Interested in volunteering, giving or interning with a great local charity? GreatNonprofits.org released today its first consolidated list of user-reviewed non-profits in Bradenton, which Patch.com readers can use to discover top-rated charities to give or work with on issues they care about.

“Local giving and volunteering has exploded in recent years,” says Perla Ni, the CEO of GreatNonprofits, which published the list. GreatNonprofits is the leading site for non-profit reviews by volunteers, donors, and clients alike.

“Like Shop local, eat local, people now want to get involved with local nonprofits. People are increasingly interested in making meaningful connections in their own neighborhoods and communities.”

Check out this list to find a great non-profit around Bradenton.

This list only contains charities within 5 miles of Bradenton, but you can expand it to include non-profits up to 50 miles away, or you can sort through them by issue and user rating. If your favorite charity is missing from the list, you can create a page for it on GreatNonprofits.org. Then you can write and post a review about it, helping others discover the organization and contribute to this great community resource.  Not only does this provide useful feedback for non-profits, which they can use for self-assessment and improvement, but it serves as compelling evidence about their work, which they can show to donors.

It is a great way to find out about volunteer, internship, and job opportunities at local charities, as well as a way for nonprofit leaders to collect and publicize the experiences of their volunteers, donors, and clients.

“It’s so rewarding for people to discover on-the-ground, maybe lesser-known non-profits doing great work in their own communities,” said Ni. “Getting involved, volunteering or interning with local charities can be a terrific experience, because non-profits need and appreciate the help. You can get substantive responsibilities, hone real-world skills, and see the difference you’ll make in your own community!"

The full list over 1 million non-profits, which users can explore using zip code, issue, and rating filters, is available at http://greatnonprofits.org/.