Hands On Greater Portland

What Hands On Greater Portland does

Hands On Greater Portland is a nonprofit volunteer center founded in 1996 that operates as the volunteer program of United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. The organization connects individual volunteers, families, teen volunteers, corporate teams, and nonprofit partner organizations with short-term, long-term, and team-based community service opportunities across Multnomah, Washington, Clark, and Clackamas counties in the Greater Portland metro area. It serves hundreds of nonprofit partner organizations and mobilizes thousands of volunteers annually, with curated coverage across issue areas including Animals, Arts & Culture, Children & Youth, Environment, Health & Wellness, Hunger & Homelessness, Senior Services, Sports & Recreation, and Technology.

The platform is built on HandsOn Connect, a volunteer management system based on Salesforce technology with SSL security, and exposes multiple integrated products: a searchable Volunteer Opportunity Database with filtering by issue area, age, skills, and location; a Project Calendar of "done-in-a-day" projects staffed by trained volunteer leaders; Team Volunteering for organized groups; DIY Projects for self-directed engagement; a Nonprofit Partner Portal for organizations to post and manage opportunities; a Youth Volunteer Waiver system; and annual Community Impact Week programming. Integrations with Civic Champs (event management), SignUpGenius (intake forms), and Sterling Volunteers (background screening) extend platform utility. Corporate engagement is supported through custom project development and the BusinessCares fee-for-service program, with event management fees starting at $50 per person. The organization also convenes a Corporate Service Council of regional business leaders to shape corporate volunteer strategy.

Hands On Greater Portland runs on a hybrid nonprofit revenue model: volunteer participation is free and supported by donations (processed through United Way of the Columbia-Willamette), while corporate engagement — including custom days of service and BusinessCares projects — generates fee-for-service revenue. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, combining a self-serve online platform with structured corporate outreach and an annual Community Impact Week. Day-to-day operations are run by a small team of two named staff (Senior Program Manager John Afryl and Volunteer Engagement Manager Louis Cohen) operating from United Way's Portland office.

Name

Hands On Greater Portland

Legal name

Hands On Greater Portland

Website

https://handsonportland.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hands On Greater Portland is a nonprofit volunteer center, founded in 1996, that connects individuals, groups, teens, and corporate teams with nonprofit service opportunities across the four-county Greater Portland metro area, operating as the volunteer program of United Way of the Columbia-Willamette.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Accepts donations to support operations and community programs. Donations can be made through a secure online donation system linked to United Way of the Columbia-Willamette.
2. Corporate Engagement Services: Fee-for-service program (BusinessCares) that connects businesses with custom, group-based volunteer opportunities. Event management fee for custom project development starts at $50 per person.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hands On Greater Portland operates a volunteer center platform connecting individual and corporate volunteers with nonprofit organizations across Multnomah, Washington, Clark, and Clackamas counties. It provides a searchable volunteer opportunity database, a project calendar of done-in-a-day projects, team volunteering, DIY projects, and custom corporate engagement services powered by the HandsOn Connect platform (built on Salesforce). The organization also runs the annual Community Impact Week and a Corporate Service Council.

