L.A. Works Take Action Initiative

Expand existing program

While the 25,000 volunteers who participate in L.A. Works' programs annually are diverse in age, experience, skills, and background, they share a dedication to serving the greater good. More than 25% of our volunteers have participated in our programming across multiple years. After each project, the most engaged volunteers often express a desire to do something to prevent the inequities and challenges that make such volunteer work necessary. With Take Action, we ask: What if active, compassionate volunteers were empowered with the specific information and tools needed to advocate for lasting changes in policy on these issues? Guided by experts in the field, volunteers are becoming our strongest advocates to drive solution-oriented approaches. In light of COVID19, L.A. Works has pivoted its bootcamps to a virtual format. We have found that these virtual volunteer opportunities are an excellent way to engage homebound volunteers, with enrollment in our April 5th bootcamp quadrupling.

With nearly 30 years of experience in volunteer mobilization, recruitment, and management, L.A. Works knows how to engage volunteers to make an impact. With a database of 50,000 active Angelenos, we work with every demographic in every geographic area of the city. Over the years, we have developed and fine-tuned a sustainable volunteer program model called Signature Projects, which are monthly volunteer sessions led by volunteers who are specially trained by L.A. Works to serve as Project Leaders. These Project Leaders, who commit to at least six months of leadership to an ongoing volunteer experience, learn how to manage all aspects of their volunteer project. These leaders ensure that the episodic volunteers who participate at their monthly or bi-weekly projects have a positive experience and the work being completed provides value to the nonprofit organization served. This is a proven model and is the framework for the Take Action bootcamps, whether held online or in person.

Our goal with Take Action is to empower everyday Angelenos with the knowledge and expertise to be able to affect major issues on the grassroots level. Each volunteer will leave with the potential to affect city policy by sharing, educating, and informing a circle of at least ten individuals close to them, changing hearts and minds in order to mobilize and enact change. With hundreds of volunteers trained, that potential grows exponentially. Together, they could affect millions of lives in the aggregate: those who find homes off of the streets; those who will be able to breathe clean air; and those who will have access to a better education.

Volunteerism