Professions in Service

People sharing their professional skills as volunteers. Often referred to as pro bono publico work.
Also see corporate social responsibility and employee (workplace) volunteering.

Articles and book excerpts on this subject

Crew sacrifices rest, relaxation for bay volunteer work (US Navy)
Finding Pro Bono Help through Board Recruitment from ReSolve, Inc. (2007)
Give Away Business to Build Your Desktop Publishing Business
Giving Back: Pro Bono Accounting Services, by William E. Shafer, L. Jane Park and Alice A. Ketchand
A People Lens, an interview with Volunteer Vancouver about their innovative engagment of highly-skilled pro bono volunteers.
Pro Bono FAQ - definitions and answers to key questions, from the Corporation for national and Community Service
Pro Bono / In-Kind / Donated Services for Mission-Based Organizations When, Why & How? by Jayne Cravens
Volunteer Security Pros Launch Free Vulnerability Database
What Volunteers Need: A White Paper, by the Volunteer Recruitment and Retention Task Force of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers

Free electronic books on this subject

Nonprofit Readiness Toolkit for Pro Bono Volunteering
Actually an online "course" with downloadable components (information, checklists, and more) to develop a process for building on an existing volunteer program and to anticipate how to best manage these specialized volunteers. From the Corporation for National and Community Service (2009). Free registration required to access the materials.

Power Skills – How Volunteerism Shapes Professional Success
2006 study by Womens Way in Philadelphia shows how critical business skills, like problem solving, coaching/mentoring, and public speaking are developed and improved through volunteerism.

Web sites with useful information on this subject

AALS Pro Bono Project
http://www.aals.org/probono/report.html
The Association of American Law Schools has made pro bono work by law students a special project and this report outlines why.

American Bar Association
http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/rule61.html
Rules and policies regarding pro bono service expectations by lawyers.

American Institute of Architects
Information on their pro bono philosophy and projects.

American Marketing Association Foundation http://themarketingfoundation.org/
Division of the AMA with the mission to be an essential resource to nonprofits, helping them achieve greater success through effective marketing.

American Society of Landscape Architects http://www.asla.org/IndividualAward.aspx?id=3296&terms=pro+bono
Gives an annual community service award for "sustained, pro bono service to the community demonstrating sound principles or values of landscape architecture." See 2008 winner: http://www.asla.org/AwardRecipient.aspx?id=19934

American Society of Civil Engineers http://www.asce.org/professional/commservice/
Support community service projects.

Association Forum of Chicagoland Resources
http://www.associationforum.org/resources/digital-forum.asp
Articles on the management of professional societies. Full isssues of their journal Forum and archives available free online, along with a blog.

Bankers without Borders® http://www.grameenfoundation.org/get_involved/volunteer_initiatives/

An initiative to recruit people with finance skills to volunteer support to microfinance and technology sector developmentsaround the world. Sponsored by the Grameen Foundation. Also see the Points of Light case study on this initiative.

Bar Pro Bono Unit (UK)
http://www.barprobono.org.uk/
Site established to support and coordinate pro bono legal work in the UK . Specifically see the "Bar in the Community" page: http://www.barprobono.org.uk/?cID=bic_home.

A Billion + Change
http://www.abillionandchange.org
http://www.nationalservice.org/about/initiatives/probono.asp
Led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, A Billion + Change is a three-year campaign designed to define and encourage pro bono service by for-profit companies, donating professional services to nonprofits needing such consultations.

Business in the Community (UK)
http://www.bitc.org.uk/
Information on the "ProHelp" program linking a network of over 1,000 professional firms to community service needs.

CompuMentor
http://www.compumentor.org/
Technology assistance for community-based organizations and schools.

CPAs for the Public Interest
http://www.cpaspi.org/cpaspi/
Volunteer accounting service in Illinois.

Dental Pipeline
http://dentalpipeline.org/
The Pipeline, Profession & Practice: Community-Based Dental Education Program operates under the auspices of the National Program Office (NPO) located at the Center for Community Health Partnerships at Columbia University Medical Center . It is funded to expand dental services to poor and underserved populations.

Financial Services Association
http://www.fpanet.org/Connect/VolunteerOpportunities/ProBono/
Information on Pro Bono opportunities in the Financial Planning field.

FUNEN Pro Bono Project
http://www.funen.org/page9/page9.html
The Foundation for Understanding and Enhancement connects professionals in many fields with service projects.

Give an Hour
http://www.giveanhour.org
Helps mental health professionals donate their services to U.S. military personnel and families affected by current conflics in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Global Village Engineers
http://www.gvengineers.org/special.shtml
Volunteer corps of professional engineers supporting the local capacity of rural communities in developing countries to influence public infrastructure and environmental protection.

Good Company
http://www.goodcompany.com.au/
Connects skilled professionals with Australian charitable organizations in need of pro bono assistance.

HealthCare Volunteer
http://www.healthcarevolunteer.com
Started in 2006 by an American dental and medical student, in recognition of the need for a free portal to connect health professionals (or all kinds) to volunteering opportunities around the world.

International Volunteer Network of Chicago

http://www.ivnc.org

Stimulates networking and volunteer opportunities in and between Chicago's business community and its large international diplomatic community.

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
Since 1971, some 15,000 MSF volunteers have provided medical relief to the victims of natural disaster and war in over 80 countries. When medical relief is not enough to save lives, volunteers speak out and advocate on "forgotten" and "hot news" issues alike.

National Association of Asian American Professionals http://www.naaap.org/
The largest and fastest growing Asian American professional organization in the U.S. and Canada , "forging leaders of tomorrow through professional development, cultural awareness, and community service."

National Pro Bono Resource Centre ( Australia ) http://www.nationalprobono.org.au/

NetImpact
http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/zone/clubs/netimpact/
A network of MBA students and alumni of the UCLA Anderson School of Business who share a passion for exploring the interdependence of business and social responsibility while in business school and throughout their professional careers.

Pro Bono Action Tank
http://www.probonoactiontank.org/
Established in 2008 by the Taproot Foundation, the Pro Bono Action Tank works to enable the business community to engage in pro bono service, develop standards to ensure high-quality service delivery, and make it easier for all public benefit organizations to access the expertise they need to achieve their missions. The Pro Bono Case Studies are of special interest.

Pro Bono Volunteering Resources
http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/probono
Compiled by the Resource Center of the Corporation for National and Community Service, this page links to a wealth of learning materials on pro bono volunteering, including the Nonprofit Readiness Toolkit for Pro Bono Volunteering.

Professional Convention Management Association
http://www.pcma.org/People/Volunteer_and_Community_Service.htm
Helps event organizers incorporate community service into their programs.

Professions Australia
http://professions.com.au/volunteering.html
An initiative in partnership with Volunteer Match (Australia) to encourage volunteering by those in the professions.

Taproot Foundation - Knowledge Center
http://www.taprootfoundation.org/corporate/resources.php
Taproot is focused on encouraging pro bono donations of professional services. Here are articles and research reports about business and professional community engagement.

UNITes
http://www.unites.org/cfapps/WSIS/wsis.cfm
UN-sponsored online volunteering program in which skilled volunteers around the world help others in developing countries to apply and build capacities in information and communication technologies (ICT).