billion worth of volunteer services. Follow @VolunteerMatch on social media.