Administrative Support Volunteer Roles in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
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This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
We’re looking to appoint new non-executive directors to our board who will help us deliver our “Fishing for Good” strategy and encourage everyone to experience fishing. Join us in our mission to fight for fish, fishing, and the environment.
We are looking for people who can help us deliver our objectives, grow and build on our successes, increase our membership and influence, widen participation, and celebrate the ever-growing diversity within our organisation and sport.
You don’t have to be an angler, but you must have a keen interest in issues affecting angling and the aquatic environment, ready to bring your knowledge and skills to your role as a director of our experienced board.
You must be prepared to give approximately 10 days per annum as a non-executive director working on behalf of the Angling Trust without remuneration, other than reasonable legitimate expenses incurred.
Becoming a director
· Drive change in one of the biggest participation sports in the country
· Ensure the health and wellbeing benefits of angling are accessible to all
· Make a positive difference to the environment
· Benefit from training and personal development
· Join a network across sports NGBs, environmental NGOs, and government departments
· Engage directly with a diverse cross section of society
· Help to lead one of the most active volunteering communities in the UK
What you bring to the role
· Impressive communication and social intelligence
· Enthusiasm for developing angling and protecting the marine and freshwater environment in line with the agreed strategy
· Collaborative approach to working as part of a team and agreeing a consensus position
· Capability to perform the duties of a director in a company limited by guarantee
· Appreciation for the importance of a positive public perception of angling to develop the sport
· Excellent independent judgement
· Willingness to join in discussion and the courage to check and challenge
What will make you stand out
There are areas of expertise we’d like to see more of in our board mix, so we’re very interested in hearing from applicants with one or more of these skillsets.
· fundraising
· policy / advocacy / marine
· digital marketing / PR / communications
· domestic competitions / elite performance / sports participation
Who we are
Fishing is one of the country’s largest participation sports and the benefits of angling have never been more widely recognised—the Angling Trust is the national governing body for the sport of angling in England as well as a leading environmental NGO, representing anglers and creating opportunities for all to experience fishing in a healthy aquatic world.
The Angling Trust has established itself as a leading voice in the protection and enhancement of the aquatic environment—we work across saltwater and freshwater environments alongside other leading partner NGOs as well as Fish Legal, our sister organisation, in advocating greater environmental protection, lobbying for positive change, and influencing political and NGO stakeholders in developing policy.
We are leading members of the End Sewage coalition and across the past 70+ years, anglers have done more to raise awareness of the mistreatment of our waterways and practically seek to improve habitats and ecosystems than almost any other stakeholder group.
In the past 12 months, we have introduced nearly 40,000 children and families to angling for the first time and engaged a further 20,000 primary school children through our innovative Reel Education programme. As an organisation, we have over 2,500 club and fishery members representing over 600,000 individuals—our army of national volunteers carry out thousands of water quality tests, thousands of community coaching sessions, thousands of voluntary enforcement hours, and we are rapidly approaching a million pieces of litter cleared from our aquatic environment.
Want to join us?
There are currently three vacancies and we would love to welcome those who can add to the mix of our board members by bringing new thinking styles, backgrounds, personalities, and perspectives to our table—and we believe we could make even better decisions if we had a more inclusive mix of people from under-represented communities on our board in order to more closely represent the wonderfully diverse world of angling today.
Email our Governance Manager, Karen Watkinson, to apply directly or arrange an informal chat about the role—and do let us know if you require any additional support to enable your application.
To apply, please submit your CV along with a covering letter to tell us a bit more about how you will add to the mix of our board and strengthen our effectiveness with your skillset, perspective, background, or thinking style.
The closing date for applications will be 31 May 2024.
Applications will be reviewed by our Nominations Committee on 11 June 2024 and any suitable candidates will be given further details of our interview process.
We take your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to administer your application for this role—we will never pass your details onto a third party. We may contact you by email or telephone about the progress of your application. This processing is conducted lawfully based on legitimate interests.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Would you like to support people who have served in the Armed Forces? You just need the ability to listen, strong IT skills and good written and spoken English. If you think this could be the role for you, we’d love to hear from you.
What is a Caseworker?
Caseworkers visit clients to work out what type of support they need. You will listen without judgement to assess and provide tailored support to help those serving, who have served and their families to navigate life in and beyond military service. Some examples of support are securing funding for special equipment for someone with a disability, adaptions to a property so an older client can remain at home or funds for a rental deposit. Caseworkers also sign-post clients onto specialist local services for advice on benefits, housing, mental health, debt, finding work etc.
