Speakers:
- Aletheia Stratos, Executive IT Assistant, Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut
- Sandra San Emeterio Fair, Director of Community Outreach and Education, Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut
- Waideen Wright, Legal Aid Websites Project Coordinator, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI)
LSC’s Innovation in Technology Conference is always a meaningful conference for me because I work closely with many of the legal services organizations in the room. I spend much of my time talking with legal aid teams about their pro bono programs and supporting efforts to streamline volunteer recruitment and management, while also collaborating with statewide portal leaders to onboard organizations, provide training, and support portal launches.
One session that captured this especially well was Pro Bono Online: Building and Managing Community through Strategy and Innovation, which brought together leaders from Massachusetts and Connecticut to share how they’re approaching statewide pro bono engagement.
As pro bono programs evolve, legal services organizations and statewide leaders are increasingly focused on building systems that don’t just exist, but truly work for staff, volunteers, and the communities they serve. In the session, Aletheia, Sandra, and Waideen shared how they are rethinking pro bono infrastructure, digital engagement, and volunteer management to meet today’s challenges, highlighting what becomes possible when strategy, technology, and collaboration are aligned.
Together, they offered a candid look at how thoughtful platform design and organizational buy-in can transform pro bono engagement at a statewide level.
Mass Pro Bono: Designing for Engagement and Growth
Mass Pro Bono set out to strengthen how LSOs and volunteers connect—both through a redesigned public-facing website and an embedded statewide pro bono portal powered by Paladin.
When Mass Pro Bono launched its Paladin-powered statewide portal in early February 2025, it was intentionally integrated into the broader Mass Pro Bono site, creating a cohesive experience for volunteers. The redesigned website focuses on accessibility, visual clarity, and amplifying LSO visibility, while the embedded Paladin portal provides the functionality needed to seamlessly search, filter, and engage with pro bono opportunities.
Together, this approach supports Mass Pro Bono’s broader goals around accessibility and consistency, while reducing friction for volunteers engaging with pro bono opportunities statewide.
In 2025, Mass Pro Bono reported:
- Over 600 volunteers engaged
- Over 175 pro bono opportunities posted
- 34 referring organizations
- 86 trainings and events posted
Social media—particularly LinkedIn—has amplified this work. By pairing clear calls to action with consistent posting, Mass Pro Bono has approximately tripled engagement on LinkedIn within the last year, reinforcing the value of meeting volunteers where they already are and guiding them seamlessly into the portal.
Connecticut Pro Bono: Building for Integration and Scale
CT Pro Bono shared insights from a different stage of development—one focused on rebuilding systems to better support volunteer recruitment, management, and long-term engagement.
After evaluating the limitations and costs of their existing portal, the team transitioned to Paladin, citing the platform’s flexibility, affordability, and ability to work seamlessly alongside their legal services infrastructure. Just as important, the Connecticut Pro Bono team emphasized the volunteer experience, noting that Paladin’s intuitive, social-media-like interface made opportunities easier to search, sort, and match.
With the session at ITC taking place just one week prior to their statewide portal launch, collaboration across teams was essential. The speakers shared that Paladin supported the transition by helping teams navigate key decisions and bring stakeholders along—recognizing that successful platform changes depend as much on trust and buy-in as they do on technology.
Looking ahead, the relaunch is intended to make it easier for volunteers to find and engage with opportunities, while giving program staff clearer insight into outreach, participation, and training efforts as part of a more connected pro bono ecosystem.
Connecting Systems, Strengthening Impact
To further streamline operations, Connecticut adopted monday.com for project management, volunteer coordination, and outreach. Custom workflows, automation, and centralized tracking have reduced administrative burden while improving visibility across teams. While not directly integrated, tools are intentionally connected through shared processes—laying the groundwork for future interoperability.
Across both states, a shared vision emerged: a connected pro bono ecosystem where opportunity management, training, engagement, and reporting work together seamlessly.
What’s Next
For Mass Pro Bono, the focus is on continuing to grow its network of referring organizations, refining outreach strategies, and learning from ongoing engagement data now that its statewide portal has been live for nearly a year.
For Connecticut Pro Bono, the February launch marks a major milestone—one that sets the stage for deeper volunteer engagement, stronger data insights, and continued integration across systems.
Together, these efforts reflect a broader shift among statewide pro bono leaders toward shared infrastructure and intentional design—recognizing that sustainable pro bono work depends on systems that are easier to access, manage, and maintain over time.
Danielle LoMastro
Danielle is dedicated to delivering high-quality service and building strong, lasting relationships with clients. With a natural problem-solving mindset and a passion for innovation, she is inspired by the ways technology can drive progress—both for the world and for Paladin’s mission. Danielle brings a versatile professional background and a client-first approach to everything she does, always focused on delivering clear, effective results that make a difference.
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