We Are New York Values
We Are New York Values

LGBTQIA+

LGBTQIA+ Rights

Mission: Our mission is to protect LGBTQ youths from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently. Our Street Outreach Team educates teens about safe sex and HIV prevention. We have grown to provide medical and mental health services. We also provide volunteer mentors, educational and career programs, life skills training and much more. Our goal is to not only provide food, water, and shelter: Our goal is to transform the lives of these young people so that they may reclaim their lives and never live on the streets again.

Website: https://www.aliforneycenter.org/get-involved/volunteer-opportunities/
Phone: 212-222-3427
Email: n/a

What volunteers do:

  • administrative assistance during work week

  • career/education mentor

  • tutor

  • conduct mock interviews (4-month commitment)

  • drop-in center help (multiple tasks, 3-month commitment)

  • food service/youth counselor (3-month commitment)

  • 2x/month committees on events/fundraising

FYI:

  • interview and background check required

Borough: Manhattan

Mission: AVP empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy. AVP envisions a world in which all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected people are safe, respected, and live free from violence. AVP provides direct services such as immediate crisis intervention, safety planning, short or long-term counseling, police, court and social services advocacy and accompaniment, information and referrals, legal counseling, and support groups. AVP's Speakers Bureau provides education and support for survivors of violence to share their stories to educate the public about how to prevent violence, and what to do if they or someone they love is affected by anti-LGBTQ & HIV-affected violence. They also run leadership development institutes to build community-organizing and campaign skills.

Website: https://avp.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Phone: 212-714-1184
Email: https://avp.org/contact-us/

What volunteers do:

  • tabling at community safety nights, marches, rallies

  • street-based outreach and SafeBar/Safe Nights Program

  • serve on PRIDE committees

  • staff front-desk to forward calls to hotline

  • staff hotline (40-hour training on nights and weekends that includes in-depth anti-oppression training, then commit to a year of monthly hotline shifts on nights or weekends)

Mission: The Audre Lorde Project is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans and Gender Non Conforming People of Color center for community organizing, focusing on the New York City area. Through mobilization, education and capacity-building, we work for community wellness and progressive social and economic justice. Committed to struggling across differences, we seek to responsibly reflect, represent and serve our various communities. Recognizing the full diversity of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Trans and Gender Non Conforming (LGBTSTGNC) people of color, and our collective histories of struggle against discrimination and other forms of oppression, the Audre Lorde Project has been established to serve as a home base that LGBTST peoples of African / Black/ Caribbean, Arab, Asian & Pacific Islander, Latina/o, and Native/Indigenous descent can use to organize, support, and advocate for our diverse communities.

Website: https://alp.org/programs/membership
Phone: 718-596-0342
Email: n/a

What volunteers do:

  • committee work of 10 hours/month for 3 months (current committees are immigrant rights/interpreter training; anti-violence; Trans justice; membership)

  • administrative work

  • fundraising

  • outreach

  • special events

  • writing/editing

Borough: Manhattan and Brooklyn

Mission: Black & Pink is an open family of LGBTQ prisoners, prisoners living with HIV/AIDS and “free world” allies who support each other. Our work toward the abolition of the prison industrial complex is rooted in the experience of currently and formerly incarcerated people. We are outraged by the specific violence of the prison industrial complex against LGBTQ people and people living with HIV/AIDS, and respond through advocacy, education, direct service, and organizing. Our goal is liberation. We have a radical view of the fight for justice: We are feminist. We are anti-racist. We want queer liberation. And we are against capitalism. Prisons are part of the system that oppresses and divides us. Abolition is our goal, and our strategy for action. Any advocacy, services, organizing, and direct action we take will remove bricks from the system, not put up more walls. We want revolution. And we will work on reforms too, even if they are only small steps at ending the suffering caused by prisons. Our work is based in the experience of people who are or were in prison. We also raise up the voices of formerly incarcerated people as our “free world” members of the Leadership Circle. We know that those most hurt by the violence of the prison industrial complex have the knowledge of how to tear it down.