Why do we need you?
We’ve been supporting the Armed Forces community since 1885. Our clients come from all backgrounds and age groups and may have served in WW2 or in a more recent conflict like the Falklands or Afghanistan. We’d love the general public to understand what we do and how they can help us.
There are SSAFA branches throughout the UK and overseas who support local volunteers to deliver services to veterans, serving personnel and their families. Some branches are divided into smaller divisions to ensure the best local service delivery. Each branch has a team of volunteer caseworkers, support volunteers, executive roles, and fundraisers.
Volunteer Caseworkers are the lifeblood of SSAFA, supporting a growing number of people in need of financial, practical, and emotional support. Clients come from all backgrounds and age groups and may have served in WW2 or in a more recent conflict like Iraq or Afghanistan.
When would you be needed and where would you be based?
The essential part of the role is visiting clients, so you will need access to a vehicle or another way to travel to meet clients at home or in a care home setting. As part of your local branch, you might have access to an office, but you can complete the administration part of the role from home as long as you have access to IT equipment and the internet.
What would you be doing?
- Contacting beneficiaries and arranging to meet them at a mutually convenient time.
- Meeting beneficiaries and completing a form to assess their circumstances, using good communication skills, empathy and understanding.
- Sign-posting clients onto local services providing specialist advice.
- Applying for funding on the behalf of the beneficiary through a specific process and system
- Arranging for the purchase of goods and services
- Keeping the beneficiary informed of their case progress.
- Liaise with the branch and regional office, regarding your availability.
- Keeping up to date with training and SSAFA news so that you are best able to support clients.
- Being a positive ambassador for SSAFA remembering that anyone you meet could be a potential client, volunteer, or fundraiser.
- Volunteering within the standards and values of SSAFA
- Adhering to SSAFAs policies and procedures at all times, including safeguarding, volunteering policy, equality, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, data protection and confidentiality.
What can you gain from this volunteering role?
- Use your skills, knowledge, and life experience to benefit others.
- Support from your local SSAFA branch and the wider SSAFA community
- Experience, training, and skills that you can highlight on your CV and in job interviews.
- Better physical and mental health – studies show that volunteers live longer and experience lower levels of stress and depression!
What training and support would you receive?
- Role specific training to prepare you for your voluntary role – confidentiality and boundaries, personal safety, caseworker training, and caseworker IT system training. The caseworker training takes 3 days and a further half a day for the other training.
- Mandatory on-line training modules to complete at home, so you are up to date on how to keep clients, their families safe and personal information safe.
- Access to a range additional e-learning courses as well as local opportunities for your personal and professional development.
- Local induction including assigning a person from the team who will be your main point of contact.
- Regular opportunities to meet and share best practice with other caseworkers.
- Range of support from central and regional volunteer operations team.
- Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses
- Volunteers will be covered by SSAFAs Public Liability Insurance whilst carrying out the role.
What are we looking for?
- Friendly and approachable with good listening skills, patience, and a positive attitude.
- Good communication skills both written and verbally.
- Respectful and non-judgemental approach with beneficiaries, their family, other agencies and SSAFA colleagues
- Willingness and ability to use IT systems for initial and on-going training and to enter cases on the Casework Management System. Willingness and ability to send and receive emails – you will receive your own SSAFA email address which you will be required to use when exercising your role.
- Ability to make enquires on behalf of beneficiaries by phone, email, letter or by filling in forms.
- Ability to keep within boundaries of the role with regards to friendship or giving advice
- Reliable, prompt and trustworthy.
- Access to public transport or a car to travel to appointments with clients.
We welcome volunteers of all backgrounds, abilities, races, sexual orientations, socio-economic backgrounds, and of all faiths and none. SSAFA are committed to making reasonable adjustments to support volunteers with disabilities, so they have access to the same opportunities and experiences as volunteers who do not.
Minimum Age: 18
Safer Recruitment: SSAFA undertakes a systematic approach and utmost care at every step of the process of volunteer recruitment, selection, and retention to ensure that those recruited are suitable and appropriate. Measures taken at points along this journey work together to make volunteering at SSAFA a positive and safe experience.
