Background
Mass Pro Bono has long been a cornerstone of the Massachusetts pro bono community. Launched more than a decade ago, the platform provided a centralized place to share volunteer opportunities and resources for legal aid organizations and attorneys across the state. In 2023, the MLRI Websites Project began managing Mass Pro Bono and set out to modernize the platform, improving usability for program administrators and volunteers alike.
We wanted to make it as easy as possible for pro bono program administrators to post opportunities and keep them up to date. Paladin offered a platform that enabled multiple administrators from organizations to post opportunities through an intuitive dashboard with an inviting design.”
Waideen Wright Project Coordinator of the Websites Project
Streamlining Opportunity Management
A top priority was ensuring that administrators could easily post, update, and manage opportunities. Outdated listings were a concern, and the team wanted the transition to be smooth for partner organizations. The new statewide portal is embedded directly into the Mass Pro Bono site, giving volunteers a single, centralized place to browse real-time, on-demand opportunities. This setup allows volunteers to quickly find short-term, remote, or specialized opportunities that fit their schedules, while administrators have the tools they need to manage listings efficiently behind the scenes.
Supporting Legal Aid Organizations
Mass Pro Bono features more than two dozen organizations serving low-income clients across the state. The team works to engage legal aid organizations in ways that strengthen the pro bono culture in Massachusetts. Their approach includes consistent communication, working with organizations to maintain their accounts, and highlighting events and trainings to ensure opportunities stay visible to volunteers.
Our methods for engaging legal aid organizations are based on the impact we want to have on the pro bono culture and community in Massachusetts. We want the pro bono managers at legal aid organizations to feel that their work is valued and supported by us, especially considering the potential for burnout in the legal aid field.”
Waideen Wright Project Coordinator of the Websites Project
Engaging Volunteers and Building Momentum
Mass Pro Bono also focuses on attracting attorneys to pro bono work. Clear navigation, diverse opportunities, and strategic outreach — including LinkedIn promotion — have been key to engaging volunteers.
When we decided to relaunch the website, it was important to us to keep the name ‘Mass Pro Bono’ to ensure volunteers make it over to the new site, and that Mass Pro Bono would still show up on a Google search when searching for ‘pro bono in Massachusetts.’”
Waideen Wright Project Coordinator of the Websites Project
Since the relaunch, Mass Pro Bono has seen strong early adoption, with 369 new volunteer connections in just six months. Highlighting opportunities and events on LinkedIn has helped create a visible, active pro bono community.
Building a robust LinkedIn page for Mass Pro Bono has been instrumental in getting our website relaunch in the view of volunteers and legal aid organizations. Legal aid organizations often request extra time to add or update opportunities on the portal before they are highlighted, ensuring listings are complete and up to date.”
Looking Ahead
The team is excited to continue growing the portal and making it a go-to resource for attorneys new to pro bono work.
We are thrilled by the positive response in our first six months. Our goal is to keep building on this momentum well into the future. We want to not only connect more volunteers with opportunities but also highlight and celebrate the vital contributions so many people make to expand access to justice.”