Business Volunteers Unlimited

BVU builds partnerships between businesses and nonprofits, developing strong leaders and empowering them to make an impact through volunteerism.

MAKE AN IMPACT

WHAT WE DO

Business Volunteers Unlimited (BVU) is a Northeast Ohio-based organization whose mission is to engage, connect, and strengthen businesses, nonprofits, and the community. BVU’s variety of services and events provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for business community engagement and nonprofit capacity-building.

We CONNECT through nonprofit board matching, skills-based volunteering, direct-service volunteer coordination, and business team projects.

Nonprofit Board Matching
SKills-Based Volunteering
Direct Service Volunteering

We EDUCATE through events, seminars, and resources focused on community engagement, nonprofit capacity building, diversity and inclusion, and more.

Upcoming Seminars
Resource Center

We CONSULT nonprofits on board governance, strategic planning, and much more. We provide businesses with insight into corporate community engagement.

Nonprofit Consulting
Business Consulting

INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND ACCESSIBILITY

In order to achieve our vision of a vibrant and inclusive community​ through business volunteerism, Business Volunteers Unlimited​ (BVU) will be a more informed and inclusive voice in Northeast​ Ohio with inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) as​ core values. BVU will commit to transparency and innovation in our​ decision-making and embrace feedback. Collectively, we will lead in​ a transformative way by welcoming and attracting diverse people,​ ideas, and partnerships for an equitable future. We will strive to​ embed IDEA into our culture, our strategic plan, and our work with​ businesses, nonprofits, volunteers, and the community.​

UPCOMING EVENTS

VIEW ALL UPCOMING EVENTS

RESOURCES

May Nonprofit News: Where are the volunteers?

Northeast Ohio nonprofits are struggling to recruit volunteers. Volunteerism in the United States has been decreasing steadily for the last decade, with the most significant drop seen between 2019 to 2021. However, 69% of individuals who volunteered in 2022 want to...

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Career Opportunity: Licking County Foundation

  Position: President Position Supervisor: Chair of the Governing Committee Status: Full-time, Salary, Exempt Licking County Foundation is a public charitable organization made up of a diverse collection of funds given by caring individuals, businesses and...

