Going Pro Bono

By PayDaze

Last night I went to an orientation session with Taproot, the volunteer organization I recently signed up with. They match creative and professional people with worthwhile non-profits in Chicago (and a bunch of other cities) to work on their brands, websites, brochures and more. I figure it'll be a good way for me to do some creative work outside of my company and get involved in the community. Plus, I'll get to meet more wacky Chicagoans and have some funny stories to tell.

From the sounds of it, the workload shouldn't be too bad. The projects should last around 5-6 months, but they say everyone will only work around 5 hours a week. (From home, with phone meetings.)

I'm so excited to get started! The Taproot people I met last night were really passionate and enthusiastic about what they do, and it'll be a pleasant change of pace from the usual corporate communications stuff we do at the office.

If you're interested in volunteering, these positions are most in demand in Chicago:

- web graphic designers (nudge nudge, Billz)
- copywriters (that's me)
- marketing managers
- software / web developers
- print graphic designers

Or if you're not in Chicago, Taproot is also in San Francisco, New York, Boston, Washington D.C. and Seattle. I'll post more about my volunteer projects once I get started!