LA-Tech.org Released a Volunteer Platform to Encourage Local Volunteering Efforts
On the 28th of April 2022, we announced the official launch of our Volunteer Marketplace alongside our partner, the California Community Foundation.
Volunteer Marketplace Launch hosted at Cornerstone OnDemand
The mission of the Volunteer Marketplace is to provide curated volunteer opportunities to match tech company volunteers with areas of need. We leveraged technology to create an easy & efficient tool to streamline both volunteer matching between community organizations and tech employees looking to volunteer.
“We noticed that there was a real desire from the local tech community to volunteer and invest in our community and there were lots of local nonprofits who could use the help. The issue was there wasn’t a really effective platform to connect volunteers to meaningful opportunities. With our networks with local tech companies AND community organizations, it only made sense to help our community further by creating this online portal.” - Sean Arian, Executive Director at LA-Tech.org
There are three ways the Volunteer Marketplace can support the tech community’s ability to give back:
Individual volunteers can sign up for individual opportunities, such as mentoring students, helping young people with resumes and job interviews, or speaking to high school students.
LA-Tech.org can coordinate private group volunteer experiences for employees of a company or a group of friends.
LA-Tech.org can even work with companies to develop company-wide volunteer programs This is especially appealing for tech companies as volunteering brings staff together, boosts company morale and instills pride in the organization for giving back. In addition, volunteer programs are linked to increased employee retention.
Furthermore, our online portal greatly benefits many of LA’s local nonprofits and community organizations by providing much needed exposure to their opportunities helping underserved communities.
Currently, the volunteer activities are all centered around economic opportunities for underserved communities. This translates to the majority of the opportunities being online initiatives such as mock interviews, resume reviews, mentorship and other activities directly linked to supporting underrepresented young people in their tech career.
With support from funders such as the California Community Foundation, the Volunteer Marketplace has been trialing with a select few of our member companies and nonprofits and they are now ready to expand to a wider reach of LA’s tech community.
Student Judy Deng speaks below about her attending a mock interview conducted by Eleni Vergahen from Tala in July 2021. As well as improving her interviewing skills, she learned about new tech opportunities which propelled her to apply to the South LA Intern Initiative. Judy then got accepted at HopSkipDrive as an Operations Intern.
“The mock interview was really helpful as it helped me to receive recognition and gain more confidence. I feel so supported from the program since it provided many resources to me” - Judy Deng, Student at Pasadena College
How you can get involved
LA-tech.org is accepting volunteers from other tech companies through our Volunteer Marketplace online portal. Already employees from companies such as Cornerstone OnDemand, Blackline and OpenPath are helping the students in a mentorship type role.
Click here for more information and to sign up. Companies can also sign up to host interns this summer. Contact marialuisa@la-tech.org for more information.