You may not be aware yet, but earlier this week LinkedIn opened its Volunteer Marketplace – designed specifically for nonprofits looking for skilled volunteers.

For instance you might serve on a small, relatively unknown nonprofit with aspirations to expand your visibility. Using Volunteer Marketplace, you can post an opening for a Volunteer Director of Marketing, along with a description of the skills and experiences you seek. Chicago Family Directions, a nonprofit who provides long-term literacy tutoring to Chicago Public School K-12 students did just that using the marketplace and had 12 applicants one day after posting its position.

Looking for more specific talent like a volunteer board member with grant writing experience and a background in education? You can target those skills too.

So what’s the catch you ask? Well, currently, posting in the Volunteer Marketplace will cost you.

Rates vary depending on where the position is posted but a single, 30-day posting costs about $20. If you want to post multiple volunteer positions, you’ll pay even more.

A few takeaways to consider if using Volunteer Marketplace can benefit your organization:

• Especially if you’re a lesser known nonprofit, posting your volunteer needs through the marketplace can serve as a double-win for your organization. Not only are you reaching skilled volunteers but just as important, you’re raising awareness of your nonprofit and its mission among LinkedIn’s massive audience of 259 million members.
• Similar but smaller volunteer matching services like CatchAFire, VolunteerMatch, BoardSource and the Taproot Foundation each are partnering with LinkedIn’s Volunteer Marketplace, which means the service is now your best bet to find qualified candidates.
• Don’t view the Volunteer Marketplace as a must. It’s only another tool in your toolkit. When it comes to developing a long-term sustainable pipeline of volunteers, nothing compares to well-planned strategy.

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