Let Trident United Way find you a match.

May 2006

Have you ever wanted to volunteer, but couldn’t find the time? If you’re like most people, you don’t have the luxury of free time on a regular basis.

For the first time, even if you’re only free, for example, every second Tuesday of every other month, you can find a volunteering opportunity that meets your needs with just the click of a mouse at www.tuw.org

Trident United Way’s 211 Hotline launches its interactive volunteer website April 26 to coincide with National Volunteer Week. The site will serve as a tool for volunteers and agencies alike, providing individuals with information on upcoming volunteer opportunities as well as giving agencies access to those individuals interested in lending a helping hand.

“It’s like the Monster.com of volunteering,” 211 Hotline Community Volunteer Coordinator Sally Burnett says.

211 Give Help is similar to job search sites in that anyone can search a database of volunteering opportunities submitted by agencies throughout the tri-county area. In addition, volunteers are able to create user accounts where they can post their interests, contact information, and even keep a log of their volunteer hours. Users can choose to receive email notifications whenever a volunteering opportunity matches their interests.

Another special feature that 211 Give Help offers is a gift matching page. Here, agencies can post donation requests. Then, users who want to donate can search these requests and find those that they can fulfill. If you want to donate something
that isn’t on the list, you can post it on the website for agencies or other individuals to claim.

“Our community already has a Day of Caring, where 4,000 people volunteer for the day. Now you can make any day of the year your own day of caring by using our website,” Burnett says.

The 211 Give Help website is an extension of the services that Trident United Way’s 211 Hotline already provides Charleston, Dorchester, and Berkeley counties. 211 is an easy-to-remember number that makes getting and giving help simple. Because it’s free, confidential and available 24 hours any day, it removes the stigma of asking for help and provides easy access to community resources through a large database of services.