VolunteerMatch - Where Volunteering Begins. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2011, from http://www.volunteermatch.org/
How to use this website:
VolunteerMatch.org is a wonderful resource teens can use to find local volunteer positions, which can be tailored to their age and interests. When users visit this site, they will see a variety of search options starting with the top five tabs that discuss the following topics: "Search," "Volunteers, " "Nonprofits," "Corporations," and an "About Us." VolunteerMatch is a nonprofit organization that is funded by private philanthropic groups and donations: "VolunteerMatch is about people. We are a community that believes in the power of volunteering to enrich our lives and the world around us. We believe that in order to be strong, a community must be constantly evolving, increasingly active and evermore diverse. We are proud to be supporting a community that grew to over six million users in 2008" (para. 2). 
With this goal in mind, teens can use this site for any community service they need for college applications and scholarships as well as looking for something to make a difference. This website offers an amazing "Advanced Search" option where teens can limit their choices by the area of interests, age group, keyword, and location. This site is incredibly easy to use and if teens are interested in applying for specific tasks, they can easily sign-up to make a profile, which helps them with a lot since some of these positions require background checks and so forth. All in all, VolunteerMatch is a very easy to use that will provide teens with plenty of opportunities. I have personally used this site and it is just amazing. Teens come into Libraries all the time looking for volunteer opportunities, but, sometimes, we just don't have enough work for them to do. However, using this resource is incredibly helpful since teens can access this site at any time and they have plenty of choices to choose from. The volunteer opportunities revolve around a lot of topics such helping the homeless, beach clean-up's, helping children learn to read, working summer camps, helping out at hospitals, and working at fundraisers. Opportunities are listed by preference, zip code, and distance, which is helpful since not all teens have transportation so choosing activities close to home is essential.
This site is highly inclusive where not just teens can participate, but children and families, which show that this organization strives to have every member of the various communities involved. Moreover, the sections that involve, specifically, nonprofits and corporations, allow bigger groups of people to help at a certain event. I appreciate the fact that this site does offer corporations opportunities since they tend to have more people and they will be able to make bigger monetary donations. Whatever the case, this site encourages everyone to get involved, which is essential in not only helping teens develop leadership skills, but also build social and professional skills, which will be necessary when they enter the adult world.
Reader's Annotation:
Teens looking for volunteer opportunities can use this website where they can retrieve results based on their interest, age, and location.
Information about the website:
According to the "About Us," section, VolunteerMatch began when "Four MBA's – Mark Benning, Joanne Ernst, Steve Glikbarg, and Cindy Shove – draft plans to launch an online nonprofit to promote community involvement." In 1998, VolunteerMatch created it's own website, which was later promoted by Oprah Winfrey in 1999 and, with the aftermath of 9/11, the website's popularity soared where it won two Webby awards for service and activism in 2001. Along with winning these awards, the organization received a $ 1 million grant from the Atlantic Philanthropies, which was later followed by additional grant monies.
In 2003, VolunteerMatch.org reached it's 1,000,000th referral and in April of 2003, it teamed up with Yahoo! to promote volunteer service for National Volunteer Week. In 2005, VolunteerMatch dispatched 80,000 volunteers, over four weeks, to help victims of the Hurricane Katrina. Lastly, in 2007, VolunteerMatch was featured in a Time article as one of the top ten websites, which is an immense honor, especially after the organization achieved its 3, 000, 000th referral.
Genre:
Volunteering
Curriculum Tie-In's:
N/A
Booktalking Ideas:
If I were to promote this website, it definitely belongs in a weblinks collection specifically meant for teens on the Library website. Moreover, I would recommend teens to check this site out at home, or at the Library, to find opportunities that suits their needs. Moreover, I will be more than willing to demonstrate how the site works and how to limit their search according to their preferences.
Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 10-12
Challenge Issues:
N/A
Sites similar to VolunteerMatch.org:
Why did I choose this site?
I chose this site because how comprehensive it is.
Awards & Recognition:
VolunteerMatch.org has received much recognition from all over the world, which they list here and awards.
References:
VolunteerMatch - Awards. (n.d.). VolunteerMatch - Where Volunteering Begins. Retrieved April 04, 2011, from http://www.volunteermatch.org/about/awards/
VolunteerMatch - Advanced opportunity search. (n.d.). VolunteerMatch - Where Volunteering Begins. Retrieved April 04, 2011, from http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/advanced.jsp
VolunteerMatch - Vision. (n.d.). VolunteerMatch - Where Volunteering Begins. Retrieved April 04, 2011, from http://www.volunteermatch.org/about/vision/index.jsp
VolunteerMatch - Where Volunteering Begins. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2011, from http://www.volunteermatch.org/
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