Rediscover Passion & Grow Your Career: Pro Bono Consulting
On November 10, 2025, Kimberly Swartz and May Malik (both with Taproot Foundation) explained how pro bono consulting with nonprofits can advance your career development and help us capitalize on new opportunities. Jackie Rojas (PwP) moderated this event.
Since January 2025, development professionals and public servants have been exploring new career paths, and some have begun to land new roles. The job search hasn’t been easy—from navigating fatigue to job description requirements that demand specific sector skills and experience. Despite these challenges, both featured speakers highlighted pro bono consulting as an effective professional development tool and as a fruitful opportunity to pursue while you identify the next step you will take in your career.
Malik opened the session by discussing the importance of volunteer work and how these opportunities can “scratch the itch” to serve. Swartz followed Malik’s remarks with a more detailed look at Taproot Foundation’s work and the kind of skills we can develop in pro bono consulting.
Concerning the organization itself, Taproot Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides consulting and advisory support to other nonprofit organizations. Its services are designed to address the massive resource gap that exists among various organizations and advance resource equity across the social sector.
More important, its strength lies in its broad volunteer base and in the skills-based volunteering opportunities it offers. In other words, by “donating” our time, abilities, and networks to various organizations, we can strengthen the nonprofit community while developing new skills to use in future professional opportunities. We all stand to benefit.
For nonprofits, our ability to volunteer our time and lend our skills to their organization (1) increases capacity, (2) reinforces our professional community, and (3) makes a real, measurable impact.
Meanwhile, for job-seekers, these volunteer opportunities allow us to (1) expand our professional networks, (2) build a stronger resume, (3) develop new skills, and (4) give us the chance to contribute to important, mission-driven work.
Given this challenging job market, the sheer volume of changes that will likely hit our sector, and an increase in demand for nonprofit support across various communities, Taproot Foundation’s offerings have never been more relevant.
In addition, Swartz emphasized the validation that volunteering our time to important causes can give us. Indeed, it is easy to forget that we have the skills and background expertise that would make us an asset to almost every organization in Washington, DC and beyond. Yet by pursuing these pro bono positions, we can demonstrate our skills to new audiences who can help us in our job search and to ourselves.
Swartz also offered an overview of how to submit a resume to Taproot Foundation and where we can find their numerous volunteer opportunities (whether they are short-term consultations or longer-term projects).
Finally, Swartz ended her presentation with three recommendations for anyone interested in these opportunities: (1) flex our project management skills to better position us for success in various roles, (2) encourage a two-way learning relationship with our partner organization(s), and (3) celebrate all our wins together to better instill a sense of community across the nonprofit and social sectors.
Similar to other presentations, both Malik and Swartz acknowledged the challenges we all face in a difficult and uncertain job market. Though volunteer work may not have been our first idea, its benefits are undeniable!
Other Previous Sessions
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