Volunteer

Ways to volunteer

Hotline

One of the most valuable ways a volunteer can directly support survivors is to help answer our 24/7 hotline calls outside of business hours, which can be done from the comfort of your own home. We only require hotline volunteers to take one shift (or up to five shifts) per month. A shift lasts from 5:30 pm to 8:30 am the following day for Monday-Friday, or 8:30 am to 8:30 am the following day for Saturdays and Sundays. Hotline volunteers receive crisis intervention training from our advocates (who answer the calls if no volunteer is available) and always have the Executive Director or Victim Services Coordinator as backup support when on call. We are also always in need of bilingual volunteers to help relieve our bilingual advocates. 

Office

These are volunteers who are interested in providing clerical services during business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm). General office tasks may include answering phones, scanning documents, stocking supplies, organizing resources, or light cleaning.

Events

Some volunteers want to help with a single event, and some want to help at all of our events. Whether your skills are event planning or promotion, requesting donations, setup/staffing/breakdown of a booth, or something else, we’re always happy for an extra set of hands on the big day. There is no official time commitment for event volunteers.

Outreach

We have several community-specific outreach projects you can read more about on our website. If you are interested in assisting in their events, community presentations, or other outreach projects, this is the category for you. Additionally, you can help promote the Center at large by hanging flyers.

Clinic

Every now and then, a special volunteer comes along who wants to step in the shoes of our advocates by leading their own forensic exam clinics (alongside our nurses, of course). A clinic volunteer takes the place of an advocate by preparing the clinic and providing emotional support to the survivor throughout their exam. This type of volunteering requires the largest upfront training investment, and volunteers are required to shadow advocate-led clinics before taking on any of their own shifts. Due to this, we ask that anyone interested in this role commit to assisting the Center for a minimum of one year. This role is not for everyone, as it entails providing support to someone during a heightened state of trauma. The Center is highly selective in the approval process of Clinic applicants.

Other

We also, occasionally, have volunteers who do not fall within these categories – a photographer takes event photos, an event planner organizes a fundraising campaign, a videographer records promotional or storytelling content for us, a local business donates their product to an Open House – the possibilities are endless. Please reach out to the Center if you have something to offer that doesn’t fall within the above categories!

Ready to apply?

When you're ready, please fill out the following form to apply as a volunteer for the NWA Center for Sexual Assault. Once an application has been reviewed by our client services director, applicants will be asked to come to the center for a brief interview. The interview is an opportunity for you and the staff to learn more about each other: expectations, requirements, and concerns. Among other things, we'll also ask about any personal experiences you may have had with sexual violence.


Our client services director will let you know of any next steps in the volunteer process. Thank you so much for your interest in helping support survivors in Northwest Arkansas.


Volunteer form