The Change Lab - Control Panel

Millions of neighbors are pitching in. Join them.

Neighbors who volunteered

75,700,000

Last year, neighbors gave 4.99 billion hours — about 13,671,233 hours/day • 9,494 hours/min.

What this means

People everywhere are helping — coaching kids, packing food, checking on seniors, cleaning parks. You can start with just one hour.

Source:
https://www.americorps.gov/newsroom/press-release/more-757-million-people-volunteered-america-americorps-reports

People working in nonprofits

12,800,000

That’s about 1 in 10 private-sector jobs in the U.S.

What this means

Helping is a career path too — from health and education to the arts and the environment.

Source:
https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2024/nonprofits-accounted-for-12-8-million-jobs-9-9-percent-of-private-sector-employment-in-2022.htm

Ways to help today

100,000+

Real volunteer listings you can sign up for right now.

What this means

There’s something for every schedule — one-time shifts, remote help, weekend projects, and more.

Source:
https://www.idealist.org/en/careers/how-to-get-started-volunteering

Local governments that need you

90,837

Cities, counties, schools & special districts — with boards & commissions neighbors can join.

What this means

Every community has seats for everyday people — arts boards, parks boards, housing committees, and more.

Source:
https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-economist/2024/march/local-governments-us-number-type

Want to lead locally?

Type your city & state and we’ll open a quick Google search for boards & commissions applications.

Examples (open in new tab):
https://www.houstontx.gov/boards/
https://oca.harriscountytx.gov/Boards-And-Commissions

THECHANGELAB THECHANGELAB

Houston Wilderness

Local ecosystems like coastal marshes, pine savannahs, and prairie meadows provide critical services—from flood resilience to climate mitigation. Houston Wilderness supports large‑scale planting, green infrastructure, and planning frameworks—empowering underserved communities and building climate‑smart infrastructure regionall

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