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WHO WE SERVE

For Nonprofits
For Businesses
For All

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

{My experience with BVU has been beneficial and helpful in my professional experience as a Development/Philanthropy professional and as a volunteer. From the webinars to in-person events to the resources. I walk away each time feeling more empowered and with a wealth of knowledge.  
Shanette Buford Brazzell
Director of Annual Giving, YMCA of Greater Cleveland
{BVU is the great facilitator. If a company has an interest in using their skills to volunteer, BVU is the institution that knows the nonprofits doing the work.
Joe Faulhaber
Former President, Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland
{Myself, along with the Sales Support Interns and Sales Support Representative Team had the opportunity to give back because of BVU. BVU set up a fantastic clean-up project at Huntington Beach in Bay Village, Ohio. Our team of 25 Hylanders were able to collect about 20lbs of plastic, paper, and styrofoam trash. While giving back in general is a great thing, doing so in your community makes it that much better! Thank you to all at Hyland and BVU that made the clean-up a success!
Joseph O'Brien
Sales Support Intern, Hyland Software
{Thank you and the team for being so great to work with yesterday. The impact you all made on those two homeowners and their yards was dramatic and I know they were most grateful. We too are very appreciative of your support and eagerness to volunteer with us in the community.
Ian Andrews
Executive Directory, LakewoodAlive
{For the past few years, we have been doing the best that we can, but I feel like someone has sent in the rescue team since partnering with BVU. Their nonprofit consultants helped us break down and prioritize our needs versus just running on the wheel.
Zulma Zabala
Former Chief Executive Officer, East End Neighborhood House
{We worked with BVU to establish a few advisory boards at Cleveland Metropolitan School District Schools…” “I found myself going to them (BVU) in terms of helping us setup the structure and the framework for these friends advisory boards. They’ve done it in the past, they continuously do it, and they bring a high-level of professionalism to the initiative.
Shana Marbury
General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Education and Workforce, Greater Cleveland Partnership
{The change we really needed to make was to focus much more specifically on how to deliver the mission and how to expand investment in the zoo. This is really where BVU came in. As we were discussing how to best align the board, we knew we had to get someone in from the outside to help walk us through a board development process.
Doug Piekarz
President & CEO, Akron Zoo
{I think nonprofit leaders should participate in this program because the courses give you context, clarification, insight, suggestions, resources, ideas, and tons of tools so you can maximize your role in your organization and plan a way forward.
Julia Wiesenberg
Executive Director, Buckeye Book
{The Nonprofit Executive Leadership Series was the single most valuable training I’ve received in my career, across both the nonprofit and corporate sectors. The content was highly relevant and practical, the caliber of the facilitators was excellent, and the benefit of participating in recurring sessions with other talented and thoughtful participants allowed us to effectively digest the information and apply it to ourselves and our organizations. I would highly recommend this course for anyone who is in a leadership role, or who desires to advance to leadership.
Laura Larson
Small Business Financial Exchange, Inc., Chief Operating Officer
{NLAP has been amazing. So many times you go to something like this and only take away 20% of it…I’ve been implementing many things they’ve shared since Day One.
Michelle Epps
Executive Director, Art Therapy Studio 2020
{I gained a greater awareness of my leadership strengths and areas of development. I’ve learned the importance of asking the right questions rather than giving the answers because people support what they themselves create.”
Felicia Soto
Associate Director, Esperanza
{BVU makes it easy for small nonprofits, like RePlay for Kids, to reach volunteers. The service they provide of coordinating team events and connecting us to local business is invaluable. Their services allows our small staff to focus on our mission of increasing the availability of adapted toys to kids in need.
Natalie Wardega
Director of Operations, RePlay for Kids
{Every year we do a Done-in-a-Day volunteer project called Fields for the Future. This is a project where our staff volunteers their time to renovate and beautify a baseball field in the City of Cleveland. BVU really does a lot of behind the scene work for us to set it up so that when we go out there that day, it’s really easy for people to engage and just get into the work and have a great day.
Rebecca Kodysh
Executive Director of Community Impact, Cleveland Guardians
{Community outreach has become a large focal point for our team here at OverDrive. Partnering with BVU was one of the best decisions we made this year for OverDrive, our team and the community. It has ignited our desire to give back and has helped us do it with success and impact.
Lori Ann Franklin
Chief Operating Officer, OverDrive, Inc
{I wouldn’t have been able to fill the position, hire somebody who had the depth and breadth of knowledge and have the ability to truly be an independent and functioning person. I wouldn’t have been able to afford that level of person.
Melanie Hogan
Executive director, LEAP
{We get someone of exceptional quality at an amount that we can afford. We can focus on projects that are high priority that we don’t have the professional resources to complete.
Jean Polster
President and CEO, Neighborhood Family Practice