Product overview

Hands On Greater Portland is a volunteer center operated by United Way of the Columbia-Willamette that serves as a technology platform connecting volunteers with nonprofit organizations across the Greater Portland metro area (Multnomah, Washington, Clark, and Clackamas counties). The platform consists of multiple integrated products: a searchable Volunteer Opportunity Database with advanced filtering by issue area, age, availability, and population served; a Project Calendar featuring done-in-a-day projects; Team Volunteering for groups; DIY Projects for independent service; Custom Project Development and BusinessCares Program for corporate engagement; a Nonprofit Partner Portal for organizations to manage opportunities; and a Youth Volunteer Waiver System. The platform is powered by HandsOn Connect (built on Salesforce technology) and integrates with Civic Champs for event management, SignUpGenius for forms, and Sterling Volunteers for background screening.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Volunteer Opportunity Database & Search Searchable online database connecting volunteers with nonprofit organizations across Multnomah, Washington, Clark, and Clackamas counties, with filters by issue area, age requirements, availability, duration, and population served.
• Project Calendar Calendar view of done-in-a-day volunteer projects, including Hands On Managed projects led by trained volunteer leaders and referral opportunities run by nonprofit partners.
• Team Volunteering Allows families, corporate teams, school groups, and other organized groups to create volunteer teams and sign up together for projects, with age-based requirements and parent/guardian provisions for youth volunteers.
• DIY Projects Do-it-yourself volunteer projects that individuals, families, and groups can complete on their own time, such as baking treats for Oregon Humane Society or crafting catnip toys for Cat Adoption Team.
• Custom Project Development Custom volunteer projects developed for corporate groups and organizations, leveraging nonprofit relationships to fit specific time frames, issue areas, and employee volunteer interests; event management fee starts at $50 per person.
• BusinessCares Program Fee-for-service program connecting businesses with custom, group-based, done-in-a-day volunteer opportunities with nonprofit partners, part of corporate engagement offerings.
• Corporate Service Council Advisory council of business leaders (including Summit Bank, New York Life, Portland Business Journal, Holman, Eaton, and Brown & Brown) that strengthens connections between companies and community needs and shapes impactful service opportunities.
• Nonprofit Partner Portal Salesforce-based portal for nonprofit partners to post and manage volunteer opportunities, access resources, receive support for done-in-a-day projects, and connect with corporate volunteers through the BusinessCares program.
• Community Impact Week Annual week of service across the region (first week of October), featuring special Hands On Managed Projects and corporate engagement opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of volunteers connected to projects annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• United Way of the Columbia-WillamettecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHands On Greater Portland is the volunteer program of United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. The organization operates from United Way's office and leverages the parent organization's relationships, infrastructure, and donor network to advance its mission of mobilizing volunteers across the metro area.
• HandsOn ConnectcoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform powered by HandsOn Connect, using Salesforce technology with advanced online security and SSL certificate. HandsOn Connect provides the volunteer management software infrastructure for the website and partner portal.
• Our StreetsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner organization addressing homelessness, food insecurity, environmental injustice, and youth engagement in Portland. Hands On Greater Portland lists volunteer opportunities with Our Streets and refers volunteers to their programs.
• Potluck in the ParkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner since 1991 that serves free hot meals to anyone in need every Sunday in downtown Portland. Hands On Greater Portland manages volunteer sign-ups for Potluck meal service projects.
• Stone Soup PDXmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit workforce training program that provides meals to shelters and schools while training individuals for food service careers. Lists driver and delivery volunteer opportunities through the platform.
• Portland Food ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood collection network that has grown from 55 donors to over 1,500, contributing 870,000 pounds of food to 19 local food pantries. Lists sorting and distribution volunteer opportunities.
• Latino NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLatine-led organization providing transformative opportunities for youth, families, and community education. Lists school food pantry volunteer opportunities.
• Centro Cultural de Washington CountymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization promoting social and economic development in Washington County, with focus on equity and belonging. Lists food distribution volunteer opportunities at Centro Mercado.
• Corporate Service Council MembersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory council of business leaders including Summit Bank, New York Life, Portland Business Journal, Holman, Eaton, and Brown & Brown. Council members help strengthen connections between companies and community needs, shape impactful service opportunities, and provide strategic guidance.
• Northwest Oregon Volunteer Administrators Association (NOVAA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal professional association for volunteer managers. Hands On partners with NOVAA for bi-monthly Volunteer Manager Happy Hours and Morning Meet-ups.
• The Nonprofit Association of OregonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState association providing training for volunteer managers, board members, meeting facilitation, and more. Recommended as resource for nonprofit partners looking to enhance their service.
• Oregon Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor regional food bank listed as additional resource for food-related volunteer opportunities.
• Milk Crate KitchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity kitchen in Portland listed as additional resource for food-related volunteer opportunities.
• Nourish OregonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization working on food policy and access listed as additional resource for volunteer opportunities.
• Sunshine DivisionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortland-based food security organization listed as additional resource for food-related volunteer opportunities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Idealist: Volunteer and job-matching platform for nonprofits and social-impact organizations. Closely comparable to Hands On's volunteer opportunity database and filtering by interest area.
• VolunteerMatch: National online volunteer matching platform connecting volunteers with nonprofit opportunities. Directly comparable to Hands On's core online database and opportunity search functionality, but operating at national scale.
• VolunteerHub: Volunteer management software for nonprofits, providing event posting, registration, and tracking. Comparable to Hands On's nonprofit partner portal functionality.

Others

• BoardSource: Nonprofit focused on nonprofit governance and board leadership, including volunteer board placement. Adjacent to Hands On's broader service of connecting volunteers with nonprofit board and leadership roles.
• 211.org: Free, confidential service connecting individuals to local health and human services resources. Adjacent to Hands On's mission of connecting community members with nonprofit services, though more referral-focused.

Broad incumbents

• JustServe: Volunteer opportunity matching platform backed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Comparable online volunteer database and opportunity search functionality with national reach.
• Points of Light: Large nonprofit focused on volunteer service and civic engagement, operating HandsOn Network. Comparable mission area and affiliated HandsOn Connect platform technology used by Hands On Greater Portland.
• United Way Worldwide: National umbrella organization for hundreds of local United Way affiliates, including Hands On's parent (United Way of the Columbia-Willamette). Comparable civic engagement and volunteer mobilization mission.

Emerging players

• Catchafire: Skill-based volunteering platform connecting professionals with nonprofits. Comparable volunteer-matching business model, with a narrower focus on pro bono/skills-based engagements.
• Galaxy Digital (VolunteerLocal): Volunteer sign-up and event management platform used by nonprofits. Directly comparable to hands-on event-management offerings and similar to Civic Champs, which Hands On partners already use.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/handsonpdx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hands-on-greater-portland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hands On Greater Portland