Why It Matters
Professional talent is essential, but expensive. Nonprofits need skilled professionals to fulfill their missions, but limited budgets make competitive compensation difficult.
Volunteer motivation is multifaceted. Our surveys show that over 80% of volunteers are motivated by gaining experience and developing professional skills, in addition to making an impact. Understanding and addressing these dual motivations is key to successful volunteer engagement.
Demonstrating impact to funders is critical. Donors and grantmakers increasingly require clear evidence of program outcomes and organizational efficiency to continue their support.
Quantifying volunteer contributions is challenging. Without proper tracking systems, it's difficult to measure, recognize, and report the true value of volunteer contributions.
Volunteer coordination tools are often inadequate. Traditional volunteer management approaches lack specialized features for skilled professionals, creating inefficiencies that limit the potential impact of volunteer contributions.
Connecting donors to your work creates deeper engagement. Supporters who understand the specific projects and volunteer contributions behind your impact are more likely to provide sustained financial support.
What We Do
Equity Forge provides a comprehensive solution for nonprofit leaders to build volunteer teams and track their impact, enhancing organizational capacity while creating transparent reporting systems.
Our platform will extend DemocracyLab's proven volunteer matching capabilities with enhanced tracking and impact measurement tools. Through our platform, we:
Connect you with talent through a marketplace where skilled professionals can discover and join your mission
Streamline team management with tools for vetting, onboarding, and coordinating contributors efficiently
Track and quantify volunteer contributions using industry-standard fair market rates for grant reporting and recognition
Demonstrate measurable impact to potential donors and stakeholders with comprehensive reporting tools
Support fundraising efforts by showcasing volunteer work and creating transparency that facilitates deeper donor engagement
Support your volunteers' careers by providing pathways to skill development and potential paid opportunities, enhancing satisfaction and retention
From volunteer recruitment through impact reporting and donor engagement, our platform provides the infrastructure for mission-focused growth.
How It Works
Our platform supports your volunteer program through four integrated components:
Talent Matching
Connect with skilled volunteers through our specialized marketplace:
Publish your needs and mission to attract aligned volunteers
Review professionals with verified skills and documented platform contributions
Create clear contribution expectations with selected volunteers
Value Tracking
Our platform quantifies the value of volunteer contributions:
Track volunteer hours and contributions using industry-standard fair market rates
Generate standardized volunteer timesheets that calculate in-kind donation values
Maintain comprehensive contribution records for grant applications and reporting
Impact Visualization
Demonstrate meaningful outcomes with data-driven tools:
Create compelling visual reports of volunteer contributions for board meetings
Track program outputs and outcomes for grant applications and stakeholder updates
Generate customizable reports that strengthen your fundraising position
Donor Engagement
Enable supporters to connect more deeply with your work:
Showcase volunteer projects and their outcomes to potential donors
Provide transparency into how volunteer contributions are leveraged alongside financial support
Facilitate direct donations through project-specific or organization-wide giving options
Help Shape Our Development
We're actively developing Equity Forge and would value your input to ensure we build a platform that truly meets the needs of nonprofit leaders like you. Once fully implemented, Equity Forge will make it easier to recruit volunteers, track contributions, and demonstrate your impact to stakeholders.
Answer our short survey to help prioritize features and capabilities. Your insights will directly influence our product roadmap.
If you're ready to start recruiting volunteers now, you can do so at our parent organization DemocracyLab by choosing "Create Project" at www.democracylab.org.