Volunteer to boost

The Voter Empowerment Project (VEP) recruits volunteers from around the country to boost voter turnout in historically disenfranchised communities. Our model was inspired by a 2016 interaction with an older Black Philadelphia resident, who complained that “you people come here every four years and tell us ‘go vote’ and then you leave ‘cause you don’t give a damn about us.” Therefore, our model deemphasizes having out-of-towners parachute into Black and Brown communities. Instead, we find and help the small nonprofits that are based on those communities and know what's best to earn voters' trust. Think of us as a sort of pro bono "consulting firm" where our "clients" are these high impact frontline voting rights partners and our "staff" is YOU - volunteers who bring skills in a wide variety of fields, such as writing and editing, communications, social media, volunteer recruitment, web design, data analysis, online research, graphic design, project management and more. Our volunteers come from all backgrounds and experiences, including high school and college students, retirees, and working professionals. One of the best parts of VEP is the flexiblity - you can volunteer as much or as little as you want, whenever you have time, all based on your specific skills and interests.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP: www.voterempowerment.org/volunteer

VEP VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS

1. Project-based Support

VEP Volunteers work on specific projects requested by our Frontline Partners based on your skills, interests, and availability (e.g. helping draft monthly newsletters, researching updates to voting rules in their state, analyzing data on changes in race/age demographics in target counties, updating language on their civic engagement web page, creating educational videos on how to access a mail in ballot in their state etc.)

This is a good fit for: students, working professionals, retirees, and others who like concrete projects and have different periods of availability throughout the year.

2. Matching Program

VEP will match volunteers for a longer term working engagement with a Frontline Partner (e.g. ~3-4 months). The volunteer will be integrated into their team and focus on tasks based on your skills, with a time commitment to be worked out by the parties (e.g. 2 hrs/week or 10 hours per month etc).

This is a good fit for: students, early and mid career professionals, retirees, and others who want to experience a closer working relationship with a Frontline Partner and are able to dedicate a consistent number of hours over a period of several months.

3. Consultation Program

Volunteers with very high-level of expertise in a field will be available for quick one-on-one consultations with a Frontline Partner that is interested in learning more about topics related to your area of expertise (e.g. social media strategy, fundraising, HR/accounting systems, field organizing, messaging etc).

This is a good fit for: advanced career professionals, senior executives, retirees, and others who have significant expertise in one or more professional areas but have limited time to volunteer.

4. Voter Outreach Program

VEP will link interested volunteers to non-partisan door knocking, phone banking, text banking, and other direct voter outreach activities organized by Frontline Partners, with an emphasis on matching volunteers based on your lived experience/background/connections to the communities being contacted.

This is a good fit for: anyone interested in voter outreach volunteer opportunities, particularly those with backgrounds, lived experience or other ties to the communities being contacted.

5. Grassroots Advocacy Program

Because civic participation is more than just voting, VEP will assist interested volunteers in finding ways they can join grassroots advocacy efforts in your community. When you sign up, Volunteers can indicate which issue(s) you are interested in and VEP will provide information on groups working in these areas that offer opportunities for community participation (e.g. attending rallies, testifying in local hearings, meeting with policy makers, organizing community education events etc)

This is a good fit for: anyone interested in getting involved in grassroots advocacy on an issue of importance to you, particularly in your local community.

More information about the Voter Empowerment Project and our volunteer opportunities are available here: https://www.voterempowerment.org/volunteer.

WHAT'S IT LIKE VOLUNTEERING WITH VEP?

“I really loved working with VEP because I felt like I was making a difference. Working with these grassroots community partners and trying to craft things that specifically met their needs in terms of Getting Out the Vote or educating people about how to vote, which are really important issues to me.” Betsy N. (Brooklyn, NY)

“I’m frustrated with the current state of politics and the threats to democracy. Volunteering with VEP helped me turn my concern for democracy into action.” Keats W. (Washington, DC)

"Volunteering with VEP is a way to use and build on your skill set in a very tangible way, there is a lot that you as a volunteer get out of it professionally. And you also get to build community and increase voter turnout and improve democracy in our country - things that are increasingly important today." Priya C. (Oakland CA)

"I just absolutely love VEP. I loved working with our partners and the different volunteers. And it was nice to see so many people from across the country really united in a mission and a common goal, which is voter empowerment." Taleen S. (Providence, RI)