The Healthy Campus Social Connection and Belonging Subcommittee compiled a list of volunteer opportunities for USC faculty and staff. Whether you are in the L.A. area or remote, volunteering is a great way to enhance social connection and get involved in your community.
Blood drives at Keck Medical Center and University Park Campus
LifeStream Blood Bank seeks volunteers to help replenish critically low blood inventory and provide life-saving blood to patients at Keck Hospital.
WalkUSC offers volunteering opportunities to promote physical activity and social connection through group activities like walking and rolling throughout campus.
USC Friends and Neighbors Day Program
Friends and Neighbors Day invites individuals to volunteer and engage with the local community, fostering connections between USC and its neighbors through various monthly service projects.
Trojans Serve connects USC students, faculty, and staff with meaningful service projects that address diverse community needs. Dates and times will vary based on availability.
USC Emeriti Center Trojan Table
Trojan Table welcomes faculty and staff volunteers to provide a nurturing environment for USC students during monthly dinner events.
Keck Medical Center of USC Volunteer Program
Keck Medical Center of USC welcomes community volunteers aged 18+ to enhance the hospital experience with non-clinical service opportunities.
Volunteer at the Medical Center and make a positive impact on patients and staff by assisting with clerical duties, patient support, wayfinding, resource cart services, book and magazine services, and the music program, among others.
Trojan Homelessness Response offers a range of volunteer opportunities to address homelessness in Los Angeles, from sharing meals to reconnecting homeless individuals with their loved ones.
Peaks and Professors seeks USC staff and faculty to join outdoor adventures in the California wilderness and engage with students.
USC Peace Garden invites volunteers for weekly open gardening hours, engaging in various tasks to maintain and care for the garden.
Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL)
ORSL hosts diverse activities and welcomes volunteers for programs like CommuniTEA, Sacred Rhythms Drum Circle, and Jubilee Cafe.
The Volunteer Center features service events led and hosted by students that encourage service for the community. View the list of nonprofit volunteer opportunities on their website.
LAEP offers volunteer opportunities in tutoring, mentoring, and classroom support to improve educational outcomes for students in Los Angeles.
USC Alumni Association provides various volunteer opportunities, including community service, mentoring, networking events, and career support for USC alumni to give back to the community and support fellow Trojans.
Trojan Response focuses on disaster relief and community service projects including emergency response tasks, disaster preparedness, and community outreach.
L.A. Works connects volunteers with nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles, offering diverse volunteer opportunities across various causes to make a meaningful contribution to the community.
VolunteerLA/Volunteer Match/JustServe/Points of Light
These websites help individuals find volunteer opportunities across various causes in their area.
School on Wheels provides volunteer opportunities to support homeless children’s education through tutoring, mentoring, and advocacy.
Community Organize Relief Efforts (CORE)
CORE engages volunteers in climate change initiatives such as disaster response, environmental conservation, and community resilience efforts in California.
Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County
Volunteers at the museum can serve as interpretive guides engaging with visitors, behind-the-scenes supporters assisting various museum teams, or program volunteers helping with events throughout the year.
Reading to Kids inspires underserved children with a love of reading through volunteer-led reading events.
826LA volunteers serve as tutors, mentors, and role models for students by leading writing workshops, supporting publishing projects, illustrating student-written books, and more.
LA Family Housing helps people transition out of homelessness and poverty, offering opportunities for volunteers to be part of the solution.
Wags and Walks volunteers participate in a variety of opportunities, such as walking, feeding, and transporting pups, to support their mission of reducing euthanasia and increase awareness of rescue dog adoption.
OJS volunteers can offer academic support, mentoring, and community service to help low-resourced first-generation students get in, stay in, and graduate from a four-year college.
Translators without Borders seeks fluent multilingual volunteers to provide crucial translation support to humanitarian and non-profit organizations, helping to communicate important information to people affected by crises.
The Library of Congress crowdsourcing platform invites volunteers to contribute to various historical projects by transcribing, reviewing, and tagging digitized materials, including documents, photographs, and recordings from their collections.
Letters Against Isolation combats social isolation by connecting volunteers with seniors through handwritten letters, providing companionship and joy to elderly individuals worldwide.
American Youth Literacy Foundation
YouthLit volunteers become trained tutors to remotely assist students in improving their reading skills, enhancing literacy levels, and cultivating a love for reading among children.
English as a Second Language Tutor
Erie House offers various volunteer opportunities, including tutoring, ESL instruction, citizenship preparation, family support, community events, and administrative assistance.
Reading Partners Los Angeles invites volunteers to become reading partners, dedicating one-on-one time with a student each week to improve their reading skills, or community volunteers assisting with program logistics and creating a positive learning environment.
Tarjimly Essentials seeks volunteer translators to bridge language barriers during critical situations in refugee services, disaster response, asylum support, and crisis intervention, making a meaningful impact through translation services.
Step Up Tutoring provides volunteers with the opportunity to tutor and mentor students in various subjects, offering academic support and making a positive impact on students’ academic journey.
The Meals on Wheels West Community Connections Friendly Calling program seeks volunteers to call isolated and homebound individuals for friendly conversation and social connection.
Volunteers with tech-savvy skills can help seniors by delivering training and one-on-one phone support to assist with technology.
The USC Dornsife Prison Education Project (PEP)
The USC Dornsife Prison Education Project (PEP) connects USC students, staff, and faculty with incarcerated individuals for collaborative learning across a variety of academic disciplines.
The Readers’ Circle is a volunteer-based editing network that pairs USC students and faculty with writers in custody seeking feedback on their creative and non-fiction work. Volunteers offer typing, editing, and feedback services to authors all around the country.
WalkUSC offers volunteering opportunities to promote physical activity and social connection through group activities like walking and rolling remotely.
Smithsonian Digital Volunteers: Transcription Center
Smithsonian’s collaborative transcription and review program invites volunteers to transcribe field notes, diaries, ledgers, logbooks, historic audio recordings, and more, unlocking history and bringing the past to life.
These opportunities were researched and compiled by USC WorkWell and the USC Volunteer Center. We cannot vouch for organizations outside of USC. Many are wonderful nonprofits and some may be USC-affiliated. However, please read, research, and follow your instincts. If you have any feedback about an organization, don’t hesitate to reach out.
For more information, please contact Julie Chobdee, MPH, Associate Director, Health & Well-being Program at jchobdee@usc.edu