When our nonprofit partner Cambridge Volunteers launched their Virtual Volunteer Fair in 2022, they saw an opportunity to reimagine the traditional volunteer fair format. Rather than the usual “window shopping” experience, they created focused breakout rooms where community members could deeply engage with nonprofits doing related work.
This year’s fair, held last Friday, demonstrated the growing appetite for meaningful civic engagement in Cambridge with over 180 community members participating. The most popular sessions – focused on food security, housing, and immigrant justice – drew up to 80 participants each.
The fair exemplifies Cambridge Volunteers’ mission to strengthen civic engagement by building an effective and inclusive volunteer corps. By design, their approach levels the playing field for volunteer recruitment, ensuring that smaller nonprofits flying under the radar have the same access to committed volunteers as larger organizations with more resources.
“What excites me is that people seem more open to making long-term commitments,” says Laurie Rothstein, executive director of Cambridge Volunteers. “That’s what our nonprofits really need – volunteers who will build lasting relationships with organizations and with neighbors they never knew.”
The fair’s success reflects a deeper truth about Cambridge: in a city marked by both tremendous resources and significant needs, volunteerism is essential to building social cohesion – one of the Foundation’s core strategic priorities. “When you volunteer, you cross boundaries you normally wouldn’t cross in a day,” Rothstein explains. “You develop real understanding and empathy by working side by side with people. That’s how we strengthen the fabric of our community.” This kind of connection across communities is exactly what Cambridge needs to become a more vibrant, just, and equitable city for everyone.
Cambridge Volunteers serves as a hub for both volunteers and nonprofits. They help newcomers to Cambridge, first-time volunteers, and experienced community members seeking new opportunities find meaningful matches. At the same time, they support nonprofits through knowledge-sharing forums and best practices in volunteer engagement, expanding organizations’ capacity to recruit and retain volunteers.
For those who missed the fair, presentation slides and contact information for participating organizations are available on the Cambridge Volunteers website. The organization hopes to host another fair this fall, continuing their mission of strengthening civic engagement one relationship at a time.
Missed the fair? Cambridge Volunteers offers multiple ways to get involved. Visit the Cambridge Volunteers website to learn more and start making good in your community.
Together, we can build a stronger Cambridge where everyone shows up for each other.
Photo: D. Rabkin/CV at Margaret Fuller House.
