He could also sign up with RentACoder.com and Guru.com to sell his services there.
As AdMagic pointed out, it more of less is the same principle as ebay but if he uses the same username ans gets himself established he could earn good money from them.
He needs to write (as quite a few people have mentioned) - write a blog, write free for non-profits, write for testimonials only, write articles. He might even contact the local paper and see if they'd be interested in some free articles or a regular column. Even half a dozen good pieces could be enough to get the ball rolling.
He should invest some time in setting up a simple website - probably using a blog platform of some sort.
He can go onto the freelance sites but the fees will be tiny and it's very competitive.
Although freelance budgets are tightening, he can approach print media with article ideas. Get a copy of The Freelance Writer's Handbook (A. Croft) for an overview of the basics.
Perhaps most importantly he should find a niche - either a topic niche (ex. travel writing) or a type of writing (website content, articles, newsletters, copywriting, sales writing - all very different).