- $100,000 United Way Catalyst Grant funds Volunteer Memphis program at Leadership Memphis
- volunteermemphis.org and uwmidsouth.org/volunteer websites provide hundreds of ways to make a difference right here at home
United Way of the Mid-South and Leadership Memphis announced a formal partnership and Catalyst Fund granting of $100,000 to strengthen Volunteer Memphis’ work at United Way of the Mid-South, 1005 Tillman Street on Thursday, November 12, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.
United Way of the Mid-South and Leadership Memphis are partnering to strengthen a powerful mechanism for volunteerism in the Mid-South. The new Volunteer Memphis program at Leadership Memphis at www.volunteermemphis.org will increase volunteer engagement, make it easier for people to find opportunities to volunteer, and strengthen the ability of local nonprofits to recruit volunteers to help them in their work.
After the presentation, a panel of local leaders including Shannon A. Brown, Chairman of the Board for United Way and Senior Vice President / Chief HR & Diversity Officer for FedExExpress; George Cogswell, President and Publisher of The Commercial Appeal; Diane Terrell, VP of Community Engagement and Executive Director of Grizzlies Foundation; and Jan Young, Executive Director of The Assisi Foundation, discussed mobilizing resources with the current Leadership Memphis class. Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson, President/CEO of United Way of the Mid-South and David Williams, President/CEO of Leadership Memphis also took part.
“Transforming Memphis and the Mid-South to make it an even better place to live and work requires tremendous resources, and the power of volunteers is a critical resource in this effort. So often we think of community resources simply in terms of dollars, but when people are dedicating their time, energy, passions and expertise they make a huge impact on people’s lives and our quality of living. This partnership and the convenience of volunteermemphis.org help us increase public access to volunteer opportunities and track volunteer activity more effectively. It provides a valuable service to nonprofits, individuals, organizations, and companies wishing to engage the power of people to make a difference where help is truly needed,” said Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson, President/CEO of United Way of the Mid-South.
“This investment in Volunteer Memphis helps strengthen United Way’s connection with donors, organizations which support United Way, and other changemakers who want to make a difference in their communities by getting involved in service opportunities. Leadership Memphis and United Way are linked by our missions to engage people in improving our community. It’s important that local nonprofits have a free and easy way to recruit and manage volunteers, and it’s equally important that volunteers have a convenient way to find opportunities that match their passions,” said David Williams, President/CEO of Leadership Memphis.
David Williams, President/CEO of Leadership Memphis (left) and Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson M.D., President/CEO of United Way of the Mid-South, present United Way’s $100,000 Catalyst Fund investment in Volunteer Memphis during a meeting of local leaders at United Way headquarters earlier today.
United Way is supporting the program with a Catalyst Fund grant of $100,000. Catalyst Fund grants are used to improve systems and networks delivering help and services to the Mid-South.
“Our discussions with our partners across the Mid-South revealed we needed to build our capacity to connect volunteers with meaningful experiences at our partner agencies and beyond, making it an even bigger part of our strategic focus as an organization. This program is a perfect match for our Catalyst Fund grant, which seeks innovative ideas that address underserved areas of community life. We’re already using this tool across our United Way network, and with this announcement, we expect to see it grow quickly,” said Dave Skorupa, VP of Communications for United Way.