Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Support Network. Please find in the accompanying web-pages information on agency services, opportunities for volunteering, and a Volunteer Application Form. The Support Network offers four kinds of volunteer experience:

1. Fundraisers/Special Event volunteering;
2. Behind-the-Scenes volunteering – indirectly supporting agency provision of services to individuals and families experiencing domestic violence;
3. Domestic Violence Counselor volunteering – directly supporting individuals and families experiencing domestic violence as a 40hr-trained Domestic Violence Counselor;
4. Board of Directors membership – providing leadership to assist the Support Network achieve its mission; through governance, fund development, resource management, strategic planning, marketing and more.

To volunteer you must be over 16 years of age. If you are under the age of 16 it may be possible to participate in our Fundraisers and Special Events, but only when accompanied by a parent/guardian. Consent from a parent/guardian is required of all Volunteers between the ages of 16 and 18 years. Please ask for a Parent/Guardian Consent Form if you require one.

To volunteer for Fundraisers/Special Events simply provide your full contact information; we will be in touch with you when we need Volunteers. If you are interested in joining the agency’s Board of Directors, please provide your full contact information and a Board Package will be forwarded to you. To volunteer Behind-the-Scenes, and/or as a Domestic Violence Counselor, please fill out and return the Volunteer Application Form. When we receive your fully completed form, we will review the information you have provided and forward to you a Position Description, and details of training requirements, for each of the Volunteer Opportunities that we have open that complement your interests and availability to volunteer. Please know that new Volunteer Opportunities are continually being created, and that not all Volunteer Opportunities are open at all times. If, at the time of submitting your completed Application Form, we do not have a Volunteer Opportunity that matches your interests and availability, we will keep your Application Form and look for a match against future Volunteer Opportunities.

The completion of the California State-mandated Domestic Violence Counselor Training (typically hosted twice a year by the Support Network) and a background check (fingerprinting process) are prerequisites to volunteering as a Domestic Violence Counselor. The selection process for all Behind-the-Scenes and all Domestic Violence Counselor Volunteer Opportunities includes an interview. The interview is to provide us with an opportunity to find out more about one another so that we can ensure we are developing a mutually beneficial relationship.

Volunteers have an integral role in the Support Network’s mission “to empower our diverse community to live free of domestic violence”. I look forward to receiving your completed Volunteer Application Form at your earliest opportunity. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions. By working together we can build a safer community, one family at a time.