A Guide to Volunteering
The following guide has been drafted to offer an overview for potential volunteers to view and
digest, as well as current volunteers to refer to for guidance, or for any queries. This guide may
also act as a point of reference for Rape Crisis organisations who have a volunteer co-ordinator in
post, and who may wish to refer to this for direction.
It is important to draw your attention to the fact not all Rape Crisis organisations work with
volunteers. Also, if a Rape Crisis organisations actively works with volunteers it may do so with
varying structures in place to facilitate this.
What is the purpose of Volunteering?
Why Volunteer?
Will Volunteering affect my welfare benefits?
Who can volunteer?
Expectations?
What is involved and how do I apply?
Examples of Volunteer Roles
Find a centre near you
Legislation to know about
What volunteers need to know?
Can men volunteer?
Workforce Development Training (WFD) for volunteers
What happens if I am not happy and want to complain?
Volunteer roles and role descriptions
1
 What is the purpose of volunteering?
The core purpose of volunteering within a Rape Crisis organisation is to support it to meet the
needs and promote the rights of women and girls who have experienced sexual violence of any
kind at any time in their lives. Secondly, volunteering promotes well-being and personal
development for the person participating. It functions as an unpaid service to support and offer
positive benefits for the organisation, as well as for the individual volunteering.
 Why volunteer?
There are many benefits to volunteering, both for you as a volunteer as well as for the
organisation you may volunteer within. Volunteering provides a great opportunity for personal
development; it’s a way of gaining confidence and learning new skills or putting your existing skills
to good use. It can improve your employment prospects by helping you gain work experience if
you are unemployed or thinking of a career change. It can provide you with something
interesting, useful and fun to do in your spare time. Volunteering is a great way to meet new
people, make new friends and give something back to your community.
 Will volunteering affect my welfare benefits?
In short, no, volunteering shouldn’t affect your benefits, as long as the only money you receive for
volunteering is to cover your actual expenses, such as travel from home to the volunteering
location, and you continue to meet the conditions of the benefit you get, for example, being able
to attend job interviews at 48 hours’ notice.
 Who can volunteer?
To volunteer for a Rape Crisis organisation it is important to check the particular centre’s
requirements. You’ll usually need to be a woman aged 18 or above. Otherwise, anyone can
volunteer, regardless of, among other things, age, background, ethnicity, religion, sexual
orientation, disability or immigration status. We encourage volunteers from all walks of life.
It is important to remember, however, that not all Rape Crisis organisations work with volunteers
so you should check out your preferred organisation’s website or the Rape Crisis England & Wales
website for more information and/or contact them directly.
 Expectations?
As a volunteer you may have expectations of the role, but also there are expectations from the
organisation too. It is important to engage with the organisation you may wish to volunteer with
and make links and take guidance from them. It is important to remember not all Rape Crisis
organisations function in the same way, and it is not a ‘one size fits all’ scenario. The standard of
support offered by Rape Crisis organisations to the individuals who access their services is high
and high standards are likely to be expected from volunteers. At the same time, you will be
offered support by the organisation to fulfil your role, by means that may vary from centre to
centre.
2
What is involved and how do I apply?
It would be likely you might be asked to complete an application form, which would be reviewed
and dealt with by the individual organisation. Again each Rape Crisis centre will have its own
mechanism of volunteer recruitment which might be a lengthy process or may not involve such a
detailed procedure depending on how that particular organisation operates. Some organisations
may only take volunteers once or twice a year, others may not accept or have the capacity to work
with volunteers. It is likely if a Rape Crisis organisation recruits volunteers then a rigorous training
and induction programme will need to be completed and this might stretch over a period of
allotted time, and then a probationary period might need to be completed and formalised.
 Examples of volunteering roles?
Firstly it is important to remember not all Rape Crisis organisations work with volunteers, and not
all advertise for volunteers, so each will operate differently and it is advisable to direct any queries
to the individual centre you would potentially like to volunteer with. Click here for details of a
Rape Crisis centre near you.
Here are some examples of the kind of roles that may be available:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Helpline volunteers
Administrators
Finance volunteers
Advocacy
Campaigns
Volunteer counsellors etc.
Please note this list is not exhaustive. It is important to remember though that not all Rape Crisis
organisations offer counselling placements as well as other volunteer roles.
 Find a Rape Crisis organisation near you
To find a Rape Crisis centre near you please check our RCEW website. It is important to highlight
that not all Rape Crisis centres function identically, and not all Rape Crisis centres recruit
volunteers.
 Legislation to know about
As a volunteer there is legislation that may affect you, and/or is important to be aware about.
These cover the following:
o
o
o
o
Equality and Diversity
Data Protection
Health and Safety
DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service)
3
 What volunteers need to be know
Potential volunteers would be strongly recommended to read the information on the website of
the Rape Crisis organisation you may wish to contact and make enquires. Information available
may be in regard to the individual centre, their ethos, values, and feminist roots, as well as
whether they recruit volunteers and, if they do, how many cohorts per year they take on, what
training they offer etc.
