At the moment we are recruiting:
- Helpline volunteers
- Microvolunteers – awareness raising
Helpline Volunteers
We are recruiting for both our Autumn 2025 cohort of helpline volunteers now. We’d love to hear from you if you think you can join our friendly team and support local survivors through the SARSVL telephone, text and email emotional support helpline.
What is the helpline?
The SARSVL helpline provides anonymous, confidential and non-judgemental telephone, email and text support to women, girls and non-binary people (who are comfortable with our woman-centred approach) who have been affected by sexual violence. Being a Helpline Volunteer at SARSVL gives you the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of survivors. It’s also a good opportunity to meet new people, learn about the Rape Crisis movement and develop within a feminist organisation.
What do helpline volunteers do?
Helpline Volunteers answer calls and take part in the day to day running of our specialist helpline. The main activities include answering calls, e-mails and text messages from people who have been affected by or have experienced any form of sexual violence in their lives. All our helpline volunteers undertake a comprehensive and specialist in house training programme covering listening skills and knowledge around aspects of sexual violence from a feminist perspective.
Learn more and apply
For detailed information on the role, course and commitments of a helpline volunteer please check out the application pack below and make sure you get your application in to us before the deadline of Wednesday 27th August. Please make sure you read the application pack fully before you apply.
Helpline volunteer application pack 2025
Application form
Diversity monitoring form
Our application form and diversity monitoring forms are both online forms. However, if you would like to be emailed a word document version or a paper version (or have any other questions) please get in touch with the office on info@sarsvl.org.uk or call us on 0113 243 9102.
Microvolunteering
What is the Microvolunteering?
Microvolunteering is perfect for people who are busy and/or unable to commit to our weekly helpline volunteering but would still like to support our charity. It is a flexible volunteering opportunity promoting SARSVL services and opportunities that can be a one off or you can do it more than once at a time that suits you. You can do it on your own, or you and a friend can sign up and micro volunteer together. As an awareness raising microvolunteer you will be promoting the SARSVL helpline and sarsvl helpline volunteering opportunities. This type of microvolunteering is really important to SARSVL as being able to get the word out about our opportunities to a wide audience in Leeds is invaluable.
Steps to microvolunteer
- Register to volunteer
To become an awareness raising microvolunteer you must be 18 and identify as a woman as we will send you helpline stickers which we usually put up in women’s bathrooms.
You can register your interest to volunteer by filling out this form.
- We will send you out a microvolunteering pack
Once we have received your registration one of the team will be in touch to learn a little bit more about you and give you more information about the opportunity.
We will send you out a micro volunteering pack which will include helpline number stickers and helpline volunteering flyers, as well as some instructions about putting up advertisements in public places.
- Start volunteering!
Once you have your pack and are ready you can go out and volunteer, spreading the word about SARSVL. You can pop our helpline stickers on the inside of toilet doors, raising vital awareness of our anonymous, confidential emotional support helpline for survivors. We’ll also ask you to put up flyers on public noticeboards about our helpline volunteering opportunity. Every year we train 2 rounds of people to operate our specialist helpline and its vital we are able to reach and train as many people with different backgrounds as possible to support survivors.