We are deeply honored that you are interested in volunteering with the LGBT National Help Center. If you are selected as a peer-support volunteer, we want to stress the importance of feeling highly confident that you can honor your commitment of being available for your scheduled hotline shift (with the exception of illness or vacation). Some volunteer opportunities lend themselves to great flexibility. This is NOT the case with this type of work, since volunteers are answering a crisis hotline, and if someone doesn't show up for their shift, the phones can go unanswered. So please, give careful thought to your schedule to make sure you feel comfortable with making this one-year commitment. We also commit to you that we will give you the training and support you need to enable you to feel prepared and excited about volunteering with us.

Because our callers define "peer" as either being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer, our phone volunteers need to fall into one of these categories. (Please note that if you do not, you can contact us about other volunteer opportunities.)

Once training is completed, you will move to a permanent volunteer shift decided on by the times you list below of your availabilities.

Are you avaiblable during training sessions? If so, please check the shifts you are available for. (You can check as many as you are available for)

All of our volunteer shifts are 3 hours long. Please select all of the shifts on all the days that you would be available for volunteering.

IMPORTANT: You will not be assigned more than one weekly shift, but knowing all available times will help us schedule your training and volunteer shifts.

Because our volunteer positions are remote, volunteers need to have an up-to-date computer with reliable high-speed internet.

Volunteers must have a quiet, private space to answer calls and chats.

Volunteers cannot use a smartphone or tablet.

Also, your computer must be able to run Google Chrome version 75 or higher.

Those using Macs need to have an operating system of Sierra or higher.

Online volunteering requires a large amount of data use. To ensure training and volunteering is viable, please open a separate tab and go to www.SpeedTest.net and click "Begin Test" or "GO".

When the test is complete, please report the 3 test results: Ping, Download Speed, and Upload Speed. (If you prefer you can use any other speed test you would like; we just need to have those three results).

Applications without speed test results will not be considered.

Individuals may volunteer for the LGBT National Help Center in many different capacities. Relevant to the programs they are volunteering for, the Help Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth), disability, age, citizen status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression, HIV status, military or veteran status, and other reasons as protected by law.

Individuals who specifically want to become phone and chat peer-support volunteers must be at least 18 years of age, and because our callers define “peer” as someone who identifies as LGBTQIA+, our peer-support volunteers must identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

We understand that everyone comes with their own history, experiences, and levels of education and knowledge on LGBTQIA+ issues. We use our training program to help potential peer-support volunteers gain the skills and knowledge needed to create a Safe Space for our community to feel comfortable to talk about issues and concerns in their lives. Nevertheless, because of the critical nature of our work, peer-support volunteers must reach a high level of competency in order to complete their training.

It’s important that you:

• Feel you can ask questions when you’re not sure about something (there are no foolish questions - this is how we learn)
• Have the willingness to identify areas where you can grow
• Have the ability for self-reflection
• Accept constructive guidance
• Have the willingness to learn

The LGBT National Help Center provides support to those seeking affirmation and acceptance, and we strive to create a safe space for all. We accept people as they are and how they wish to be addressed. This includes, and is not limited to, using the pronouns, names, and labels those who contact us use for themselves.

Peer-support volunteers will under no circumstances obtain any identifying information from callers and will not give out their own personal identifying information. The only contact we have with callers is when THEY call into our one of our hotlines. Peer-support volunteers will also not make outgoing calls on behalf of callers.

The LGBT National Help Center reserves the right to remove volunteers who are unable to comply with our mission and values during training or while on shift. We will work with you to make training an enjoyable learning experience, but please give careful thought about volunteering and your openness to learning.

Our calls are confidential and never recored. We also do not report calls or make outgoing calls for our callers, though we will attempt provide them with additional information for their health and safety.

We are not mandated reporters. Potential volunteers who do identify as mandated reporters in their professional careers must understand that they cannot act in that capacity while volunteering with us. We understand that some professions do not allow for that. If that is the case for you, this type of volunteering isn’t going to be the right fit. If you identify as a mandated reporter and are not sure if you are able to legally remove those restrictions from yourself, you may need to contact a lawyer or employer before continuing on with this application.