Website: https://www.blackandpink.org/chapters/nyc/
Volunteer listings: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P5B26ezLrTo0a8w7RG9rrXeuC08-h_pZw9EX_IuuR_A/edit?tab=t.0
Volunteering guide: https://www.blackandpink.org/volunteering-guide/
Email: nyc@blackandpink.org
Phone: N/A

What volunteers do:

  • become a pen-pal for an incarcerated LGBTQ prisoner

  • help match new penpals and answer questions

  • help out at regular mail-processing events

  • support advocacy for criminalized LGBTQ people and people living with HIV/AIDS in New York

  • educate the public about prison abolition

FYI:

  • extensive support and information for penpals available on website

Mission: The Brooklyn Community Pride Center provides services and support to the borough’s LGBT+ community through original programming and partnerships with exemplary organizations. Across the spectrum from young people to elders, the Brooklyn Community Pride Center enables our community to actively participate in positive, life-affirming activities. We offer a distinctive choice for residents of New York City’s largest borough to celebrate, heal, learn, create, organize, relax, socialize, and play.

Website: https://www.lgbtbrooklyn.org/volunteers
Phone: 347-889-7719
Email: info@lgbtbrooklyn.org

What volunteers do:

  • fundraising

  • plan programs

  • transcribe oral histories

  • administrative assistance

  • front desk

  • database management

Borough: Brooklyn

Mission: GMHC is the world’s first and leading provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy. Building on decades of dedication and expertise, we understand the reality of HIV/AIDS and empower a healthy life for all. GMHC fights to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected.

Website: https://www.gmhc.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Email: SethR@gmhc.org
Phone: 212-367-1011

What volunteers do:

  • after orientation serve as buddies (1-4 hours/week for one year minimum), providing emotional support to a GMHC client, working as a liaison to services at GMHC or other social service agencies, as needed, assisting client with light errands and socialization through various activities, reporting back to the agency on a regular basis

  • contribute specialized skills to Wellness Program (massage therapists, haircutters, fitness instructors, yoga teachers, chiropractors, reflexologists and acupuncturists)

  • based on professional training, teach workshops in art, music, dance, acting and creative writing

  • front-desk receptionist (greet clients assist with intake, bilingual English/Spanish a plus)

  • field phone calls, respond to email, word processing, data entry, filing, direct mail, create presentations and spreadsheets

  • staff hotline to provide information and referral services regarding HIV and AIDS and our programs to the general public who contact the Hotline by phone and by email (in-depth training provided twice a year, 1-year commitment, bilingual English/Spanish a plus)

  • Support Corps on-call volunteers help with short-term projects (data entry, stuffing envelopes, space beautification, taking inventory, assisting with special events)

  • help with meal service (350 clients daily, lunch M-Th, dinner Friday)

FYI:

  • volunteer application on site

  • volunteers not currently needed at the HIV testing center, but openings may occur in the future

Borough: Manhattan

Mission: The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) National Help Center provides vital peer-support, community connections and resource information to people with questions regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Utilizing a diverse group of GLBT volunteers, we operate three national hotlines, the GLBT National Hotline, the GLBT National Youth Talkline, and the SAGE LGBT Elder Hotline as well as private, volunteer one-to-one online chat, that helps both youth and adults with coming-out issues, safer-sex information, school bullying, family concerns, relationship problems and a lot more. We also maintain the largest collection of resources for the GLBT community in the United States, with 15,000 local resources for cities and towns across the country. The people who turn to us for help often live in rural and conservative parts of the country and are frequently feeling severely isolated, closeted and despairing, with literally no one else else safe to talk to. We provide a safe environment on the phone or internet for people of all ages to discuss issues that they don't feel comfortable talking about anywhere else.

Website: https://lgbthotline.org/
Hotline volunteer application: https://lgbthotline.org/hotline-application/
Database volunteer: https://lgbthotline.org/resources/
Social media volunteer: https://lgbthotline.org/socialmediavolunteer/
Phone: 415-355-0003
Email: help@LGBTHotline.org

What volunteers do:

  • after training, commit to hotline shift 2 to 2.5 hours/week at the same time each week for a minimum of six months

  • hotline hours are 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Borough: based in California, but can work from anywhere.

