History
Inspired by the potential of the web and the success of NetDay, VolunteerMatch.org was launched on April 20, 1998 as a merger between Impact Online, Inc. (a California nonprofit organization started by MBAs Mark Benning, Joanne Ernst, Steve Glikbarg, and Cindy Shove) and Volunteer America (a project co-founded by Jay Backstrand and Craig Jacoby). Today the organization is called Impact Online, Inc., dba VolunteerMatch. Its early growth was helped by attention from the mainsteam media (particularly around the topic of virtual volunteering) and its success in competitions sponsored by industry and academic institutions. In 1998, it was a final selection for inclusion in the Smithsonian Institution Permanent Research Collection and was featured in an article in USA Today. In 1999 it was promoted by Oprah Winfrey on her show.
The organization's growth has also been spurred by an increased interest in disaster-related volunteering and service following natural and man-made disasters, including the September 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Following Hurricane Katrina, it began a partnership with the American Red Cross to integrate VolunteerMatch Solutions with the Red Cross volunteer opportunity search system, a relationship which still exists.
In 2005 the organization launched an initiative to promote older adult skilled volunteering. With initial funding from The Atlantic Philanthropies, it conducted research in 2006 that was published the following year as a report, Great Expectations: Boomers and the Future of Volunteering. On June 27, 2008, Boomer Volunteer Engagement: Collaborate Today, Thrive Tomorrow, a step-by-step guide for nonprofits to engage older adults and skilled volunteers, was co-published with the JFFixler Group.
VolunteerMatch reached one million volunteer referrals on January 9, 2003; two million on March 16, 2005; three million on June 5, 2007; and four million on March 13, 2009. In 2009 it helped thousands of Americans participate in the first September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. As part of National Volunteer Week on April 16, 2010, UnitedHealth and VolunteerMatch released research on the health benefits of volunteering. On June 8, 2010, Ben & Jerry's released two ice cream flavors—Berry Voluntary and Brownie Chew Gooder—to promote Scoop It Forward, a partnership with Target and Ben & Jerry’s aimed at encouraging consumers to volunteer at education-related nonprofits. December 31, 2010 marked the first time that mission-related revenue covered 100 percent of VolunteerMatch’s annual costs. In September 2011, it listed 71,652 active volunteer opportunities from over 79,920 nonprofit organizations.
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