Volunteer at Now Matters Now
Thank you for being part of this community!
Our support meetings are peer-led and volunteer run, together they make this space possible.
Who should volunteer?
We don’t believe that struggling — even with suicidal thoughts — makes someone fragile or incapable. Quite the opposite. Some of the most resilient, insightful people we know have been right there in that darkness. That’s why we invite members to take on real roles in our meetings. Volunteering to lead, teach, or manage isn’t just helpful for the group — it’s genuinely empowering for you. Showing up and contributing, especially on hard days, is proof of your own strength.
There’s something deeply meaningful about being trusted with responsibility when the world feels hard. We need you. You are a contributor.
Quotes from Volunteers
Volunteer Roles
Are you interested in giving back to our meetings? Getting involved is a way to feel connected and ensure that our meetings continue. We welcome you to learn more about these roles. You don’t have to do them in the order suggested below and you might be asked to do any of them. It is up to you to decide what makes sense for you.
Greeter & Chat Champion
If you want to start volunteering beyond reading during the meeting, being the Greeter & Chat Champion is a great place to start.
This role is responsible for making members feel welcome as they enter the meeting, especially new members. The Meeting Room opens 10 minutes before the meeting, which is when the Greeter’s primary role occurs. If you know you are going to be greeter at the next meeting, invite people to join 5 to 10 mins early to join you. The Meeting Manager and Meeting Leader will also be joining you early, and if they are available, will support you in their greeting (but they are also preparing materials). If they are quiet, it’s okay to let other early joiners know that they are working on preparing materials for the meeting.
Meeting Leader
The Meeting leader role can be another great starting point if you are comfortable with reading the leader script.
Our meetings cannot occur without the Meeting Leader. This job is central and we are so grateful for all who volunteer to lead. Leaders set the tone for the meeting with the warmth and depth of their engagement.
The Meeting Leader is centrally responsible for:
- Starting right on time and shepherding the time appropriately (keeping the first half of the meeting to 30 minutes)
- Keeps meeting focused while balancing making time for people
- Willingness to read the script with warmth and calm
Meeting Skill Leader
The Skill Leader, also known as the Skill Storyteller, is a potential messenger of hope and possibility through sharing a new skill, a personal skill story, and by elevating the skill stories (examples, questions, comments) of others. The Skill Leader strives to be vulnerable, foster effective storytelling through modeling, and to demonstrate acceptance of different experiences and opinions.
A short training recording is available to walk through this role and provide helpful examples.
The Skill Leader is centrally responsible for:
- Communicating the skill of the week clearly and simply using the Skill Guides and ready-to-use Skill Teaching Slides. This includes the option to tell your own story; how has this skill worked in your life?
- Giving members a chance to share their reactions, comments, and questions.
- Using the time effectively and wrapping up 3 minutes before the end of the meeting.
After Meeting Leader
If you enjoy facilitating conversations, this may be the perfect role for you.
After Meeting Leaders are responsible for staying after the meeting ends for 30 minutes to facilitate connection between members. After Meeting Leaders offer the phone list and resources lists in the chat. They give those that haven’t gotten a chance to share, or who chose not to share, another opportunity to talk.
Non‑Volunteer Roles
Meeting Manager
The most complicated and time intensive role is that of the Meeting Manager. It involves knowing all the other roles, receiving additional training, and being involved outside of the meetings.
The Meeting Manager is the technician in the background – making things work behind the scenes. They pull everything together, supporting before, during and after the meeting, as well as between meetings. Their role involves a number of technical details, as well as conveying a sense of calm and orderliness.
The Meeting Manager is centrally responsible for:
- Ensuring they have a secure connection. This can be increased by joining the meeting by phone and turning your camera off. Test ahead of time.
- Hosting the meeting in Google Meets and running the behind the scenes procedures such as polls and surveys.
- Ensuring meetings run on time and end in time for the Meeting Survey.
- Ensuring that the Meeting Volunteers (Meeting Leader, Skill Leader, After Meeting Leader, and Greeter & Chat Champion) are assigned, prepared in advance and present at the meeting.
- Sharing with vulnerability during the Stress & Success section, in order to help provide a model and safe space for other members.
- Supporting members with technical assistance and/or accessibility needs.
Participant Quality Manager
The Participant Quality Manager (PQM) is a Peer who helps ensure that everyone has the best possible experience in our meetings. They support a space that feels respectful, steady, and well-facilitated. This role is held by members who have been consistently engaged with NMN for a long time and have received additional training and shadowing. PQMs report to the NMN team and stay connected for support and coordination. They are peers, not therapists or specialized crisis managers.
PQMs show up consistently for their scheduled meetings, check-ins, and trainings, and when life gets in the way, they give as much notice as possible (and find coverage for their role). They are aware of their patterns and open about where they’re still figuring things out while being willing to hear and incorporate feedback in order to grow in their role. Above all, they work well alongside fellow staff and members alike — contributing to a welcoming, team-oriented environment where everyone feels supported.