Pilar Bustamante felt the devastating effects of the pandemic this spring when she lost both of her parents to COVID-19.

In spite of this tragedy, Bustamante, a medical assistant at Nestlé-Spain, continued to work every day, answering questions from factory workers about how they could continue to produce food in a way that was safe for workers and consumers. Even through her grief, she knew the work was critical, not just for her coworkers, but for people around the world counting on Nestlé to provide the food they rely on.

The private, public, and social sectors have long been stuck on how to define the value of donated time – the inspirational stories and output reporting we’ve all relied on just don’t tell the whole story. Common Impact was ready for a better way, so we worked closely with the measurement experts at True Impact to move beyond outputs and look at the real value-add volunteerism – and in particular, skilled volunteerism – can deliver for communities.

As COVID-19 unfolds, many nonprofits find themselves facing an urgent need to revamp their digital marketing strategies to navigate the unprecedented situation. In June 2020, Common Impact and Verizon partnered with three nonprofits - the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, Change is Simple, and Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement - to help them do just that, providing each with targeted marketing support via a virtual skills-based volunteering day of service.

It’s Pro Bono Week! But this one looks unlike any other we’ve experienced before. Instead of large skilled volunteering events or gathering by the hundreds in event spaces for keynotes on social impact, we’re logging on to video calls from our homes or mostly empty offices. Handshakes have been replaced by waves on screens. Digital breakout rooms are the new space for collaboration.