Student Civic and Community Engagement

The CCE has partnered with VolunteerWNY to give Buffalo State University students, faculty, and staff a centralizing connection with over 700 community agencies, joining in with over 16,000 volunteers across WNY to address community needs. VolunteerWNY is a collaboration between The Service Collaborative of WNY and United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, connecting volunteers with volunteer opportunities offered by non-profits, faith-based organizations, and educational institutions in Western New York. Explore Buffalo State partnering organizations' volunteer opportunities on VolunteerWNY.

Using a hands on approach, The Service Collaborative addresses needs of individuals and organizations -- leveraging strengths to build stronger communities.

VolunteerMatch matches inspired people with inspiring causes. It's how volunteers and nonprofits connect to achieve remarkable outcomes.

Catchafire strengthens the social good sector by matching professionals who want to donate their time with nonprofits who need their skills. Categories include Business Strategy, Data & Analytics, Design & Media, Finance, Human Resources, Management, Marketing, and Software & IT.

5 Loaves Farm redeems vacant lots on Buffalo’s Upper West Side by creating sustainable market gardens that produce healthy food, along with spiritual, educational, & economic resources for our neighbors.

Empowering youth in the city of Buffalo to reach their full potential as students, athletes, and engaged citizens by providing long-term support and life-changing opportunities through education, mentoring, service, and squash.

Since 1958, the African-American Cultural Center, Inc. has enabled spirits to soar and offered sanctuary, validation and celebration for the duality of being African and American.

The Belle Center is a place where all are welcomed and each child and their unique culture is celebrated. We are determined to unlock an individual’s potential to advocate, educate and lead tomorrow’s society into a better stronger Buffalo!

The Board of Block Clubs of Buffalo and Erie County, Inc. is an organization comprised of block clubs, tenant councils, associations and coalitions from the city of Buffalo and Erie County. Its purpose is to inform area block club leaders and all other groups registered with them of local events, happenings, and opportunities available to them. They also mail information about organizations and subjects of interest to contact people from the block clubs and area groups.

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper® protects and restores our water and surrounding ecosystems for the benefit of current and future generations. We protect clean water. We restore the health of ecosystems. We connect people to water. We inspire economic growth and community engagement.

The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy (BOPC), is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, independent, community organization that promotes, preserves, restores, enhances and ensures maintenance of Olmsted Parks and Parkways in the greater Buffalo area to guarantee Olmsted park experiences for current and future generations. Buffalo’s Olmsted Park System is listed on the National Register for Historic Places.

Compass House was founded in 1972 as a homeless shelter. Today, along with the Emergency Shelter, we operate a Resource Center and a Rapid Re-Housing Program. Our mission is to provide runaway, homeless and street youth with safe shelter and services, through a voluntary and mutually agreed-upon process, in an environment that supports dignity, respect and self-reliance. We serve approximately 300 youth at our shelter annually and an additional 300 youth at our Resource Center.

The Compeer mission is to promote good mental health through meaningful friendships. We believe that the healing power of friendship is life-changing for an individual striving for mental wellness. Compeer is a non-clinical social service agency that promotes mental wellness through the healing power of friendship. This is done through one-to-one and small group volunteer mentoring for youth, adults, older adults, and veterans with a mental health challenge.

ConnectLife is WNY’s only organ, eye, tissue and community blood center. Educating the community, inspiring donation, and connecting lives.

FeedMore WNY continues the longstanding mission of offering dignity, hope and a brighter future by providing nutritious food, friendship and skills training to its Western New York neighbors in need. Through our food bank distribution center and partner hunger-relief agencies, as well as our home-delivered meal program and other targeted feeding programs, FeedMore WNY alleviates hunger and assists community members of all ages throughout Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties.

Friends of Night People is a charitable organization that helps the poor, homeless and destitute in Buffalo, New York. We provide food, clothing, medical care, counseling and hope to those in need.

Grant Street Neighborhood Center‘s mission is to provide an open, safe and productive community space with resources and programs that respond to expressed community needs. The Grant Street Neighborhood Center serves as a drop-in community center for the public. Our open, safe and productive space provides daily activities and programming that are intentionally infused with opportunities to build critical consciousness through participatory education.

