Chapter 2: Local Action¶

Volunteering, mutual aid, and community organizing in your backyard

Why Local Matters¶

While global problems demand global solutions, some of the most meaningful helping happens within walking distance. Local action offers unique advantages:

See your impact directly: Watch the food bank shelves fill, see the park cleaned up, know the family you helped
Build real relationships: Become part of your community's fabric, not just a visitor
Understand root causes: Local work reveals systemic issues in visceral ways
Create accountability: Harder to abandon commitments when you'll see people at the grocery store
Strengthen social bonds: Strong communities are more resilient to everything from disasters to loneliness

Traditional Volunteering¶

Finding Opportunities¶

National platforms: - VolunteerMatch — Searchable database of opportunities by location and interest - Idealist — Jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities - All for Good — Aggregates volunteer opportunities from many sources - JustServe — Community service projects (LDS-affiliated but open to all)

Local sources: - Your city's volunteer center (search "[city name] volunteer center") - United Way 211 service (dial 211 or visit 211.org) - Community foundations - Houses of worship (even if you're not religious—they often coordinate secular service) - Libraries and community centers - Hospital and hospice volunteer programs - Local chapters of national organizations (Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, etc.)

High-Impact Volunteer Roles¶

Not all volunteer hours are equal. These tend to matter most:

Food banks and pantries: Chronic understaffing, consistent need. Sorting, packing, distribution. Physical work but deeply tangible impact.

Tutoring and mentorship: One-on-one support for struggling students. Organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, local literacy councils, after-school programs. Long-term relationships = long-term impact.

Hospice volunteering: Sitting with dying people so they're not alone. Heavy but profoundly meaningful. Training provided.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA): Advocating for children in foster care. Significant training and commitment required, but you may be the only consistent adult in a child's life.

Disaster preparedness (CERT): Community Emergency Response Team training prepares you to help when disasters strike. Free training through local fire departments.

ESL teaching: Enormous need for English instruction for immigrants and refugees. Many programs provide curriculum.

Making the Most of Volunteering¶

Commit to consistency: Organizations invest in training you. Sporadic volunteers cost more than they contribute. Aim for at least 3-6 months of regular service.

Be reliable: Show up when you say you will. Nothing frustrates nonprofits more than flaky volunteers.

Take initiative within bounds: After learning the ropes, look for improvements—but respect organizational knowledge and existing processes.

Build skills: Use volunteering to develop capabilities you can deploy elsewhere. Leadership, project management, specialized knowledge.

Bring others: Recruiting additional volunteers multiplies your impact beyond your own hours.

Mutual Aid¶

Mutual aid differs from charity. Rather than haves giving to have-nots, it's community members supporting each other—with the understanding that roles may reverse. It's solidarity, not saviorism.

Principles of Mutual Aid¶

Solidarity, not charity: We help each other, not "those people"
No strings attached: Help doesn't come with judgments or requirements
Trust the people: Let individuals decide what they need
Build power: Mutual aid strengthens communities to address root causes
Everyone has something to give: Recipients are also contributors

Finding or Starting Mutual Aid¶

Existing networks: - Search "[your neighborhood/city] mutual aid" on social media - Check MutualAid.wiki for directories - Ask at community centers, libraries, houses of worship - Nextdoor and local Facebook groups often have informal networks

Starting from scratch: 1. Start small: You + a few neighbors 2. Create a simple way to connect (group chat, shared spreadsheet) 3. Match needs with offers: Someone needs groceries? Someone else can shop 4. Build trust through small exchanges before tackling bigger challenges 5. Stay informal or formalize gradually based on what works

Common Mutual Aid Activities¶

Grocery runs and errand support for elderly or disabled neighbors
Childcare exchanges among parents
Skill shares: Teaching each other practical skills
Tool and equipment libraries: Sharing rarely-used items
Transportation networks: Rides to appointments, airport pickups
Meal trains for families facing illness or crisis
Emergency funds: Pooling money for unexpected needs
Free fridges/pantries: Community food sharing in public spaces

The Buy Nothing Project¶

Buy Nothing Project creates hyperlocal gift economies. Join your neighborhood's group (usually on Facebook, now also an app). Give away things you don't need, ask for things you need. No money, no trades—just gifts. It builds community while reducing waste.