{We had somebody who could dedicate their time and energy to an initiative that we just weren’t ready for from an internal standpoint.
Ron Soeder
President, Boys and Girls Clubs of Cleveland
{The event was great. I cannot stop talking about all of the information and tips I received from BVU’s Skill CONNECT. The opportunities you provide to nonprofit organizations through Skill CONNECT are invaluable. Thank you so much for the knowledge I have gained through BVU’s skilled-based volunteers.
Cynthia Carter-Harris, BSN, MBA, D.Min,
Executive Director, Cornerstone Pregnancy Services
{Programs like the Minority Pipeline Initiative are how we initiate change in our communities. Thanks for all that BVU does to keep our nonprofit community thriving.
Nicole Crews
Manager, Global Diversity and Engagement, Swagelok
{The board matching program has given our professionals an opportunity to work with the BVU professionals to find the right place for them to give back in the community.
Karyn Sullivan
Board CONNECT Board Matching Alumni
{The first session, Neuroscience, Emotional Intelligence & Nonprofit Leadership, was so informative and in the modern landscape--so critical. Looking forward to session 2!
Laura Gambrell
Manager of Grants & Annual Giving, Achievement Centers for Children
{I can’t say enough how incredible the organizers of this event are for putting this together. They created such a welcoming atmosphere for the guests, who were able to stop at many different stations to receive backpacks, new shoes, clothes, undergarments, haircuts, and so much more. It was so uplifting to see the guests getting the care and attention they needed and deserved. I am so grateful to have been a part of it. I met so many new people, learned so many stories, and made new friends along the way. Thank you BVU for putting together this event, I can’t wait to participate again next year!
Shelby Lattimore
BHG Financial
{I have worked the Stand Down for many years. I didn’t get to see anything else, but I felt like the guests were happy and I loved doing one meal and that they didn’t all come at once. They did not have long awful waits for food.
{This was a life changing experience for me. The BUV co-ordinated such an amazing event. I was nervous, at first, to be a personal shopper, but within minutes it turned into one of the most satisfying days of my life.
Mary Juhasz
{I was a volunteer for this event for 5 hours. The leadership did a great job communicating our responsibilities and were quick to make adjustments and changes as needed. I was pleased and happy that the event had returned. I enjoyed being part of this worthwhile and needed event for my 4th year. Thank you for all you do!
Joanne Yarbough
{Volunteers are a significant addition to McGregor. BVU did an amazing job coordinating all the wonderful volunteers for McGregor’s Carnival Day. Medical Mutual spent meaningful time with residents and kept residents engaged in all the fun activities. The time spent with the residents helps enhance the quality of their life by improving their mental, physical, and psychological well- being. The staff and residents at McGregor are happy to partner with BVU.
Lillian Zvosecz
Volunteer Coordinator, McGregor
{Thank you Business Volunteers Unlimited and Community Foundation of Lorain County for hosting "Building a Marketing Strategy Regardless of the Size of your Team" in May. The presenter, Lindsay Lauren Sims, offered a refreshing approach that anyone can understand. From evergreen content and batch posting to new tech like Vouch and Viral Loops, I can't wait to implement some of the lessons learned at this training for Youth Opportunities Unlimited.
Allie Levin
Communications Specialist, Youth Opportunities Unlimited
{I’m writing to thank you — working with Judy [our skill CONNECT volunteer] has been such a gift for our organization. Literary Cleveland is stronger because of Judy’s smart mind and hard work. We are incredibly grateful to her and BVU for this program.
Brandi Larsen
Board President, Literary Cleveland
{BVU matched us with the perfect financial expert who catapulted our capacity and increased Executive Director skillset and widened organizational bandwidth. We are stronger and more ready to equip youth and uplift Cleveland’s communities through music and design.
Doc Harril
Refresh Collective
{I was thinking small when at a recent “Ask the Expert” event, I was told to think and behave like IBM. This sentence, supported by tactical advice from an expert in finance and Quickbooks, made things become suddenly very clear to me. I was grateful to connect with someone who could told me to on my level about a very specific financial situation we were dealing with.
Kristi Horner
Founder & Executive Director, Courage to Caregivers
{I know the volunteer assignment through BVU was only to be a few months but I believe on June 30 I will have completed over 13 years at E Prep/Breakthrough. It has been a great experience. Who knows – I may want to try our new volunteer opportunities in the future.
Jeff Fast
Skill CONNECT Volunteer, Breakthrough Schools
{Within a span of 60 minutes, Jamie [Gallagher skill-based volunteer] assessed my organization's situation, explained the options we could consider, helped me put an action plan in place, and answered ALL of my questions. 
Lynn Foran
Executive Director, Reach Out and Read Greater Cleveland
{I didn’t know what I had to give until I did the first skill CONNECT program. I’m always excited at the end of these “Ask the Expert” sessions. The nonprofits are so grateful and thankful. Nonprofit leaders are great at leading their organizations, so being able to help these professionals improve in areas where they don’t have expertise is so rewarding. When you work in a specific field every day, you almost forget that what you have IS a valuable asset to others without that skillset
Stephanie Smith
Strategic Communications and Engagement Manager, Bober Markey Fedorovich