Monster Supports Volunteerism by Launching a New Online Volunteer Center

Monster(R) today announced its support for volunteerism through the launch of a new online volunteer center, http://volunteer.monster.com, developed in collaboration with Idealist.org and boardnetUSA.org, two of the leading sites dedicated to providing volunteer opportunities. The Monster volunteer channel is designed to help connect the millions of users who are interested in volunteer opportunities by allowing them to search by interest and location.

In a recent Monster poll, 66 percent of Monster users said they planned to seek volunteer opportunities in 2005 (a). This represents a significant increase over the 54 percent of Monster users who stated they completed volunteer work in 2004 (b). The Monster volunteer channel has thousands of volunteer opportunities -- from transportation providers to fundraisers to board memberships at many nonprofits across the country -- each that give people a chance to give back to their local communities.

The recent events in Asia have drawn significant attention to the need for, and importance of, volunteering; and recent Monster polls suggest that a majority of our users will be looking for volunteer opportunities in the New Year, said Marcel Legrand, SVP, Strategy and Planning, Monster. The Monster Volunteer Center provides a way to connect the millions of people who want to give their time to help others with the agencies that most need their talents and skills. Through corporate-sponsored programs and individual interest, volunteering has become an important part of the fabric of today’s workforce, and we look forward to helping spotlight this important need.

We’re delighted to be working with Monster to let more people know about the thousands of volunteer opportunities posted by so many organizations, said Ami Dar, Executive Director of Idealist.org. Nonprofits serving people in local neighborhoods and across the world need volunteers to help them with their work. At the same time, there are millions of people with the skills, time, and desire to make a difference. This Volunteer Center is a great way for organizations and individuals to connect, and it’s also a great example of how a company like Monster can use its resources to make a big difference.

Serving on a nonprofit board is a valuable experience to bring leadership skills back into the workplace, said Brooke Mahoney, boardnetUSA’s founder. 1.8 million nonprofit board seats turn over each year in the United States. The Monster Volunteer Center is such an innovative way to enable talented individuals to offer their skills and experience to boardrooms that need them.

Accessible from the main job search page of Monster.com, the Volunteer Center contains customized content as well as a specialized job search area. The volunteer opportunities listed within the Monster Volunteer Center cannot be viewed from the general Monster job search area. The Volunteer Center will also have continuously updated articles, helping to guide users about U.S.-based opportunities that are available to them. Through the search section, interested Monster users will be able to target opportunities in local communities and cities across the nation.

(a) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 7,427 votes cast by Monster users from January 18th to January 27th, 2005 on the Monster.com homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The question asked, Do you plan to pursue any volunteer opportunities in 2005? resulted in 2,980 votes for Yes, I plan to seek volunteer opportunities this year. (40 percent); 1,913 votes for Yes, I have already started volunteering this year (26 percent); and 2,534 votes for No. (34 percent).

Anyone interested in voting in Monster’s current online poll may do so by logging onto Monster at www.monster.com. Users may review the results of this poll by going to: http://forums.monster.com/poll.asp?pollid=7745. These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate.

(b) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 5,076 votes cast by Monster users from January 13th to January 17th, 2005 on the Monster.com homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The question asked, Did you pursue any volunteer opportunities in 2004? resulted in 2,744 votes for Yes. (54 percent) and 2,332 votes for No. (46 percent).

Users may review the results of this poll by going to: