Bridge Over Troubled Water (BOTW) is a Richmond-based workforce intermediary helping young adults ages 18–24 prepare for, enter, sustain, and advance in stable careers.

We believe opportunity alone is not enough. Young adults also need clear pathways, meaningful preparation, real-world experience, strong connections, and support as they navigate the transition into a career.

BOTW serves young adults who want a stronger next step, including those who may be underemployed, disconnected from work or school, transitioning from foster care, returning from justice-system involvement, or navigating other barriers to career stability. We call the young adults we serve Career Builders because we recognize what they are working toward, not simply the barriers they may face.

We meet young adults where they are, recognize what they’ve overcome, and focus on what they’re capable of building next.

Through our Thrive 365 Methodology, Career Builders move through three connected phases:

Prepare — Build career direction, professional capabilities, confidence, and a realistic plan.
Practice — Apply learning, gain real-world exposure, and demonstrate capabilities through work-based experiences.
Propel — Transition into employment, apprenticeship, education, or technical training with continued support through the first 90 days. 

BOTW works across employers, education and training providers, workforce organizations, and community partners to help connect the people, resources, and opportunities around each Career Builder. Our goal goes beyond placement. We want young adults to have the preparation, relationships, experiences, and support needed to sustain progress and continue building toward economic mobility.

We are building the bridge between preparation, opportunity, and sustained progress. 

 As we develop, we are looking for partners: employers, training providers, and funders. Email us at Info@bovertw.org to learn more. 

 Creating Economic Prosperity Through Partnership.

Bridge Over Troubled Water (BOTW) - RVA

Helping young adults build the foundation for economic mobility.

This is a volunteer opportunity provided by Taproot Foundation, a nonprofit creating social change through pro bono connections.

BOTW is preparing for program launch while managing several priorities at once, including program development, partnerships, employer engagement, fundraising, outreach, and administrative responsibilities. We need support creating more structure around project management, follow-up, scheduling, outreach, and day-to-day administrative tasks. The biggest challenge is limited capacity. Many responsibilities are currently being managed by leadership, which can make it difficult to consistently follow up on opportunities and move multiple projects forward at the same time. We have begun developing trackers, templates, and processes, but need dedicated support to organize these efforts into practical systems. A volunteer would provide additional capacity, improve follow-through, and help BOTW stay organized and focused as we move toward launch.

The volunteer will help BOTW build a simple, centralized project management and outreach system that improves organization, accountability, and follow-through. Key deliverables may include: A centralized project management tracker or workspace for priorities, deadlines, owners, and next steps A partnership and employer outreach tracker for contacts, conversations, follow-up dates, and opportunities A meeting and action-item tracking process Reusable outreach, follow-up, and partnership communication templates A recommended digital file and folder structure for key organizational documents Simple workflows for recurring tasks such as outreach, meeting follow-up, and project updates Basic guidance or documentation showing how BOTW should maintain the systems after the project ends Success means BOTW has an organized, easy-to-use system for managing projects, partnerships, outreach, and follow-up without relying on disconnected spreadsheets, notes, or individual memory. The completed tools should be practical enough for leadership to use immediately and scalable for future staff or volunteers.

Bridge Over Troubled Water Mission: Bridge Over Troubled Water (BOTW) exists to empower opportunity youth aged 18-24 in Richmond, Virginia, by equipping them with the skills, support, and experience needed to secure meaningful, family-sustaining careers. Through comprehensive training, mentorship, strategic partnerships, and work-based learning opportunities, BOTW aims to break cycles of poverty and create pathways to economic stability and personal growth.

Volunteer: Project Management & Outreach Systems Setup

What the job involves