VOLUNTEER
Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organisation. They provide calm words when they’re needed most over the phone, chat and email, as well as help with fundraising activities and support day-to-day operations.
Why volunteer for switchboard?
Give back to the community
Challenge yourself and learn new skills
Meet new people and be part of a vibrant community
Switchboard volunteers provide calm words when they’re needed most via phone, chat and email about anything from sexual health, relationships, mental health, gender and sexuality and much more. All our volunteers identify as LGBTQIA+ and can volunteer from our phone room in London or remotely from anywhere in the UK.
Our volunteers are the life-blood of our organisation. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to support service users from 10am - 10pm every day of the year.
Phone Us
Email Us
Chat with us
Our volunteers talk about a wide range of topics which include (but are not limited to):
Coming out
Gender identities
Sexual Health
Faith and religion
Mental health
Suicide
Bereavement
Isolation and loneliness
Volunteering at Switchboard is both challenging and rewarding in equal measure.
You could speak with someone who has never voiced their thoughts and feelings before; you could communicate with a service user who has no one else to talk to.
But at the same time, some of the communications we receive are spam, hoax or abusive. Whilst there is support to deal with these types of communication, we want to ensure you know about this before applying to volunteer with us.
One thing that is guaranteed, however, is that when you volunteer with Switchboard, you will be part of a community that supports and uplifts each other.
Which roles are available to volunteers?
When volunteering on our email service, volunteers take the time to review the emails we receive, decipher the messages and themes being communicated and spend time crafting a thorough, personalised response. This response is something service users will often keep with them for a long time. We’re looking for people who can read between the lines, write long-form communications and who have a strong attention to detail.
Chat
If you choose to support our chat service, you’ll communicate with users in real-time, via our web chat tool. Chat volunteers are typically people who like to use instant messaging tools in their day-to-day lives, can speak with a number of people at the same time, and who are able to create space for others to share their questions, thoughts and feelings.
Phone & Chat
Our phone and chat role equips volunteers with the skills needed to support both services. It requires people to be able to listen to others, create space for them to speak, ask open questions and remain calm under pressure. It can be a challenge, but if you’re someone who can listen actively without passing judgement or telling people what to do, we’d love to hear from you!
Over 50's Club
Our over 50s club is a new initiative for Switchboard. We want to create a space that enables older members of the LGBTQIA+ community to volunteer with us on our phone lines and instant messaging service, whilst providing a social element that encourages volunteers to come together at our London HQ. This club will meet on Mondays and Tuesdays during the day, completing a shift either between 10am to 1pm or 2:00pm to 5:00pm.
Trans & Non-Binary Training Group
We have created a brand new dedicated training group for trans and non-binary folk, led by current trans and non-binary Switchboard volunteers. This training group will meet weekly during Tuesday daytime for 3 weeks in a row to undertake our core acceptance training and become volunteers on our phone & chat services. We hope this space enables trainees to meet new people and make friends, all while training to become a qualified Switchboard volunteer.
POC Training Group
At Switchboard we are working to ensure that our volunteer membership reflects everyone within the LGBTQIA+ community. We want service users to be able to speak with volunteers who can empathise with their experiences and volunteers to connect with folks from a wide range of different backgrounds, cultures and identities. This group training group is specifically set up for people of colour.
Applications for some of our volunteering roles are currently closed. Please check back or follow us on social media to see when these roles reopen.
When the roles re-open, we will only consider applications for one role at a time, so please do not apply to more than one position.
When applying to one of our roles, applicants will need to:
- Submit an initial application and answer questions that demonstrate your motivations for joining Switchboard
- Complete an online test to showcase your skills
- Attend an in-person or online assessment evening and interview with our volunteers
If you have any questions before applying to us, you can email our Volunteering Team.