400 business people join volunteer website

Over 400 business and professional people have registered with an online volunteer register in the last year, offering their business skills and expertise to the boards of community and voluntary (nonprofit) organisations.

Boardmatch Ireland is a free web-based initiative to recruit people mainly from the business and professional sectors for voluntary sector Board positions.

Boardmatch Ireland director, Brian Sheehan said: “That amazing level of interest shows that volunteering is not declining, and that people realise their social responsibilities in the midst of the Celtic Tiger.

"We need to find new and innovative ways to capture people’s willingness to volunteer. Boardmatch's free web-based service provides the "how" many business people are looking for to enable them to give something back."

To coincide with International Volunteer Day tomorrow, Boardmatch Ireland are launching the new website for their free online matching service – a cross between a jobs recruitment agency and a dating agency - matching business people with board opportunities in voluntary organisations. The website is at www.boardmatchireland.ie

“The voluntary sector is significantly strengthened when highly skilled people from the professional and business sector volunteer to serve on Boards. More than 50 voluntary organisations have found new board members from the business sector through Boardmatch in the last year," said Mr Sheehan.