References Required: Yes. We will ask for two character references, this can be a former employer or someone that know you well (other than a relative)
Is a criminal record check required? Yes, this is provided by SSAFA at no cost to the potential volunteer. This role requires an enhanced check (including checks against the children and adults barred list)
*A disclosure certificate that contains convictions, cautions, warnings, reprimands, or other information may not automatically mean that you are not able to volunteer. All certificates will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and, where possible, a modified or alternative role will be offered.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Could you lead the SSAFA presence at your local military base? Ideally you will already have links to the base; you’ll have some experience of managing people and basic I.T skills. If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you!
What is a Service Committee Chair?
There are SSAFA committees on many military bases in the UK and overseas. Each one has a Chairperson to oversee all aspects of the committee. Reporting to the Regional Chair, you will ensure that the committee is running in line with SSAFA’s policies to keep clients and volunteers safe; that all services provided are appropriate and effective and that the committee is financially sound. You will be the public face of SSAFA on site.
Why do we need you?
We’ve been supporting the Armed Forces community for more than 130 years. In recognition of their service to the Nation we aim to provide financial, practical and emotional support when it’s needed most. To do this we need volunteers who can represent SSAFA on the base and beyond, ensure that everyone knows about SSAFA services and keep things running smoothly behind the scenes.
When would you be needed and where would you be based?
This role is about leadership, networking, coordination, and administration. Many volunteers can carry out this role from home and from their place of work.
The role would suit someone looking to offer a regular time commitment. You would need to organise and attend a minimum of four meetings each year. The Chair is an Office Bearer and in addition to voting rights, holds the casting vote.
What would you be doing?
• Providing support to all SSAFA Service Committee volunteers
• Holding regular committee meetings, at least four per year
• Ensuring that all requests for grants are reviewed by the committee in line with the committee’s Terms of Reference
• Working with the Community Volunteer Coordinator to oversee all SSAFA community volunteering, ensuring beneficiaries get support that is effective and timely
• Monitoring volunteer numbers against the demand for support and recruiting new volunteers as needed
• Building positive relationships with the senior management team on the base and the local SSAFA branch working in the wider community
• Providing reports and information to the local SSAFA branch and to SSAFA’s Central Office
• Overseeing an annual plan and fundraising programme to meet the locally identified needs
• Being a positive ambassador for SSAFA remembering that anyone you meet could be a potential client, volunteer, or fundraiser
• Working with Central Office staff to ensure all volunteers complete all mandatory tasks in line with the training and vetting requirements of their role.
• Volunteering within the standards and values of SSAFA including adhering to our policies such as the volunteering policy and data protection policy
What can you gain from this volunteering role?
• Give back to your local military community
• Gain experience of holding a key local role with oversight of all SSAFA activity on site
• Use your skills, knowledge, and life experience to benefit others
• Support and friendship from your local SSAFA committee and the wider SSAFA community
• Experience, training, and skills that you can highlight on your CV and in job interviews
• Better physical and mental health – studies show that volunteers live longer and experience lower levels of stress and depression!
What about training and support?
• An induction to SSAFA specifically designed for Chairs and Chairmen within SSAFA’s Volunteer Network
• Online training modules on safeguarding and GDPR, so you are up to date on how to keep beneficiaries, their families and information safe
• Access to a range of e-learning courses as well as local opportunities to keep your training up to date.
• Support from a Regional Operations Support Manager (per region)
• Support from SSAFA’s Welfare team, Volunteer Development team and Volunteer Experience team
• Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses
What are we looking for?
• Friendly and approachable people of any age (18+) with some experience of coordinating people
• Good written and spoken English
• Ability to engage the senior managers on site representing SSAFA and the needs of clients
• Respectful and non-judgemental approach with beneficiaries, their family, other agencies represented on base and SSAFA colleagues
• Ability to send and receive emails – you will receive your own SSAFA email address which you will be required to use when exercising your role
• Volunteer management skills
• Ability to keep within the boundaries of the role e.g. prompt reporting of safeguarding concerns in line with SSAFA policies
• Reliability
• Practice confidentiality and data protection in line with SSAFA policies
• Willingness and means to travel to meetings or events as required
• Ability to provide two referees: former employers or other people that know you well (other than relatives)
Minimum Age: 18
Safer Recruitment: SSAFA undertakes a systematic approach and utmost care at every step of the process of volunteer recruitment, selection, and retention to ensure that those recruited are suitable and appropriate. Measures taken at points along this journey work together to make volunteering at SSAFA a positive and safe experience.
