Baker Donelson, in collaboration with Innovation Works and Business Volunteers, is holding holding a Light of Baltimore Incubator skillCONNECT event on Wednesday, February 4, 2:00 to 6:00 pm.
Event Date/Time: Wednesday, February 4, 2:00pm-6:00pm (reception included)
What is skillCONNECT?
skillCONNECT is a highly structured, interactive pro bono consulting session led by Business Volunteers. Volunteers work in teams with peers to learn about a nonprofit or small business’s struggles, and work together to ideate potential solutions and next steps for the organization. Participating volunteers in this session will include Baker Donelson’s associates and special invited guests.
What can I expect?
As a volunteer consultant, you can expect skillCONNECT to be an engaging event which allows you to meet local organizations, team-build with colleagues, and give back to the community in a high-impact way. Select Light of Baltimore nonprofits and social enterprises will attend and bring a challenge they are facing. You will be assigned to one of the Light of Baltimore organizations with a team of peers to learn more deeply about the organization and brainstorm potential solutions to the challenge. A reception will be held at the conclusion of the event, so participants can further network and share experiences.
skillCONNECT was a great experience that allowed volunteers to help a small nonprofit we had never heard of. It was so nice to collaborate with my professional connections and work on a project together outside of the usual office affairs.
–anonymous Baker Donelson volunteer
How will I be placed on a team?
Business Volunteers will ask you more about your background and skills below. We will then place you on a team we feel you are best suited for. We appreciate you being open to working with any of the amazing Light of Baltimore nonprofits and social enterprises attending this event!
Why should I participate?
skillCONNECT provides a unique opportunity to…
- Leverage your professional skills and expertise while giving back. Remember, the professional skills you have and use every day are invaluable for our featured Light of Baltimore nonprofits and social enterprises.
- Learn about your incredible neighbors upstairs, their work, and a behind-the-scenes understanding of the challenges they face.
- Build and practice leadership skills and professional skills.
- Spend quality time with fellow members of the Baker Donelson team, as well as clients and lateral prospects.
- Feel good while giving back—it’s a different, really rewarding way to volunteer!
Nonprofits/Social Enterprises and Their Event Challenges
We are currently hard at work sourcing challenges from the Light of Baltimore nonprofits and social enterprises who will participate in this event.
After the challenges are sourced, Business Volunteers will create consulting teams. Our main goal is to ensure the Light of Baltimore nonprofits and social enterprises have access to teams with skillsets and backgrounds that are best suited to support them.
By completing the registration below, you agree to work with whichever team you are ultimately assigned to. If you have concerns about team placement once teams are made, you are welcome reach out. Thank you for understanding!
Here are some examples of the types of skillCONNECT challenges you may see:
- A nonprofit receives a large amount of donations for its clients and has no way to manage, process, and track the inventory coming in.
- A small business is seeking to move from a temporary location and is looking for a new permanent home, but is struggling to understand how to determine a location that best meets the needs of the organization.
- An organization is a “hidden secret” in the neighborhood it serves and wants to increase its presence and serve more clients.
- A small business is about to launch a new program and needs help determining short and long term costs, revenue, and other financial modeling.
- A nonprofit has historically relied on one funding stream and needs to diversify.
- An organization needs to create structured Human Resource processes as it plans to leap in size and staffing in the next year.
Volunteer Registration
Deadline to register: January 22, 2026, close of business
The following registration form allows us to capture your contact information, your skills, and background.
Please note that completion of this form confirms your event participation. Once you complete the form and receive your confirmation email, you are officially registered for the event.
MAKE SURE YOU SCROLL TO ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS AND PRESS SUBMIT ON THE EMBEDDED FORM BELOW!
We will circle back with more information, the featured organizations, proposed business challenges, and consulting team assignments.
For skillCONNECT related questions, contact Mira Huang at mhuang@businessvolunteersmd.org. Thank you!