Through the platform, nonprofits gain access to a large network of thousands of skilled professionals who offer pro bono services supporting a variety of organizational needs. We’ll share some of most frequently used services below.
In the seven years we’ve been making Catchafire available to Michigan organizations, 306 nonprofits have received a collective estimated value of $5,223,618 from free consulting services through the Health Fund’s Catchafire account.
Services Tailored for Impact
Catchafire offers a huge range of opportunities — in fact, the diversity of services and consultants can be a stumbling block for organizations new to the platform.
To help, we analyze how organizations are using the platform through the Health Fund’s account and continuously tailor suggestions to offer inclusive and actionable projects to provide the types of services organizations frequently need.
So, while many nonprofits first come to Catchafire for help with a single, specific need, they come back repeatedly once they begin to engage. Over time, many organizations find multiple, creative applications to support their organizations.
For example, The Family & Youth Institute (The FYI) in Canton has greatly benefited from Catchafire, completing 89 projects and calls and receiving nearly $220,000 in pro bono services, according to Catchafire estimates.
Through the platform, The FYI has addressed critical organizational needs, including financial planning, technology system improvements, web-based outreach, leadership coaching, infrastructure development, policy creation, and staff training. Staff shared that many of these initiatives would not have been possible without Catchafire’s support.
The FYI is also a Health Fund grantee. With funding from a 2022 Behavioral Health grant, the organization developed a comprehensive strategic communications plan and strengthened its technology platforms to more effectively provide culturally responsive mental health services to Muslim Americans.
Work under the grant built on approximately 40 prior projects completed through Catchafire that helped position The FYI to move forward with a more comprehensive outreach strategy. We’re always excited to see grantees using Catchafire in ways that complement grant funding and enhance their overall effectiveness.
It’s also important to note you don’t have to be a Health Fund grantee to use our Catchafire account — the service is open to all Michigan nonprofits with a health-related mission. We’ve been encouraged to see that the smaller organizations in our network have been some of the most active; in the past year, more than 58% of projects completed through our Catchafire account served nonprofits with annual budgets of less than $1 million.
Common Requests
So how, exactly, are these organizations using Catchafire’s network of volunteers? Here are a few of the most common requests:
- Strategic Planning: Strategic planning support is the single service most frequently accessed through our Catchafire account. The platform connects nonprofits to experienced professionals who provide consulting and facilitation support for this critical process.
- Translation Support: Catchafire offers a network of more than 40,000 skilled translation consultants to help organizations reach individuals in a variety of languages.
- Marketing and Communications: Users frequently come to Catchafire for help with a broad suite of communications and marketing activities including copywriting, graphic design, branding, website development, event promotion, social media strategy, strategic communications planning, and more.
- Finance and Fundraising: Catchafire consultants can help with a range of money matters, from fundraising campaigns to financial management to accounting systems.
Recently, we’ve seen an increase in interest in scenario planning coaching support, as many organizations adapt to the rapidly changing policy and funding environments at the federal level.
Organizations can call on Catchafire volunteers for a packaged suite of coaching services aimed at helping them assess their strengths, identify potential crisis scenarios, and form plans to respond quickly and strategically if those outcomes come to pass.
These are just a few of the ways that our partners are using Catchafire. You can find many other possible pathways to impact on the website.
Getting Started
Through the Health Fund’s agreement, Catchafire is available to all nonprofits with a health-related mission in our state. If you think your organization is a good fit, you just need to send us an email. We’ll follow up with a few questions about your organization so we can confirm your eligibility.
Catchafire is also coming to Michigan for a series of in-person “Accelerator” workshops designed to help organizations who are active on Catchafire better leverage the resources the platforms provides. Join the Catchafire team in one of these communities:
- Wednesday 4/30 – Grand Rapids
- Thursday 5/1 – Lansing
- Friday 5/2 – Ann Arbor
- Wednesday 5/14 – Houghton
- Thursday 5/15 – Marquette
- Friday 5/16 – Sault Ste. Marie