UCLA Volunteer Center

What UCLA Volunteer Center does

The UCLA Volunteer Center is a department within UCLA Student Affairs, established in 2009, that coordinates volunteer and community service activities across the UCLA campus and Greater Los Angeles. Its mission targets the 500,000+ members of the extended UCLA family (students, faculty, staff, alumni) and the broader community. The Center operates a portfolio of programs including the annual UCLA Volunteer Day (the nation's largest service project for new university students, growing from 4,000 participants in 2009 to 8,000+ at 45+ community partner sites), One Bus One Cause (transportation-based volunteer trips of ~50 volunteers per outing), Virtual Volunteer Opportunities, the Mongelli Awards and Chancellor's Service Award (recognition programs with $1,000 student group grants), Nonprofit Networking Night, and seasonal events such as Winter Wishlist and Fall Harvest Feast. The Center also maintains an online volunteer database that allows nonprofit organizations to post opportunities and individuals to browse and sign up across categories such as Animals, Education, Environment, Health, and Hunger.

The Center's core technology is a non-proprietary web-based volunteer database platform; it does not develop proprietary software. Its operating model is institutional rather than commercial: it is fully funded through the UCLA Student Affairs budget, supplemented by grants (notably a $250,000 Entertainment Industry Foundation grant in 2009) and event sponsorship (Wescom Foundation as 2025 presenting sponsor). No fees are charged to volunteers or community organizations. The Center is staffed by a small team (17 total, including 1 professional Program Coordinator and student coordinators) and coordinates with 200+ UCLA student organizations, 850+ community partners, and multiple internal UCLA units. In 2022 it expanded to a city-wide model through a partnership with the USC Volunteer Center for the Serve LA event.

The Center's business model is that of a publicly funded university civic engagement office, not a commercial enterprise. It does not generate revenue, has no pricing model, and operates under the governance of the Regents of the University of California. Its value proposition is the centralization of volunteer coordination infrastructure (database, transportation, insurance/risk management, funding, recognition) for 200+ student organizations and 45+ community partner sites annually — a model other universities have approached the Center to replicate.

Name

UCLA Volunteer Center

Legal name

Regents of the University of California

Website

https://volunteer.ucla.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UCLA Volunteer Center is a UCLA Student Affairs department that coordinates volunteer activities across the UCLA campus and Greater Los Angeles, serving 500,000+ students, faculty, staff, alumni, and 850+ community partners through an online volunteer database and flagship annual programs such as UCLA Volunteer Day.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Volunteer Coordination and Community Engagement Services

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Volunteer Management & Alumni Leadership Programs (EDALAOAH)

Keywords

• Volunteer coordination
• Community service
• Student engagement
• Service learning
• Nonprofit partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. University-funded service: The UCLA Volunteer Center is a department within UCLA Student Affairs. It does not generate revenue. Operations are funded through the university budget as part of Student Affairs division.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The UCLA Volunteer Center coordinates volunteer activity and community service opportunities for UCLA students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends. It maintains a centralized volunteer database, organizes signature service events such as UCLA Volunteer Day and One Bus One Cause, and recognizes volunteer contributions through an awards program. All offerings are provided free of charge as part of UCLA Student Affairs.

Product overview

The UCLA Volunteer Center is a university department within Student Affairs that coordinates service activities on campus and throughout Greater Los Angeles. The Center operates a unified platform of programs including the Volunteer Database (an online listing of service opportunities), UCLA Volunteer Day (annual flagship service event), One Bus, One Cause (transportation-based volunteer trips), Virtual Volunteer Opportunities, and various award programs (Mongelli Awards, Chancellor's Service Award). The Center also provides resources for student organizations, campus partnerships, and maintains an online newsletter. Unlike a commercial product, these are departmental programs and services rather than a software product with modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UCLA Volunteer Database

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 644,000 combined service hours logged by UCLA and USC volunteer centers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and minor.

• Wescom FoundationflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 September 2025Wescom Foundation serves as the presenting sponsor for UCLA Volunteer Day 2025. This financial and marketing partnership supports the flagship annual volunteer event.
• USC Volunteer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 September 2022The UCLA and USC Volunteer Centers collaborated to organize Serve LA 2022, a city-wide service day. This partnership combined resources of both major universities to expand volunteer impact across Los Angeles. Together, the centers have logged over 644,000 service hours and engaged over 120,000 student volunteers with 850+ community partners.
• Community Service Commission (CSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Community Service Commission (CSC) is a branch of USAC (UCLA student government) that supports over 30 service organizations by providing transportation, funding, and logistical resources. CSC co-organizes major events including Volunteer Day (in partnership with the Volunteer Center), Servocacy Fest, and the Service Impact Summit. The partnership involves joint website development and programming.
• Center for Community EngagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey campus collaborator for civic engagement initiatives. The center works with the Volunteer Center to build momentum around civic engagement on campus.
• Community Programs Office (CPO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLA's cross-cultural center that builds inclusive community of scholars committed to giving back to historically marginalized communities. CPO provides transportation coordination and works with Volunteer Center on service programs.
• Student Organizations Leadership and Engagement (SOLE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages over 1,300 student organizations including service-focused groups. SOLE provides funding resources and serves as a key campus collaborator for volunteer coordination.
• UCLA Health SystemmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLA Health has one of the largest, most active volunteer programs in the world with over 3,000 monthly volunteers across 250 departments. The partnership connects students with healthcare-related volunteer and internship opportunities.
• TCS Charter BusesminorOthersApproved UCLA vendor for charter bus transportation. Discounted prices available for UCLA ResLife partnerships. Provides transportation for volunteer events with 31-56 passenger vehicles.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uclavolunteer
• YouTubeyoutube.com/uclavolunteer
• Facebookfacebook.com/uclavolunteer
• Instagraminstagram.com/uclavolunteer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucla-volunteer-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UCLA Volunteer Center