Mission: GRIOT Circle is a community-based, multigenerational organization serving LGBTQ elders of color.  Our mission is to respond to and eliminate all forms of oppression, including: ageism, racism, sexism, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, poverty, xenophobia, and their intersections. We achieve this by providing health, wellness, advocacy, and leadership activities to remove isolation and fear, build community, as well as honor racial and ethnic traditions. Most of our members reside in New York’s metropolitan area, though GRIOT has members throughout the country. Nearly all our members are from modest-to-low income households; more than 50% are retired; and about 90% identify as black, African American or Caribbean American. We provide emotional support and quality programming that affirm the lives of this often invisible and marginalized population. GRIOT is committed to honoring and preserving our histories and traditions while reuniting those parts of our selves that have been fragmented by racism and homophobia. We maintain a space, free of discrimination based on age, gender, race, sexuality, spirituality, and ethnic origin. Everyone is welcome.

Website: https://griotcircle.org/volunteer/
Email: Reunion@griotcircle.org
Phone: 718-246-2775 (use x15 for Buddy-2-Buddy)

What volunteers do:

  • Buddy-2-buddy peer support (accompany buddy to hospital, make home visits, assist with errands and chores, attend social outings, provide one-to-one phone communication)

  • serve on Buddy-2-Buddy coordinating committee

  • public speaking/outreach/tabling/cavassing

  • Plan events and activities

  • fundraising

  • monthly calendar mailings

  • internal support (field phone calls, welcome guests, assist with programs)

  • facilitate workshops/programs

  • data entry/arching

  • social media/communications

Borough: Brooklyn

Mission: Since its founding, Hetrick-Martin Institute has grown from a small, volunteer-led grass-roots advocacy organization into a leading professional provider of social support and programming for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ) youth. HMI youth members, ranging in age from 13 to 24, come from over 300 zip codes throughout all of New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area. They are of all colors and sizes, come from all kinds of backgrounds, and their enthusiasm and creativity is boundless.

Website: https://hmi.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Email: https://hmi.org/about/contact-us/
Phone: 212-674-2600 x252

What volunteers do:

  • assist HMI staff in serving dinner to our youth community (4:45 p.m. – 6 p.m)

  • monitor and assist in youth-services resource center (computer, resume, homework help) 1 day/week, M-F, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. or 6 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.

  • tutor in math, ASL, SAT prep 1-2 days/week commitment, M-F; 4 p.m. or 5:50 p.m.– 7:15 p.m.

  • graphic design

  • finance

  • fundraise

  • IT

  • staff development

  • photography

  • videography

  • plan events

  • join one-time special-event list

Mission: Since 1994, Immigration Equality has been proud to advocate for and represent lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ), and HIV-positive immigrants seeking safety, fair treatment, and freedom. As the only LGBTQ organization with a staff of immigration attorneys, Immigration Equality impacts both the individuals we serve and the immigration system as a whole. For more than 20 years, we have been focused on providing free direct legal services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,queer, and HIV-positive immigrants, including: asylum seekers forced to flee to the U.S. to find safety; LGBTQ immigrant and binational couples and families separated by oceans; detainees trapped in immigration jail facilities; and undocumented LGBTQ people living in the shadows inside the U.S. Unlike in the U.S. criminal justice system, representation is not provided to individuals in immigration court. At Immigration Equality, we fundamentally believe in access to counsel.

Website: https://immigrationequality.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Signup form: https://immigrationequality.org/get-involved/volunteer/help-out-our-staff/
Pro bono lawyer signup form: https://immigrationequality.org/get-involved/volunteer/join-our-pro-bono-network/
Phone: n/a
Email: info@immigrationequality.org

What volunteers do:

  • pro bono legal work

  • translate documents for asylum applications, interpret in client interviews, interpret in court

  • make calls

  • photography

  • mailings

  • computer support

  • event support

  • bartend/waitstaff at events

  • graphic design

  • videography (shooting/editing)

Mission: Our mission is to increase the self-sufficiency of homeless LGBT youth, enabling them to go beyond the shelter system and transition into stable adult lives. We do this by providing case management, education services, life skills groups, community-building recreational activities, opportunities for self-expression, and support services for HIV+ youth. Our guiding principles are harm reduction, youth development, and empowerment. This is the place for young people to bring their problems. None are too big or small. Arrest warrants, finding a long-lost relative, applying for disability benefits, returning to high school or college, back taxes... We help with all of it!

