Volunteer with us

The majority of volunteers at MTC are (or are training to be) consultants and take on additional administrative responsibilities. Not all administrative roles require completion of the consultant training process.

 

 

Apply to Volunteer

Update (09/26): Due to an influx of new volunteer applications and limited onboarding capacity, we have closed new volunteer applications temporarily. We will likely re-open applications in a few months. If you would like to notified by email when we re-open our application, please sign up for our interest form,

   

Consultant Training

Volunteers must go through the following steps in order to be considered a consultant. A consultant has all of the necessary training, plus shadowing experience, and is equipped to run a consultation on their own. We also strongly encourage volunteers administrative roles to complete these steps to gain a better understanding of our service model.

1. Take the New Advocate Training (NAT) (~30 hours). NAT is run by our primary partner, Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS), 2 or 3 times a year. It is free to take. This training has essential information about intimate partner violence, trauma-informed practices, and principles for survivor-centered care.
   • After joining MTC as a volunteer, the volunteer coordinator or clinic manager will help you register for NAT. You do not need to have completed NAT before joining MTC.
2. Take our internal tech abuse training (2-3 hours). We periodically run workshops where you will learn all about tech abuse and running a consultation.
3. Shadow at least two consultations. By shadowing (attending a consultation but not participating), you will see the nuances of real-world consultations and learn from experienced consultants. Even after shadowing, there will almost always be at least two consultants at every consultation.

 

Qualifications & Expectations

Eligibility

• All volunteers must be 18 years or older.
• Consultants must be located in or around Dane County, Wisconsin
  • Much of the required consultant training takes place in-person at Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) in Madison. We are unable to accept volunteers who cannot feasibly get there. If you are located in Dane County but don’t have reliable transportation– don’t worry! We frequently coordinate carpools to DAIS from central locations in Madison.
• Recommended: consultants should be planning to stay in or around Dane County for at least a year.
  • Our consultant training process is long (~30 hours) and only offered two or three times a year. We prefer volunteers who believe they will be able to complete and utilize their training for a meaningful amount of time.
  • For student volunteers on an academic calendar, this means having at least a year left in your program or planning to stay in the area after graduation (participation over summer optional).
  • Highly motivated volunteers who plan to move away from the area in the next 6-12 months may participate in remote consultations after completing the initial in-person training components.

Desired Skills

• All volunteers should have empathy, strong listening skills, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Consultants should have an understanding of basic computer security and privacy concepts OR a willingness to learn. You do not need to have a computer science degree to volunteer– we will train you! We also match consultants to clients based on needs and specific expertise.
• Fluency in a language other than English (Spanish, Hmong, etc.) is a plus, but definitely not required.

Expectations

• The clinic holds weekly, 1 hour meetings to discuss recent consults and delegate tasks. All volunteers plan to attend at least one of these meetings per month regardless of their training completion status. If a volunteer has a regular conflict with the meeting, they can meet at an alternate time at their convenience every month with the volunteer coordinator.
• Once they have completed training, volunteers who are consultants may sign up for as many consultations as they are able. Scheduling takes place on the group’s Slack. Roughly half of consultations take place in-person at DAIS (or other Madison-area organizations), and the other half take place remotely on Zoom. Generally, consultants should sign up for at least one consultation per academic semester to be considered “active.” On average, consultants participate in one 1.5 hour consultation every two weeks.
• Training expectations and time commitments for administrative volunteers will vary based on the role (estimated 5 to 10 hours per month) and should be discussed with the volunteer coordinator.

SAFE EXIT