Welcome

to your online general volunteering orientation!

This page provides more details about volunteering with Walnut Avenue and what the onboarding process looks like.

Please read everything carefully!

Staff contact for any questions or concerns:
Marjorie Coffey (they/them) - mcoffey@wafwc.org
Email is preferred.

The Overall Onboarding Process

  1. Review the information on this page including eligibility, background checks, and volunteer program positions.

  2. Submit a response to the form for the program you’re interested in.

  3. Within 7 business days, you should receive an email with the background check form and other info about the program. Follow through on any additional steps required for your program.

  4. Once your background check clears and any additional steps are completed, you will be introduced by email to your new supervisor so that the two of you may arrange your first shift!

1. About Walnut Avenue

Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center (Walnut Avenue) first began as a YWCA in 1933. In 1994, it left the YWCA franchise and transitioned into Walnut Avenue. Our mission is to end cycles of trauma, support lifelong learning, and promote healthy relationships with oneself and others.

Our direct services involve the following departments:

  • Advocacy & Prevention (A&P):

    • Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence

    • Services for Children & Youth

    • Family Support Services (food and household goods support)

    • Housing & Employment Program

    • Space for Change - Restorative Justice Program

  • Early Education Center (EEC):

    • Infant & Toddler Program

    • Preschool and Pre-K Program

  • Resource & Development

    • Fundraising

    • Event-planning

    • Board of Directors

Eligibility for Domestic Violence Services

The only requirement for people to receive our DV services is current or recent domestic violence from an intimate partner or a family member.

For people who aren’t sure whether or not what they’re experiencing is domestic violence, they can still speak with an advocate! We provide education about healthy, unhealthy, and abusive relationships so that people can make their own conclusions about their experiences.

Some Common Misconceptions

  • Walnut Avenue is not a shelter. We provide short-term emergency accommodation for survivors of domestic violence who are fleeing unsafe situations.

  • Walnut Avenue does not provide any medical, therapeutic, or clinical services. We do provide information on how to access those services upon request.

  • Walnut Avenue does not serve only women or women with children. We also serve survivors who are cisgender men, trans, genderqueer, LGBTQ+, intersex, or any other variation on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.

Inclusiveness of Services

Walnut Avenue serves survivors and families of all genders, sexual orientations, family and relationship models (e.g. monogamous, polyamorous, queerplatonic), immigration and citizenship statuses, access to stable housing, socioeconomic status, profession (including sex work), and other marginalized identities and lived experiences.

Volunteers are expected to provide equal services to all of our program participants and to interact with all participants with the same degree of respect and dignity, regardless of personal opinion, bias, or belief.

Volunteer Expectations Regarding Marginalized Communities

People who want to volunteer with Walnut Avenue have at least one thing in common: wanting to support survivors of domestic violence and families. There are many different ideas on how to do that, many of which are just as helpful as others.

Regardless of personal opinion, religious belief, or political affiliation, we expect our volunteers to outwardly uphold the following perspectives when providing service in Walnut Avenue’s name:

  • Chronic houselessness does not reflect the value, dignity, or worth of a person;

  • Having a relationship with illegal substances does not revoke a person’s right to being treated with respect and dignity;

  • Involving law enforcement or the legal system may not always be the safest or most appropriate strategy for a survivor;

  • Sex work is real work and sex workers are deserving of the same respect, dignity, and quality of service as a survivor in any other profession.

2. Eligibility Criteria

I am aged 18 or older.

People under 18 may volunteer as a member of our Youth Advisory Council (YAC). For more information on YAC, please contact Ana Velazquez (she/they) at avelazquez@wafwc.org.

I am willing to go through a criminal background check.

Having a criminal history is not automatically a dealbreaker. More info below.

At least 3 years have passed since I last experienced domestic violence and/or received services at Walnut Avenue.

Many of our staff and volunteers are survivors themselves. We find that having some distance from personal experience leads to better outcomes for everyone.

I physically live in California for at least 6+ months of the year.

Citizenship status is not relevant to your eligibility.

Do you meet all 4 of the eligibility requirements above for volunteering?

  • If yes, proceed!

  • If not, then you are not eligible at this time to volunteer with Walnut Avenue.

3. Background Checks

  • Background checks are required for all of our volunteer programs.

  • Your background check should be done at a LiveScan office. It can be done at any LiveScan location in the state of California. [statewide map]

  • Background checks with LiveScan are usually walk-in appointments that take approximately 10 minutes to take your fingerprints, plus any additional time spent waiting in line.

  • Volunteers pay for their own background check. However, if you are experiencing financial difficulty, please reach out to the staff contact listed at the bottom of this page.

  • A background check should not impact your immigration or citizenship status, but if you have concerns about that, please consult a lawyer before initiating a background check.

To complete a background check, you will need a form provided by Walnut Avenue that authorizes Walnut Avenue to access your criminal record. This form is emailed to you after you fill out a volunteer program registration link below.

Still have questions about background checks? More information is explained here.

4. Volunteer Code of Conduct

Walnut Avenue is dedicated to making a safe and accountable place for all individuals, groups, and communities. Behaviors which are unprofessional or which constitute aggression towards marginalized identities (including but not limited to racism, antisemitism, transphobia, ableism, ageism) will be addressed as they occur and/or through communication with the relevant task supervisor or director.

Below is a list of the agreements that volunteers in all of our programs are asked to uphold. You will be asked to agree to them more formally later in the onboarding process.

  • I have read the Volunteer Handbook and I agree to uphold Walnut Avenue’s mission, values, and policies around conduct.

  • I agree to maintain professional behavior that promotes a safe and supportive work environment, including the appropriate use of language and discussion topics.

  • I agree to be punctual. I will call my supervisor and the center if I am going to be more than 10 minutes late or absent for a scheduled shift. This includes training, group, or individual meetings.

  • I agree to communicate respectfully, both verbally and in writing, with staff and volunteers; work in collaboration with staff and volunteers; and be in compliance with the guidelines of my program(s).

  • I agree not to slander or publish libel regarding Walnut Avenue.

  • I understand that donations given to Walnut Avenue are for Walnut Avenue participants and programs.

  • I understand that I am responsible for checking my email on a regular basis and that I will be held accountable to the content of those emails (e.g. changes in scheduled shifts) regardless of whether or not I chose to open the email or respond to it.

  • I understand that violations of the code of conduct may lead to termination of volunteer service.

5. Volunteer Handbook

Please make sure to review the volunteer handbook before your first volunteer shift.

6. Choosing a Volunteer Program

Before choosing a program:

  1. Do you meet the 4 basic eligibility criteria listed above?

  2. Are you willing to conduct a criminal background check?

  3. Are you able and willing to uphold the general Code of Conduct and the policies in the Volunteer Handbook?

  4. Did you review the list of our volunteer positions, which includes details about the time commitment and any training requirements for each position?

Please make sure you’ve satisfied all the steps listed above before registering your interest in a program. If you have any questions or concerns you’d like to address before registering your interest, please reach out to the staff contact.

People may volunteer in as many programs as they like, but we ask that you start with one.

  1. When you are ready, please click on the button below for the program you’d like to start with. It will take you to a form that allows you to register your interest.

  2. You should receive an email back within 7 business days from the staff contact listed above with the background check form and any other information about the specific program you’ve chosen.

Advocacy & Prevention

Children & Youth Services