Nonprofits often have intimate knowledge of what their communities need and a passionate commitment to improving the lives of everyone they serve.

Many organizations are small but mighty: of the almost 44,000 nonprofits in Missouri, approximately 5,000 have no official staff. Smaller nonprofits often need expertise to help them strategize and grow. When hiring new staff or paying a consultant is out of reach, the right volunteer can be a trusted resource to bridge the gap between skillset and impact.

This is where Catchafire shines, matching mission-driven organizations with virtual, skills-based individuals on the projects most critical for that nonprofit’s success. Nonprofits in Missouri and the Metro East region of Illinois have free access to the platform thanks to a partnership between MFH and the St. Louis Community Foundation. Both organizations are working to spread the word about this resource throughout their service areas. Catchafire was featured in newsletters for Philanthropy Missouri and The Rome Group.

$2,000,000 in Donated services since 2020

“Since this partnership began in 2020, Catchafire has provided nonprofits with more than $2 million in donated services,” said Emily Baumann, Communications Manager at St. Louis Community Foundation. “Since August 1 of this year alone, 26 projects have been completed and 384 volunteer hours have been donated. We’re excited to see how Catchafire will continue to gain momentum. We also appreciate this opportunity to partner with MFH around capacity-building, which is often overlooked but vitally important to organizational success.”

Rachel Rimmerman, Health Advocacy Strategist at MFH, concurs. “This partnership is a great way for us to amplify our impact and support nonprofits throughout our service area. It complements our other changemaking tools and our commitment to helping all Missourians live their healthiest lives, no matter where they live.”

MFH’s approach to systems change often means finding ways to support partners beyond direct funding. The Foundation’s MoCAP program, one of our changemaking tools, connects nonprofits and governmental agencies to grant writing and technical assistance free of charge. The program has attracted over $451 million in funding to Missouri since 2010.

Like MoCAP, making Catchafire’s services available at no cost creates an opportunity for nonprofits to access expertise, finalize projects, capture funding, and expand impact. So far, the partnership between MFH and the St. Louis Community Foundation has supported 696 volunteer matches for 211 organizations, resulting in more than 10,000 volunteer hours for nonprofits in the state.

Learn more about how three nonprofits have benefitted from their volunteer matches:

Chariti Home Ministries

Chariti Home Ministries helps teen parents navigate adulthood. In addition to parenting skills, participants learn about budgeting and managing a household. Program members are also connected with mentors and community resources. Volunteers from Catchafire have donated 159 hours so far, helping Chariti Home Ministries extend its programming and reach more mothers in their service areas by at least 15%. Volunteers also helped staff:

Create a five-year strategic plan
Execute a new annual conference for pregnant and parenting teen parents
Conduct board of director prospecting to secure more support
Copywrite the nonprofit’s program curriculum

“As a ministry without the funds to pay staff, we have been able to facilitate several fundraising events to keep our education/outreach programs. The parents are gaining long-term life and parenting skills because of programs the Catchafire volunteers have helped organize.”

Teresa Johnson

Founder and CEO

St. Louis Arts Chamber of Commerce

Catchafire volunteers have donated over 350 hours to help the Chamber of Commerce blend arts and economics, working with residents in historically underserved communities to uplift their history, beauty, and culture. Volunteers have helped the organization evolve its impact measurements and access additional funding for its community programs.

With this support, the Chamber of Commerce is creating a foundation for future success and improving the organization’s operations and program delivery. Volunteers on Catchafire have helped: 

Design an annual report and create templates for future use
Prepare for federal grant audits with bookkeeping support
Create an operating budget and receive advice on cash flow
Assess fundraising plans to support donations
Set up a customer relationship management (CRM) system

“We have received multiple grants and have multiple donors but have reached the stage where the data must be tracked more efficiently. [That way,] the focus of staff time is on providing services to the participants. Since we are young, starting a strong system from scratch will assist us over the next five to 10 years.”

Sandy Brooks

Founder and President

Good Journey Development Foundation

Good Journey Development Foundations supports young leaders in St. Louis, providing them with the skills, education, and mentorship to build a brighter future. Over 290 Catchafire volunteer hours have contributed to graphic design, marketing collateral, and donor letters, amplifying the organization’s visibility and fundraising efforts.

“Time is our greatest resource. We have saved a tremendous amount of time due to Catchafire volunteers taking on projects that would not have gotten done or would have depleted our greatest resource. This allowed our staff and volunteers to do more work with youth and communities that moves us forward in achieving our mission… Our community benefits by our organization having more resources to commit to direct program engagement and create new ideas, events, and programs for increased quality engagement.”