Organizations often say that volunteers are crucial to their mission. At CSADV that statement couldn’t be more accurate. In fact, the important work that we do in the community and working with survivors wouldn’t be possible without our network of volunteers. At CSADV we have two roles for volunteers, direct and indirect volunteers.
Direct volunteers go through a 36-hour training program to become certified survivor advocates. This training is at no cost to the volunteer. After completion of the training the new volunteers often shadow employees or veteran volunteers. These volunteer advocates often work with survivors and their children in Shelter, man the crisis line or are scheduled to take an “on call” shift with our pager system.
It is our commitment to the community to respond to calls from a hospital or police station within 30 minutes of being alerted to a domestic or sexual assault and our volunteers are often the first tier in this pager system. They are often the first point of contact with a survivor in this critical and highly sensitive time.
Indirect volunteers are not required to complete the advocate training. None-the-less, their role is equally important to the agency. These volunteers help with critical fundraising needs, help distribute agency materials and posters for those that might need help and help out with administrative tasks that might otherwise take away from an advocate’s time spent with a survivor.
If you or anyone you know would be interested in becoming a CSADV volunteer you can find out more HERE, or call 712-277-0131 and we can schedule an appointment to talk about where you can best help our mission.
Hi, my names is Meredith McLarty. I was wondering if there are any volunteering opportunities. I have been involved in domestic violence relationships and I believe I’d make an excellent advocate.