About Project Planetero
Our mission, vision, and the team behind the movement
Locally verified. Globally connected.
What Planetero Does
Planetero is the connection point between teens and the environmental nonprofits in their own community that actually want their help. Every organization on the platform has been checked for two things: it's a real, active nonprofit, and it welcomes youth involvement. No more emailing five organizations and hearing nothing back. No more guessing whether a cleanup down the street is looking for teen volunteers or fully staffed by adults. If it's on Planetero, it wants you.
The Problem We're Solving
Environmental nonprofits that welcome teen volunteers exist in almost every community, but most are small, locally run, and nowhere to be found in a search engine or a general volunteer database. At the same time, teens looking to get involved often give up after a few dead ends — unanswered emails, listings that turn out to be adults-only, or organizations that don't exist anymore. Motivated students on one side, willing organizations on the other, and no easy way for them to find each other.
Planetero closes that gap. The goal is simple: get a student from "I want to help" to "I found somewhere to show up" in minutes, not weeks — so more teens actually volunteer, faster than they would on their own.
How It Works Today
- Verified listings. Every nonprofit is checked by our student research team to confirm it's real and open to youth volunteers before it goes live.
- Local search. Type in a ZIP code (or country) and an interactive map shows nearby organizations and volunteer opportunities.
- Logged hours. Volunteer hours are recorded to a public profile, giving students proof of the work they've done.
Where We're Headed
Today, Planetero's directory grows through real research done by real people who care about getting it right. But we're just getting started.
- 2,300+ organizations currently in our verification pipeline, sourced from the Climate Action Network's global affiliate network.
- 48 countries mapped for launch — North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America.
- This is a work in progress. Check back as we verify more organizations in more places.
Our vision is a Planetero where any youth-friendly environmental nonprofit, anywhere in the world, can be found, verified, and connected to the students who want to help it — no matter how small or how local the organization is.
As we grow, our focus stays simple: keep raising the bar on trust, and put Planetero in front of more students who are ready to show up.
Meet the Founder
Katiella Huffman founded Planetero in May 2025 to solve a problem she experienced firsthand: the lack of an easy way to connect student volunteers with environmental organizations. Katiella is a multi-passionate eco-advocate; she also runs Eco Amigurumi, sustainable crafting education, GlamRight, and holds the title of Miss Eco Teen International Vietnam ’26. This summer, she is designing a custom eco dress from recycled materials to be showcased at IIMSAM charitable events and fashion shows.
Support the Mission
Project Planetero is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 33-5023602) based in Union City, California. Donations are tax-deductible and go directly toward verifying new organizations, building tools for students, and growing the directory to reach more communities worldwide.