Habitat for Humanity Buffalo makes homeownership possible for local families. Since 1985, we have assisted more than 300 families in achieving their dream of homeownership. Families in Habitat Buffalo’s homebuyer program are able to purchase a decent, safe, affordable home. This is attainable for low-income families because Habitat Buffalo subsidizes the cost of the house through grants, donations, and volunteer labor. The homebuyer repays an affordable, 30-year mortgage, which supports the Fund for Humanity, a revolving account used to build additional homes.

Hearts for the Homeless® is a non-profit organization that clothes and feeds the chronic homeless, poor, and those in need. Characterized by a profound spiritual motivation to share the Word of God, the program offers nourishing food, as well as clothing, pertinent information regarding area services, companionship and hope for the future.

The International Institute is honored to be part of Western New York’s long history of welcoming immigrants. Our 100 years of experience give us a unique perspective on the value of the region’s immigrant communities to Western New York.

Jericho Road Community Health Center provides wholistic healthcare for the underserved and marginalized communities in Buffalo and across the world in order to demonstrate the unconditional love of Jesus.

Since 1862, Jewish Family Services of Western New York has been providing all members of our community with critical health and human services, regardless of religion, ethnicity, cultural background, gender identification, ability, or age. The life-changing and wide-ranging services are provided by professional staff, supported by our extended family of dedicated volunteers and generous donors.

Journey's End Refugee Services, Inc. is a Christian community-based organization with the mission of welcoming refugees without regard to ethnic origin or creed and to assist them to become healthy, independent, contributing members of the community.

Native American Community Services (NACS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1975 to provide quality health and social services to the off-reservation Native American population in Erie and Niagara Counties. In keeping with our “Tradition of Caring,” we have since grown into a full-scale human services agency committed to helping the entire community, regardless of race or background. NACS has developed innovative and evidence-based approaches that are intended to significantly improve the lives of those who engage in our programs and services.

None Like You Family Education Community Outreach is a non-profit organization based in Buffalo, NY. We inform the public about environmental injustices, organize city-wide outreach educational programs, research, and design city green space.

The New York Public Interest Research Group Fund (NYPIRG) is a non-partisan, non-profit, research and public education organization. NYPIRG was founded in 1976 as an independent 501(c)(3) public outreach and education sister organization to the New York Public Interest Research Group. Over the decades, we have educated hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and recruited tens of thousands of community-based members from all parts of the state, enhancing NYPIRG’s institutional impact and helping to bring the voices of average New Yorkers to public policy debates.

Partnership for the Public Good is a community-based think tank that builds a more just, sustainable, and culturally vibrant Buffalo Niagara through action-oriented research, policy development, and citizen engagement.

As a nationally recognized leader in reentry services, Peaceprints of WNY is on the front lines of the social justice and racial equity movement. We exist to disrupt and put an end to the cycle of incarceration that plagues our region to realize a just society in which all have equitable opportunity to live productive lives. We recognize that no two individuals are the same, and that circumstances, abilities, and needs of the people we help vary greatly. In providing the most effective service to our clients, we offer a range of personalized services, programs, and resources designed to meet each individual where they are on their transformation.

At PUSH we mobilize residents to create strong neighborhoods with quality, affordable housing, expand local hiring opportunities, and advance economic justice in Buffalo.

The mission of the Say Yes Buffalo partnership is to remove barriers to educational attainment, workforce participation and economic mobility for students in public and charter schools in Buffalo, NY.  Our collective impact partnership, centered on racial equity and inclusion, provides a postsecondary tuition promise and cradle-to-career comprehensive supports to increase the rates of high school and postsecondary completion and the achievement of fulfilling professional employment.

United Way of Buffalo & Erie County brings people, organizations and resources together to improve community well-being.

West Side Community Services is building community strength across the lifespan of West Side residents by providing activities and programs that enhance education, financial capability, health and wellness, and the prevention of substance use and violence.