Website: https://www.newalternativesnyc.org/get-involved
Email: info@newalternativesnyc.org
Phone: 718-300-0133

What volunteers do:

  • prepare meals

  • run life-skills training groups (HIV prevention, anger management, nutrition, dealing with conflict in the workplace)

  • tutor for GED, SAT

  • assist with college applications and financial aid paperwork

  • assist with youth registration

  • assist case managers at drop-in clinic (Fridays, 1 pm-6pm)

  • host fundraising events

FYI:

  • greatest volunteer need is on Sunday evenings from 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Borough: Manhattan

Mission: Our mission is to defend and promote the fundamental principles and values embodied in the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution, and the New York Constitution, including freedom of speech and religion, and the right to privacy, equality and due process of law for all New Yorkers. We believe that all New Yorkers have inalienable rights that cannot be taken away by the government or by majority vote. They are: 1) Freedom of speech, press, petition and assembly. Even unpopular expression is protected from government suppression and censorship. 2) Freedom of religion. Each of us has the right to exercise his or her own religion, or no religion, free from any government influence or compulsion. 3) Privacy. We have the right to be free from unwarranted and unwanted government intrusion into our personal and private affairs, papers and possessions. 4) Due process of law. We have right to be treated fairly by the government whenever the loss of liberty or property is at stake. 5) Equality before the law. We have the right to be treated equally regardless of nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, disability or socio-economic status. The NYCLU fights for civil liberties and civil rights through a multi-layered program of litigation, advocacy, public education and community organizing. Our clients are men and women, rich and poor, gay and straight, black, white and brown, young and old, religious and atheist, able-bodied and living with a disability, citizens and immigrants. When we vindicate their rights, all New Yorkers benefit.

Website: https://www.nyclu.org/get-involved/volunteer
Volunteer sign-up form: https://secure.everyaction.com/ssCbBhITCEGRQdrsRQZ1rQ2
Phone: 212-607-3300
Email: n/a

What volunteers do:

  • online activism

  • grassroots lobbying

  • community organizing

  • lobby with NYCLU in Albany (next day of action March 13, 2017)

  • monitor protests

  • writing/journalism

  • research

  • help fundraise

  • graphic design

  • multimedia support

  • translate (Arabic , Chinese , French, Hindi, Korean, Kreyol, Polish, Spanish, Russian, Urdu)

  • photography/videography

  • education

Mission: The Pride Center of Staten Island, Staten Island’s LGBT Community Center, supports the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of Staten Island. The Pride Center is a safe and welcoming space with quality local services and activities that promote the overall physical, mental and emotional well-being for Staten Island’s LGBT people.

Website: https://www.pridecentersi.org/volunteer-opportunities
Email: pdugan@pridecentersi.org
Phone: Deborah Green 718-808-1381

What volunteers do:

  • develop and/or lead youth programing (queer career series, dance classes, vocal classes, technology classes, gay history, resume building)

  • run monthly group on a particular subject or skill

  • create SAGE programming for seniors (SAGE cinema presenters, technology classes, health workshops, exercise and wellness classes, discussion group facilitators)

  • help at PrideFest (assist with 5K Run, site setup and breakdown, vendor services, photography, general support)

  • resource development and fundraising

  • graphic design/creative technology

  • clerical support or tech support

  • information & referral (front desk)

  • community outreach

  • serve as curator's assistant or guest curator

  • program assistants

  • help during special events (set-up, working the door, etc.)

