Building Capacity Through Strategic
Pro Bono Partnerships
Connecting corporate talent and skilled volunteers with nonprofits and small businesses through high-impact pro bono projects, from one-day hackathon-style workshops to long-term engagements.
About our program
Launched in 2018 as a core program of HandsOn Twin Cities, our Pro Bono Advisory Program has been connecting small businesses and nonprofits with skilled volunteers who leverage their professional, functional-area expertise to create solutions and relationships to build thriving communities.
We partner with companies to create tailored pro bono opportunities that will make a huge impact in the community, and empower employees to serve the community in ways that build upon your CSR and employee engagement goals. When working with a corporate partner, we take a fully customized consultative approach to the creation of an internal corporate pro bono program.
Past & Present Corporate Partners:
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30,200 hours of pro bono delivered
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1150 pro bono volunteers engaged
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270 pro bono projects delivered for nonprofits and small businesses
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$6,018,800 value of pro bono delivered
Who we work with:
Corporations
Nonprofits
Volunteers
What is pro bono?
Pro bono, also called skill-based volunteering, refers to the donation of professional skills (in business functions such as HR, marketing, IT, legal, etc.) to organizations as a way of giving back to the community.
How we work with corporations:
Corporate Partnerships
Who it’s for: From local startups to global Fortune 500 companies, we partner with you to empower your employees to serve the community in a way that builds upon your CSR and employee engagement goals and meets a need in the community.
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Through our Pro Bono Advisory Program, we tailor pro bono opportunities for your employees that make a huge impact in our communities. In working with a corporate partner, we take a fully customized consultative approach to any creation of an internal corporate pro bono program. From quick consultations to day-long hackathons; from robust 12-week projects to in-depth year-long loaned-employee programs; the engagements range greatly depending on community need, corporate capabilities available, and capacity to provide.
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The corporate sector represents a powerful force for change. When you invest volunteers, expertise, and financial resources, your corporation can strengthen communities and impact social change. Offering pro bono opportunities to your employees plays a key role in helping attract, retain, and develop skilled talent.
Connected For Change Sponsorship
Who it’s for: Any company can recruit employees to participate in our community Challenge Days. For sponsoring companies, we reserve space for your employees and prioritize nonprofits nominated by your company.
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Connected for Change is a day-long, hackathon-style workshop that leverages corporate sector talent for social sector needs. We pair nonprofits needing capacity-building support with a team of experts in their field who give their time pro bono to tackle challenges and develop tangible solutions. We offer multiple Connected for Change Day events per year within the following functional areas: Finance, HR, Marketing, and Technology. Participation is free of charge.
Corporate Engagement Portfolio
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Supporting nonprofits in the Twin Cities through capacity-building pro bono consulting projects. Recent areas of project types are Technology and Marketing.
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Supporting small businesses in the Twin Cities annually through 12-week pro bono consulting projects.
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Supporting small businesses in the Twin Cities, Atlanta, Chicago and the Bay Area through 12-week pro bono consulting projects across several capabilities. Explore our case study as an example of impact.
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Supporting nonprofits with long-term pro bono consulting projects as well as several nonprofits through consulting session events.
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Supported small businesses in the Twin Cities in partnership with Genesys Works to provide holistic pro bono support.
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Supporting nonprofits in the Twin Cities through capacity-building pro bono consulting projects. They are moving to add more projects in additional states they operate in.
Interested in becoming a corporate partner?
How we work with nonprofits and small businesses:
Connected for Change
Who it’s for:
Nonprofits: Any organization with a need in the respective functional area can apply to attend. Current HandsOn Twin Cities Members are given priority along with nominated partners of our sponsors.
Pro bono volunteers: Any individual with expertise in the respective functional area can apply to attend. Participation is confirmed upon a match with a nonprofit partner.
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What it is: Connected For Change (formerly known as Impact Day) is a day-long, hackathon-style workshop that leverages corporate sector talent for social sector needs. We pair nonprofits in need of capacity-building support to a team of experts in their field who give their time pro bono to tackle challenges and develop tangible solutions. We offer four events per year within the following functional areas: Finance, HR, Marketing, and Technology. Participation is free of charge.
Corporate Partner Engagements
Who it’s for: From nonprofits to small businesses across the country, each engagement supports a specific subset of the community. Visit the Corporate Engagements page for details.
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Corporate Partners of our Pro Bono Advisory Program have created pro bono engagements for their employees to support the community through high-impact capacity-building pro bono events & projects. Each engagement has specific parameters. Visit the Customize Corporate Engagements page for details on what types of partnerships HOTC participates in. Engagement is always free of charge and limited to an invitation by the HOTC team.
Pro Bono Scoping Workshop
Who it’s for: Any nonprofit is able to attend or access materials free of cost
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This interactive workshop focuses on the best practices of pro bono and will also guide you through the creation of your own scope of work to help hone your needs, set expectations, and identify the right pro bono volunteer expertise. Participation is free of charge.
Potential Pro Bono Project Idea Submission
Who it’s for: Any nonprofit can let us know if they have a pro bono project idea.
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A form to capture and describe a specific pro bono project idea to the HandsOn Twins Pro Bono Advisory team. This will give us the platform to listen and hear community needs and respond to them when opportunities arise with either a community volunteer team at our Connected or Change days or during a customized pro bono engagement with a corporate partner.
Did you know?
Our volunteer database supports a network of over 500 nonprofit organizations, helping recruit, retain, and engage volunteers to better deliver on your mission. Post one-time, on-going, hands on, or pro bono opportunities on our Volunteer Opportunity Database. Register your organization to post opportunities free of charge.
“HOTC’s Pro Bono Advisory Team is extremely knowledgeable, supportive, and incredibly easy and fun to work with. We have partnered multiple times with this team and each experience leaves our employees wanting more and eager to learn more ways to support nonprofits with their own skills and expertise. They are our go-to resource for any and all skills-based volunteering!”
Kelly Bukowski, Land O’Lakes
Our work in action!
A Literature Review Prepared for HandsOn Twin Cities
Andersen Windows & Doors turned the challenges of the pandemic into an opportunity to innovate, launching a pro bono volunteer program in partnership with HandsOn Twin Cities. Read about it!
Supporting Nonprofits: WomenVenture
Xcel Energy partnered with WomenVenture to strengthen the lending experience for women entrepreneurs. Read our case study about this 8-week pro bono project!
The Profound Benefits of Pro Bono Volunteering for Professionals
There are many benefits to volunteers, nonprofits, and small businesses when undertaking pro bono volunteerism. In our blog, we list some of those benefits.
The Andersen Windows & Doors Approach to Pro Bono Volunteerism
Andersen Windows & Doors turned the challenges of the pandemic into an opportunity to innovate, launching a pro bono volunteer program in partnership with HandsOn Twin Cities. Read about it!
Interested in learning more about pro bono?
Contact Joy Altmann, Managing Director, Pro Bono Advisory Program.