Community Organizing¶

Sometimes individual helping isn't enough. Community organizing brings people together to address systemic issues—from getting a crosswalk installed to fighting displacement to changing local policy.

The Difference: Service vs. Organizing¶

Service	Organizing
Treats symptoms	Addresses root causes
Helps individuals	Builds collective power
Provider/recipient dynamic	Members with shared interests
Can be done alone	Requires group action
Immediate relief	Long-term change

Both matter. Many effective helpers do both—service for immediate relief, organizing for lasting change.

Core Principles¶

Start with listening: Before proposing solutions, understand what the community actually wants. Door-knocking, one-on-one conversations, attending existing meetings.

Power mapping: Who makes decisions? Who influences them? What pressure points exist? Understanding power structures helps target action.

Build relationships: Organizing is fundamentally about relationships. People take action for people they know and trust.

Identify self-interest: What do people care about enough to act on? Connect issues to what matters in daily life.

Create wins: Start with achievable goals. Nothing builds momentum like success. Then tackle bigger challenges.

Develop leaders: Good organizing creates more organizers, not followers. Help others develop skills and take ownership.

Getting Involved¶

Join existing efforts: - Local chapters of national organizations (Indivisible, Sierra Club, ACLU, etc.) - Issue-specific coalitions in your area - Tenant unions, worker centers, parent organizations - Neighborhood associations and civic groups

Training resources: - Midwest Academy — Classic organizing training - Training for Change — Progressive skill-building - Highlander Center — Movement education - Local community organizing programs through unions, advocacy groups, universities

A Simple Organizing Framework¶

Identify the problem: What's wrong? Who's affected?
Research: Who has power over this issue? What are the leverage points?
Build a team: Find others who share the concern. Identify leaders.
Choose a target and tactic: What specific change do you want? From whom? What action will move them?
Take action: Meetings, petitions, public pressure, media, direct action
Evaluate and iterate: Did it work? What did you learn? What's next?

Neighborhood-Level Helping¶

Not everything requires organizations. Some of the most valuable local action is simply being a good neighbor.

Know Your Neighbors¶

You can't help people you don't know exist: - Introduce yourself to people on your street - Note who lives alone, who's elderly, who has young kids - Exchange contact information for emergencies - Notice when something seems off (papers piling up, lights unchanged)

Practical Neighborhood Help¶

Shovel snow or rake leaves for elderly/disabled neighbors
Bring in trash cans without being asked
Share surplus garden produce
Offer to pick things up when you're going to the store
Check in during extreme weather
Sign for packages
Water plants when neighbors travel
Welcome new neighbors with information about the area

Building Community Infrastructure¶

Start or join a neighborhood communication channel (text group, email list)
Organize block parties or potlucks
Create a Little Free Library or community book exchange
Advocate for improvements (lighting, crosswalks, green space)
Start a community garden
Coordinate neighborhood watch (focus on support, not surveillance)

Taking Action This Week¶

Minimum viable action (30 minutes): - Search VolunteerMatch or your local volunteer center - Sign up for one trial shift at an organization that interests you

Deeper engagement (2-3 hours): - Attend a volunteer orientation at a food bank, hospital, or mentoring program - Join a mutual aid group in your neighborhood - Go to a meeting of a local organizing group

Maximum commitment: - Apply for a long-term volunteer role (CASA, hospice, literacy tutor) - Start a mutual aid effort among neighbors - Take community organizing training

Next: Chapter 3: Online Helping — Making an impact from anywhere with an internet connection