Volunteering

Current Volunteer Opportunities at Derby Women's Centre

Are you looking to get involved in volunteering in Derby? We offer a wide range of volunteer opportunities and would love to hear from anyone who is interested in volunteering for us. See the 'How Can I Become a DWC Volunteer?' section at the bottom of this page for more details on how to join the team.

Volunteer Criteria

Because the organization is aimed solely at women, we ask that our volunteers are female so that even our most vulnerable service users feel comfortable when accessing the Centre. Because of the nature of our service and the fact that we operate in a single sex environment, our situation is classed as an exception under the Sex Description Act 1975. 

How Volunteers Help Us

Throughout our history, Derby Women’s Centre has relied on volunteers including office staff, counsellors and therapists. Volunteers have also helped with coordinating activities such as the themed coffee mornings, and maintaining the garden. Several of our current volunteers have worked here for a number of years and have acquired experience and knowledge of how the Centre works. In addition, our volunteers have often worked in a variety of jobs and have a range of skills and qualifications to offer, which compliment the expertise of our paid staff. Because volunteers generally work here for only a few hours each week and have commitments outside of the Centre, they can offer a different perspective on both the day-to-day role of the Centre and its future development. 

Why Volunteer For DWC?

Volunteering at Derby Women's Centre is a rich and rewarding experience, not least because you can give something back to the wider community. As a charity, we rely on volunteers much more than most organizations, so you can be sure that your contribution will be greatly appreciated. You'll gain job satisfaction from being able to help women in Derby and Derbyshire to achieve a better quality of life while gaining valuable experience along the way. You can feel the satisfaction of being part of a team which helps and supports vulnerable women in the local area.

As well as giving you the 'feel good' factor, volunteering can also look great on your CV, especially if you're in between jobs or have little workplace experience to point to. This is often a big problem if you've recently graduated and don't have enough relevant experience to be considered for jobs. Through volunteering, you can find it easier to move past the catch-22 situation of needing to have a job to get experience but not having enough experience to get a job in the first place. We can even help you to enhance your existing skills and learn some new ones. There are often opportunities for training with both one-day courses and more extensive qualification courses on offer. 

Giving up your time for no financial reward also looks impressive to many employers so it can even give you the edge over fellow applicants when you come to apply for jobs. In the current economic climate, this can be the difference between getting a job and ultimately being passed over in favour of someone else. We can offer references at the end of your time with us to further help your job search.

If you come on board as a volunteer at Derby Women's Centre, we will reimburse all of your travel expenses so you won't be out-of-pocket getting to and from the Centre while you're volunteering with us.

Long-standing volunteer, Sue, gives her take on what it's like to be one of our volunteers in this report.

Take a look at our volunteering leaflet here.

How Can I Become a DWC Volunteer?

If we've whetted your appetite for volunteering, get in touch with us!

To find out more about our general volunteer opportunities, contact us on 01332 341633 or email to arrange a meeting.