Social Justice & Community
UC Santa Cruz alumni leading local nonprofits: The Volunteer Center
Many nonprofits across Santa Cruz County have roots that trace back to UC Santa Cruz alumni, who played pivotal roles in launching and shaping their missions.
UC Santa Cruz students join students from Santa Clara University to participate in a beach cleanup on Santa Cruz Main Beach hosted by the Volunteer Center.
Key takeaways
- Alumna Karen Delaney (Rachel Carson ’81, politics and environmental studies) became Executive Director of the Volunteer Center in 1985 and played a key role in the nonprofit’s remarkable community impact.
Santa Cruz County is home to over a thousand nonprofit organizations, groups dedicated to strengthening the community, supporting those in need, and making a meaningful impact. Many of these nonprofits have roots that trace back to University of California Santa Cruz alumni, who played pivotal roles in launching and shaping their missions. Among those are one of Santa Cruz’s most recognizable names—the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County —which shares ties with many UC Santa Cruz alumni and is integral to the community’s health and well-being.
Karen Delaney, a 1981 UC Santa Cruz graduate, began her nonprofit career with Save Our Shores (SOS)—an organization she helped found as part of an environmental studies class project. After working with SOS for 18 months, Delaney (Rachel Carson ’81, politics and environmental studies) joined the Volunteer Center in 1983 and became its executive director just two years later—a role she still holds today.
Under her leadership, the Volunteer Center has grown to operate 22 programs directly and partner with more than 650 community efforts, including Santa Cruz Gives, the Court Community Service Program, and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program. In 2024 alone, the center mobilized 25,000 volunteers and reached 9,000 individuals through its services.
“I get to work with creative, solution-focused people who are hopeful that the future can be better in specific, measurable ways and who spend their time making sure that happens for all of us,” Delaney said. “They respond with welcome and compassion to folks who are struggling. As a result, I am inspired every day.”
Delaney credits her UC Santa Cruz education with preparing her for the demands of the work, from conducting research and analysis to writing grants, crafting media campaigns, and developing policy and engagement strategies.
“In Environmental Studies, there was a huge emphasis on real-life learning, internships and hands-on skills,” Delaney said. “It’s why so many local nonprofits were founded by UC Santa Cruz graduates!”
Lots of UC Santa Cruz students volunteer with the center’s events and with internships. And in addition to Delaney, several other staff members are university alumni and were first introduced to the Volunteer Center as students. Every department at the Volunteer Center has at least one UC Santa Cruz alum as a staff member or volunteer.
The Volunteer Center’s Literacy Program matches adults with tutors. This year, 180 adults have been matched with tutors—including many UC Santa Cruz students and alumni—to help them learn English.
“It’s a rewarding program for volunteers, because they witness the adults’ tangible progress,” said Volunteer Engagement Director Christina Thurston (Kresge ’05, community studies).
Adopt-A-Family is another impactful program. During the 2024 holiday season, Volunteer Center distributed clothing, grocery store gift cards, and toy donations to 1,700 kids through hundreds of volunteers and donors.
“The key to success for these programs is an identified need in the community that is highly focused, so a lot of volunteers can contribute at the same time,” says Thurston.
In addition to appreciating UC Santa Cruz’s legacy of service, Delaney emphasizes the university’s impact on culture throughout the county. Students from many disciplines—artists, scientists, engineers, and ecologists—attend UC Santa Cruz and then stay in the city after they graduate.
“Our vibrant arts community, a world class Shakespeare festival, Kuumbwa Jazz, New Leaf and Staff of Life, the quality of civic leadership, none of that happens without UC Santa Cruz,” Delaney said.