  • repairs

  • cleaning

Borough: Staten Island

Mission: S.A.F.E. seeks to empower immigrants and vulnerable populations who have been marginalized due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, and other factors to reach their fullest potential by providing humanitarian assistance, while fostering understanding and cooperation among diverse communities. SAFE identifies and then collaborates with recent immigrants who would like to further their personals goals (e.g., achieving legal immigration status, finding a job, accessing healthcare, etc.) while giving back to the community.  SAFE views each individual holistically and as an agent in their own empowerment rather than as a “case.” SAFE has teamed up with RUSA LGBT to offer monthly legal clinics that provide monthly one-on-one consultations on immigration and other issues.

Website: https://www.safeasylum.org/volunteer
Email: info@safeasylum.com
Phone: N/A

What volunteers do:

  • lawyers assist at monthly walk-in clinic, answer questions regarding immigration status and options, including court and application preparation

  • non-lawyers mentor immigrants on navigating daily life, immigration-based needs, employment guidance, or general interests

Mission: SERVICES & ADVOCACY FOR GLBT ELDERS (SAGE) is the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Our mission is to lead in addressing issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) aging. SAGE offers innovative services and programs to LGBT older people throughout New York City and nationwide through our affiliate network, SAGENet. From arts and culture, to health and wellness, employment assistance, and much more, SAGE's innovative services and programs support thousands of LGBT older people in communities around the country.

Website: https://sageserves.org/get-involved/
Phone: 212-741-2247
Email: info@sageusa.org

What volunteers do:

  • friendly visiting

  • staff events

  • clerical support

  • participate in a SAGE Committee

FYI:

  • monthly volunteer orientation meetings, followed by additional training if necessary

Borough: Manhattan office.

Mission: The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence. SRLP is a collective organization founded on the understanding that gender self-determination is inextricably intertwined with racial, social and economic justice. Therefore, we seek to increase the political voice and visibility of low-income people and people of color who are transgender, intersex, or gender non-conforming. SRLP works to improve access to respectful and affirming social, health, and legal services for our communities. We believe that in order to create meaningful political participation and leadership, we must have access to basic means of survival and safety from violence.

Website: https://srlp.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Volunteer application: https://srlp.org/srlp/?page=CiviCRM&q=civicrm/profile/create&gid=38&reset=1
Phone: 212-337-8550
Email: volunteer@srlp.org

What volunteers do:

  • distribute materials

  • office work (data entry, photocopying, faxing, filing)

  • community organizing

  • facilitate meetings/retreats

  • financial management

  • institution building

  • legal/litigation

  • media/press

  • public speaking

  • translate

  • research

  • writing (pen pal programs, grant writing)

  • graphic design

  • film and media

  • outreach

  • editing

FYI:

monthly volunteer night on third Thursday, 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Borough: Manhattan

Mission: Trans Lifeline works to end transgender suicide and improve overall mental health of transgender people through education, advocacy, and direct service. We empower trans people to help one another, and to shape our collective efforts by drawing upon our wealth of individual experiences.

Website: https://translifeline.org/volunteer/
Volunteer signup form: http://tinyurl.com/zfaneya
Email: volunteers@translifeline.org
Phone: 415-483-5361

What volunteers do:

  • after online training, staff the hotline (must be trans/non-binary/gender non-conforming)

  • fundraising

  • data entry

  • database management

  • video production

  • animation

  • design and illustration

  • social media campaigns

  • grant writing

  • tech support

  • organizational/admin support

  • taxes

  • train and support hotline operators

FYI:

  • hotline commitment is 2 hours/week

  • three-month minimum commitment

  • hotline volunteers receive 36 hours of self-guided online training with staff support, role-plays, and hop-alongs

Borough: based in California, but can be done anywhere.

Mission: The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.

Website: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/volunteer/
Phone: n/a
Email: https://thetrevorprojectorg.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=17879738407319

What volunteers do:

  • staff phone crisis hotline or instant-messaging crisis hotline (four-session training required)

  • serve on committees for pride events, fundraising, and education

  • admin help

FYI:

  • commitment is one 3-hour shift/week for a year

  • must have access to a private space for hotline volunteering