Do you want to volunteer your time to give back to the LGBTQIA+ community?

Can you provide calm words, sometimes under pressure, when they’re needed most?

Are you the WhatsApp admin of your group? An instant messaging pro who enjoys speaking to people in real-time via online chat tools…

If so, we have something for you!

Who are we?

Switchboard LGBTQIA+ exists to provide members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as their friends, family and those supporting them, with a listening service that they can contact via phone, instant message and email between the hours of 10am to 10pm every day.

We are happy to talk to service users about any topic they wish. Topics we often talk to service users about include: sexual health, safer sex, relationships, coming-out, gender identity, transitioning, mental health, experiences of hate crimes, support for meeting other LGBTQIA+ people and making friends, and much more.

However, we want to also be upfront and transparent about the fact that not all of our conversations are positive or constructive. Our volunteers can also be exposed to abuse from the public, manipulative callers, sexual fantasies and safeguarding concerns.

To find out more about what it means to volunteer with Switchboard, check out the short video below.

What is the role?

We are on the look-out for people to join Switchboard as Chat Volunteers.

Within this role, volunteers commit to taking a 3 hour shift every 2 weeks on our instant messaging service where they will respond to service users in real-time via our web chat tool Twilio.

IM is so important for us as a communication channel because it enables us to reach a typically younger audience, and to communicate with service users in the moment without the need for them to speak and be overheard.

Instant messaging volunteers (as you might expect!) only support on our IM channels. They do not respond to phone calls or emails.

Who are we looking for?

Firstly, we’d love to find volunteers who are available to take shifts during weekday slots to help better cover our rota.

In addition to this, we are looking to better represent the diversity of our community and actively encourage applications from people that identify as female, trans/ non-binary and/or from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Groups.

To ensure we can provide a high quality service to those who contact us, we are looking for volunteers who:

• Prefer supporting a service where they will be able to communicate with users in real-time but without the need to do so over-the-phone!

• Have experience and, most importantly, enjoy writing short-form content

• Are familiar with different instant messaging platforms (such as WhatsApp and other chat tools) and the types of communication they might receive

• Are able to read between the lines to decipher messages

• Are good listeners who let others lead conversations and instead create the space they need

• Are able to ask broad, open questions to keep conversations flowing

• Understand the importance of using the right tone when communicating in writing, and are able to flex their writing style to suit different people

• Have a strong attention to detail, with a particular focus on spelling and grammar

• Are able to evaluate sources of information and identify those that can be trusted, from those that cannot

• Know when to challenge and when to step back

• Have essential digital literacy skills (such as using email tools such as gmail and outlook, search the web for information and copy and paste website URLs)

• Understand and support our mission

• Have an awareness of the challenges facing the LGBTQIA+ community

• Are empathetic in nature

• Are supportive and encouraging

• Are able to overcome setbacks and keep going

• Agree to uphold our values of being non-directive and non-judgemental

If you’d like to join us as an Instant Messaging (IM) Volunteer, we would love to hear from you!!

The steps to apply for this voluntary role are:

1. Click ‘Apply now’ and answer the 5 questions outlined in the application form to the best of your ability (please write a minimum of 100 words per answer - these answers are assessed and determine whether you move to the next stage so please provide as much detail as possible!), and complete the demographic survey (please note that these answers are kept confidential at all times)

2. Complete an online assessment

3. Attend an information and interview session

4. Sign up for a CAT (core acceptance training) course

If you would like to ask any questions, you can email our Volunteer and Training Manager, Henry, via henry.aspinall@switchboard.lgbt