Central Oregon Volunteer Connect: Closing the Loop...

As of September 7, 2026 (Labor Day), our volunteer portal — the volunteer management system (VMS) — is retiring, with no new platform to replace it.

Central Oregon Volunteer Connect isn’t going anywhere: the free directory stays up, and so does Connect Central Oregon’s work connecting this region’s volunteers, groups, and organizations.

Here’s the full picture — straight from our Founder below.

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TL;dr

Central Oregon Volunteer Connect is more than a volunteer platform. It is a regional infrastructure — built over more than two decades — connecting organizations, volunteers, emerging leaders, and community energy across Central Oregon. The volunteer portal was one expression of that. It’s retiring. The rest continues.

Reach out to us directly at volunteer@connectcentraloregon.org and we’ll help you find your way into what’s next.

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I’m writing to close the loop on something we opened back in March. At that time, we told you Central Oregon Volunteer Connect’s platform was transitioning to something upgraded — a new system, a new participation structure, a path forward we believed in and put significant resources behind. The transition process didn’t succeed. Most importantly, the conversations we had exposed something we needed to see clearly: running a shared volunteer management platform at the level this region deserves requires real, sustained investment — not just from Connect Central Oregon, but from the organizations depending on it. Over the past several months, it became clear that partnership wasn’t there at the level needed to sustain the infrastructure responsibly. So…we made the harder call. As of September 7, 2026 (Labor Day), Central Oregon Volunteer Connect’s volunteer portal — the listings, the whole system — is retiring. There is no new platform coming to replace it. We are stepping back from running that piece of it entirely. What it means is that our future work together looks different: more direct, more relational, less dependent on a piece of software neither of us fully owned. We take our role stewarding this program seriously — for the individuals who show up to volunteer, the groups who organize around a cause, and the organizations who depend on this region’s volunteer infrastructure. All three are why this work matters, and all three are who we’re accountable to as we make this change. This is not the end of the Central Oregon Volunteer Connect program, and it is not the end of our relationship with the individuals, groups, and organizations we’ve served. Scot Brees Founder, Connect Central Oregon

What This Means for Organizations

Moving forward, all organizations will work directly with volunteers:

Community Listing

The Community Listing — the free, always-on directory where the organizations appear — continues. It was never something that required their participation or investment; we’ve always maintained it entirely on our end, and that doesn’t change.

What’s retiring on September 7 (Labor Day) is the interactive portal itself — the volunteer management system (VMS) that let an organization log in and self-manage listings, post opportunities, or update their profile directly. There’s nothing to activate, update, or participate with, because there’s no portal left to do it in.

Organizations promote and share opportunities along with ways for individuals and groups to connect with them directly through their chosen methods such as websites, donor platforms and social media.

Each organization’s presence in the directory continues automatically, at no cost — the same way it has since the program launched. Browse the directory at volunteer.connectcentraloregon.org.

Community Events

Mentorship, community leadership development, and direct partnership outreach across the region will continue, most notably the Connect Central Oregon Volunteer & Board Fair — our in-person event connecting volunteers and organizations face to face. We’re already planning our next one for Fall/Winter, and we’ll keep hosting it, on our own and with partner organizations.

Unlike the directory, this is where we’d genuinely love your organization to show up.

If your organization wants to be part of what’s next, just reach out.

What This Means for individuals and groups

contact organizations directly to learn about or participate in their volunteer opportunities:

Community Directory

The Community Directory — the free, always-on directory of organizations across the region — continues. Browse it to find organizations working on causes you care about.

What’s retiring on September 7 (Labor Day) is the interactive portal itself — the ability to log in, search structured listings, or connect through us directly. There’s nothing to log into anymore; connecting happens directly with the organization.

Individuals and groups reach out to organizations directly through their own websites, donor platforms, and social media to learn about opportunities and get involved.

The directory continues automatically, at no cost to you — the same way it has since the program launched. Browse the directory at volunteer.connectcentraloregon.org.

Community Events

Mentorship opportunities, community leadership development, and in-person events continue — most notably the Connect Central Oregon Volunteer & Board Fair, where you can meet organizations face to face. We’re already planning our next one for Fall/Winter, and we’ll keep hosting it.

Unlike the directory, this is where we’d genuinely love to see you show up.

Looking for something specific right now? Email us at volunteer@connectcentraloregon.org and we’ll personally help point you in the right direction.

Where We Go From Here

Central Oregon Volunteer Connect is a program of Connect Central Oregon.

The volunteer portal is retiring, but our work in mentorship, community programming, and partnership continues — including the Connect Central Oregon Volunteer & Board Fair.

We’re grateful for everyone who’s been part of this, and we look forward to what’s next.

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