References Required: Yes. We will ask for two references, this can be former employers or people that know you well (other than relatives)
Is a criminal record check required? No
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Our system keeps your personal information hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
We’re looking to appoint new members to the Fish Legal Committee who will lead our organisation and help us build on our successes as well as increase our membership and influence. Join us in our mission to fight for fish, fishing, and the environment.
The broad policy, managerial, and financial concerns of Fish Legal are managed by the committee—you don’t have to be a solicitor, but you must have a keen interest in issues affecting the water environment, ready to bring your knowledge and skills to your role as a committee member.
You must be prepared to give approximately 10 days per annum as a committee member working on behalf of Fish Legal without remuneration, other than reasonable legitimate expenses incurred—and all members of the Fish Legal Committee must also be willing and eligible to act as a non-executive director of the A.C.A Trustee Company Limited (meetings of the A.C.A Trustee Company Limited are held on the same day as Fish Legal committee meetings).
Becoming a committee member
· Build on our legacy of protecting the water environment and members’ interests
· Make a positive difference to the environment
· Help us make polluters pay
What you bring to the role
· Impressive communication and social intelligence
· Enthusiasm for protecting the marine and freshwater environment in line with our strategy
· Capability to perform the duties of a director in a private limited company
· Excellent independent judgement
· Willingness to join in discussion and the courage to check and challenge
What will make you stand out
There are areas of expertise we’d like to see more of in our committee mix, so we’re very interested in hearing from applicants with one or more of these skillsets.
· digital marketing
· environmental science
· fundraising
· charity and restructuring
Who we are
Rivers, lakes, and coastal waters across the UK are among the richest and most cherished habitats supporting diverse species of fish, mammals, insects, and plants—they are also some of the most vulnerable. Our rivers and other water bodies have historically suffered from pollution, over-abstraction, and host of other impacts which can prove devastating to fragile water ecosystems.
Fish Legal fights to protect all inland and coastal waters in the UK from pollution and other damage. We use the full range of the law—common, statutory, public, and criminal—and we have a long track record of winning cases and securing compensation to enable our members to restore their waters.
Our solicitors (both English and Scots-qualified) represent Fish Legal’s member clubs, fisheries, and riparian owners in seeking compensation from offenders who cause pollution or other damage to rivers and still waters—the compensation we win goes back to those members to carry out habitat work or re-stock the waters.
We obtain injunctions to prevent activities which threaten to damage the aquatic environment and, if broken, offenders can find themselves in contempt of court and can even be jailed.
Funds raised by Fish Legal as well as funds donated by individuals, angling clubs, and federations are effectively pooled so that no one person must foot the costs of bringing defendants to court.
Our sister organisation, the Angling Trust, is the national governing body for the sport of angling in England as well as a leading voice in the protection and enhancement of the aquatic environment—working alongside partner NGOs to advocate greater environmental protection, lobby for positive change, and influence policy development.
Want to join us?
There are currently up to three vacancies and we would love to welcome those who can add to the mix of our committee members by bringing new thinking styles, backgrounds, personalities, and perspectives to our table—and we believe we could make even better decisions if we had a more inclusive mix of people from under-represented communities on our board in order to more closely represent our wonderfully diverse members today.
Email our Governance Manager, Karen Watkinson, to apply directly or arrange an informal chat about the role—and do let us know if you require any additional support to enable your application.
To apply, please submit your CV along with a covering letter to tell us a bit more about how you will add to the mix of our committee and strengthen our effectiveness with your skillset, perspective, background, or thinking style.
The closing date for applications will be 31 May 2024.
Applications will be reviewed by our Nominations Committee on 11 June 2024 and any suitable candidates will be given further details of our interview process.
We take your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to administer your application for this role—we will never pass your details onto a third party. We may contact you by email or telephone about the progress of your application. This processing is conducted lawfully based on legitimate interests.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Vision Action is a unique organisation, that works in low- and middle-income countries, supporting national governments to deliver and strengthen their eye health strategies. We work in partnership with local governments, civil society organisations, international and national NGOs, and the private sector. Our ambition is to increase equitable access to eye care services and glasses, and accelerate achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal.
The role of the Board is to oversee the overall direction and activities of the charity, including its policies and procedures, to ensure that they are consistently in accordance with the charitable purposes defined in the objects clause in its Constitution. The Board sets and monitors the strategic direction of the charity, although the implementation of strategy is achieved through the executive team. The Board must always act in the best interests of Vision Action, taking decisions as a group and not as individuals.