 Can men volunteer?
Some of our member Rape Crisis organisations support both women and girls and men and boys.
As a potential male volunteer, you may want to contact the Rape Crisis centre you want to
volunteer with, check out if they work with men and boys and what opportunities may be
available. For example, a centre may accept male volunteers who wish to fundraise in solidarity
with the centre’s values and ethos; raising awareness, running a marathon, campaigning.
However, due to the nature of the roles, in several cases it will be a Genuine Occupational
Requirement for the post holder to be female under Schedule 9 Part 1 Equalities Act 2010.
 Workforce Development Training (WFD) for volunteers
Workforce Development Training (WFD) offers benefits to not only staff, but also volunteers,
whose member organisations take part in the WFD project. The list below offers an insight into
the benefits of being part of various training:
o The accredited training will give Rape Crisis volunteers formal recognition of their skills and
specialisms
o The training is nationally recognised, meaning it is not specific to one organisation
o The training is flexible, not prescriptive. Volunteers can take up units that will build their
knowledge and skills in areas that are most relevant to their organisation and of specific
interest to them as individuals
o WFD Training will be delivered nationwide, and volunteers may have the chance to attend
training in other Rape Crisis organisations, meaning it’s a great opportunity for meeting
and networking with like-minded women
o All WFD Training is delivered by qualified Trainers, guaranteeing an excellent standard of
teaching and support for learners
o The credit-based system that the WFD training is structured around means that volunteers
can gain different levels of qualification depending on how many credits they achieve. This
is flexible to the individual and gives the volunteer the opportunity to work towards a
qualification at their own pace
o It’s free! This is a chance to achieve a nationally recognised qualification from a specialist
organisation in the sexual violence sector, all free of charge to the volunteer
o It’s an excellent career development opportunity for volunteers who are looking to go on
to find a paid role within the sexual violence sector, or the wider VAWG (Violence Against
Women and Girls) sector.
4
 What happens if I am not happy and want to complain?
Volunteering, and applying to become a volunteer, should be a reasonably straightforward
process, involving lots of communication with your chosen organisation. However, this does not
mean it may always be a smooth process and occasionally a potential volunteer might want to give
feedback or make a complaint. Whether you are a potential volunteer or a current volunteer you
should contact the Rape Crisis organisation you are involved with in the first instance and follow
their agreed complaints process. This will likely involve:





Contacting the volunteer co-ordinator (if applicable)
Contacting the centre manager / co-ordinator if there is no volunteer co-ordinator
Making your complaint in writing, giving as much information as possible
Agreeing a timeframe of resolution (allowing for holidays, bank holidays, sickness and
other circumstances which may influence the conclusion time)
Agreeing the outcome, whether that is an specific agreed outcome or ‘agree to disagree’
5
Please see below some Volunteer Roles and Role Descriptions that may be available at the chosen
organisation you might wish to volunteer for. A volunteer may be required to complete some
paperwork as part of the process, for example, a volunteer agreement.
Volunteer Roles and Role Descriptions:
(Please be advised that these roles are general descriptions and that they may differ depending
on the Rape Crisis centre you wish to volunteer for)
Helpline Volunteers:
Helpline Volunteers answer calls and help administer the day to day running of the helpline. The
main activity is answering calls, e-mails, text messages and conducting face to face support for
women who have suffered any form of sexual violence at any point in their lives.
Advocacy Volunteers:
Advocacy volunteers support people to access information and services, to be involved in
decisions about their own lives, and to explore their views and wishes. They assist people in
exploring choices and options, defending their rights and speaking out about issues that matter to
them, to regain or maintain power and control over their own lives.
Administrator Volunteers:
Administrator volunteers support the day to day admin tasks within a busy office environment.
These could be around data entry, answering the telephone, dealing with post, filing, monitoring
e-mails, and any other admin tasks that may be identified and highlighted within the Rape Crisis
organisation you may wish to volunteer for.
Finance Volunteers:
Finance volunteers would assist with functions around the finance of the organisation, which may
include data entry, handling invoices, updating spreadsheets, supporting the administrator,
supporting the centre manager with any tasks identified.
Campaign Volunteers:
Campaign Volunteers offer support around campaigns which may be locally driven or national.
This may involve communicating with various networks or forums, communicating and networking
with various statutory and/or voluntary organisations to raise awareness around topics agreed
locally and/or nationally with the centre you wish to volunteer with.
Counselling Volunteers:
Counselling Volunteers offer an important service within Rape Crisis organisations. Generally it is
preferred for a volunteer counsellor to be qualified to at least Diploma level, however it is
important to check out the requirements of the centre, as these may vary.
6
Fundraising Volunteers:
Fundraising volunteers are passionate about raising awareness and money promoting the services
of the Rape Crisis organisation they are volunteering at. Volunteers can be creative about
organising and running events or could collect donations in a shopping centre or arrange
fundraising events such as a bake sale etc.
These listed roles are not exhaustive, but general examples of what may be available.
7