9.08.2006 - 08:00am ET

(CSRwire) SAN FRANCISCO, CA - VolunteerMatch, the nonprofit website that makes it easy to find volunteer opportunities by ZIP code and interests, now helps the American Red Cross recruit volunteers online. As part of this partnership, all 800+ Red Cross chapters nationwide can list their volunteer needs, which volunteers will find at redcross.volunteermatch.org. This initiative comes just as the Red Cross and other relief organizations anticipate an increased need for volunteers during the 2006 hurricane season.

"Volunteers are the heart and the muscle of the American Red Cross," said National Chair of Volunteers Kate Forbes. "By helping each of our local chapters recruit new volunteers, VolunteerMatch enhances people's ability to provide lifesaving service to their local communities."

The American Red Cross provides relief to disaster victims and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. Since 96% of Red Cross staff are volunteers and the agency relies on over 1 million volunteers each year, VolunteerMatch's ability to channel new volunteers from the internet into local chapters is vital. Last year, VolunteerMatch delivered more than 10,000 volunteers to the Red Cross during their call for 40,000 volunteers in the wake of the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

"We've used VolunteerMatch extensively with great success, and we are thrilled about this new level of cooperation between our organizations," said Babak Nahid, Community Outreach Manager for the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles. "The VolunteerMatch service empowers our staff and builds capacity for our chapter in a very meaningful way."

VolunteerMatch improves volunteer recruitment for national and local nonprofits by allowing any tax-exempt organization to list an unlimited number of volunteer opportunities. Visitors to VolunteerMatch simply enter their ZIP code to find these opportunities and sign up to volunteer. VolunteerMatch offers the internet's largest network of social service opportunities, having facilitated more than 2.6 million matches between volunteers and over 42,000 nonprofits.

"The selfless efforts of Red Cross volunteers everywhere demonstrate the impact we can make as individuals," said Deborah Dinkelacker, president of VolunteerMatch. "We are honored to apply the VolunteerMatch technology and resources toward helping the Red Cross fulfill its mission of caring for those in need."

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