1. Terms of service
For Vision Action the Trustees are Members who have been elected to serve on the Board. Vision Action’s constitution allows for up to 12 Trustees, who can serve a maximum of three consecutive terms of three years. Vision Action is a company limited by guarantee and the Trustees are its legal directors. The Trustee role is voluntary but out of pocket expenses are paid.
Trustees are appointed by the Vision Action Board of Trustees annually at the Board meeting following the Annual General Meeting. The time commitment in being a trustee involves attendance at four Board meetings per year, one of which will be an all-day strategy session. Otherwise, Board meetings are usually half a day in the afternoon of a weekday with at least half the meetings online. Papers are circulated for reading in advance.
In addition to this, it is expected that trustees attend the AGM held on a weekend and occasional Members’ Forums or other Vision Action events, which are usually arranged on the same day as a Board meeting in the evening. There may be other ad hoc meetings or online events to discuss specific topics. Trustees will be expected to commit time to receive a proper induction.
2. Main tasks
Charity Trustees have and must accept ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of the charity and ensuring it is solvent, well-run and delivering the charitable outcomes for the benefit of the public for which it has been set up. Each Trustee will be expected to join one of the three sub-committees (Fundraising and Investment; Programmes; Finance, Administration and Remuneration). The Committees meet (in person or remotely) at least four times per year, usually timed with or in advance of the board meetings.
3. General Responsibilities
- Ensure that Vision Action complies with its governing document (i.e. its Constitution and Byelaws), charity law, and any other relevant legislation or regulations.
- Ensure that Vision Action pursues its objects as defined in its governing document.
- Ensure Vision Action applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objects, i.e. it must not spend money on activities which are not included in the objects, however worthwhile they may be.
- Contribute actively to the Board’s role in the formulation and review of strategy, setting overall policy, defining goals, setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets.
- Safeguard the good name and values of Vision Action and maintain good relations with its members.
- Ensure that all policies are implemented, monitored and reports are acted upon, (including the policies on Harassment and Misconduct, Safeguarding, Recruitment of ex-offenders, Child Protection and Anti- Bribery).
- Strive for Vision Action to reflect the full diversity of society in all its activities.
- Ensure the financial stability of Vision Action.
- Protect and manage the property of Vision Action and ensure the proper investment of its funds.
- Appoint and support the Chief Executive Officer and monitor his/her performance.
In addition to the above statutory responsibilities, each Trustee should attend Board meetings and use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the Board reach sound decisions. This may involve leading discussions, focusing on key issues, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, evaluation or other issues in which the Trustee has special expertise; and then always upholding the decisions taken by Board. Trustees are also expected to support Vision Action’s fundraising initiatives.
4. Additional Specific Responsibilities
In addition to the above, we are looking for a Trustee who can be the Chair designate and assume the role of Chair in November 2024.
Vision Action is looking for a Trustee who will be able to support us in 3 key areas:
1) Provide advice and experience at the level of Chair so that they can provide leadership to the Board of Trustees as well as the CEO
2) Act as the Chair designate until they assume the role of Chair of the Board of Trustees in November 2024.
3) Provide insight, knowledge and connections to help us build our reputation and position as a worthy international charity in the eye health sector in the UK and Internationally so that Vision Action can grow its relationship with individuals, bodies and corporates in the sector.
Person Specification
Each Trustee must have:
- A commitment to the mission and value base of Vision Action.
- A commitment to the key policies of Vision Action – on Harassment and Misconduct, Safeguarding, Whistle-blowing, Recruitment of ex-offenders, Child Protection and Anti-Bribery.
- A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort.
- Integrity.
- Strategic vision.
- Good, independent judgement.
- An ability to think creatively.
- A willingness to speak his/her mind.
- An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of trusteeship (training/information will be offered in this area).
- An ability to contribute effectively to the workings of the Vision Action Board and any sub-committees or working groups.
In addition to the above, this specific appointment is looking ideally for Trustees who have:
- Previous experience of leading and Chairing at the senior level in an organisation;
- Previous experience of governing and managing at the Board level;
- Previous Board level experience in the charity sector;
- Willingness to undertake obligatory tasks with the Charity Commission on behalf of the organisation;
- Willingness to stay updated on changes to governance issues and policies that might impact Vision Action;
- A willingness to engage in activities in the vision sector as it relates to the work of Vision Action, including fundraising.
We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds as well as those who may have a connection to the vision sector either through personal or professional experience and those who might come from one of the countries that Vision Action is currently active in – Zambia, Ghana, Sierre Leone, and Ethiopia.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.