Charities Tap Skills of Jobless Professionals

Insight into nonprofits
He's now volunteering through Taproot as a project manager at the Community Music Center in the Mission District, helping it improve its professional business environment.

The work keeps him grounded, he said, as he navigates the difficult job market.

He's applied for a dozen jobs and made it through the final interview of a few, only to be told in each case that the company had decided to freeze the position until the economy improves. In the meantime, he is leading a neighborhood support group for laid-off executives.