Charity Fundraising Assistant Volunteer Roles in Edinburgh

Volunteer Researcher/Resource Investigator

About Belmont Abbey

Belmont Abbey General Trust CIO (Charity 1190035) supports a community of Benedictine monks in their work and life under the Rule of St Benedict.

Belmont Abbey in Herefordshire designed by Edwin Pugin (1834-1875) son of Augustus Pugin and featuring fine stained glass from the studios of John Hardman, belongs to the congregation of English Benedictine monks who are custodians of this beautiful Abbey.

The Abbey is now home to fifteen monks and supports the livelihood of another 8 living elsewhere. Most monks living at Belmont are ordained as priests and are involved in pastoral work at the Abbey and in eight other parishes in England and Wales. Together they are responsible for around 8,000 parishioners and their families.

Belmont also supports a monastery it started in Peru in the 1980’s which is now home to ten monks.

Belmont provides modern office accommodation to the NHS and is also home to 19 formerly homeless local people, housed in what was the Abbey guesthouse. This initiative began at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, a response to the urgent need to provide a place of safety for those who were most at risk.

The Abbey is a friendly place reaching out to those in need and offering tranquillity, reflection and companionship.

Role summary

As a home-based volunteer researcher/resource investigator you will be a key member of the Belmont Abbey Development and Community Outreach Project Team. You will support the Project Development Director and other colleagues by researching:

• Grant and other fundraising opportunities
• Evidence of need (using government data, academic articles, and reports, third sector feedback and analysis and news media coverage etc)
• Communication channels (including innovative back channels and networks)
• Services and resources that will benefit clients, members of the local community and our charitable delivery partners

This role could be for you if you

• Have high personal standards and a commitment to producing quality work
• Are a highly motivated self-starter who can efficiently research, record and report information accurately and clearly
• Want to use and further develop research, influencing and fundraising skills
• Understand the importance of sustainability (financial and environmental)
• Are willing to support people in need of all faiths and none
• Want to join an enthusiastic team working on a high profile and unusual development and community outreach project
• Are considering a career in research, marketing, PR, event, and project management and or business development
• Recognise the importance of confidentiality and can uphold this in practice.

Benefits of this role include

• You will have several opportunities to change lives and make good things happen quickly
• Gaining new skills and/or enhancing your CV
• Joining a friendly, high performing team
• Making new friends
• Feeling valued and regularly receiving praise for your contribution to our important work
• Boosting your confidence and self-esteem by supporting others
• A flexible homeworking role with a minimum requirement of 4 hours per week at a time convenient to you

Location

Home-based.

Application

Please submit a CV and a letter of introduction

Volunteer Office Assistant

Role Description and Person Specification

About Pain Concern:

Pain Concern is a charity providing information and support to people with pain and those who care for them, whether family, friends or healthcare professionals. Visit our website to find out more about what we do, including our Airing Pain radio programme, Pain Matters magazine, information helpline and online community.

All pain is unpleasant, but for the one in five people in the UK living with long-term pain it is a part of everyday life. It diminishes quality of life more than any other condition, leading often to loss of work, depression and disability. Anyone at any age can develop persistent pain and you will very probably know somebody affected. Although there is usually no cure, people who receive the appropriate treatment, information and support can manage their condition effectively with life-changing results.

Role purpose:

Prepare information leaflets and magazines orders for dispatch using courier services, Please note, this role involves light physical work including lifting and stretching. Training will be given.

What you would be doing:

· Preparation and packing of orders

· Dispatching information leaflets and magazines to individuals and organisations

· Dispatching boxes of information leaflets to clinics and exhibitions

· Dispatching fundraising letters

· Dealing with email correspondence

· Answering and recording client enquiries

· Recording stock in and out

· Maintain accurate stock data base(s)

· Follow health and safety policies and procedures and be proactive in supporting a positive health and safety culture.

· Liaise with appropriate members of staff

Is this role right for me:

We are looking for an individual who possesses some or all of the below experiences, skills and qualities. 

· Attention to detail

· Organised

· A working understanding of IT

· A flexible team player 

· Able to occasionally lift and handle boxes up to 20Kg (Desirable)

· Able to routinely lift and handle boxes up to 5Kg (Essential)

· Knowledge of / interest in pain and long-term conditions

Availability and location:

· Volunteer 2-4 hours per week from our office at 62-66 Newcraighall Road, Edinburgh

EH15 3HS

Benefits to you:

· Experience volunteering as part of a friendly team

· Meet new people

· Build on your employability skills

· A dedicated volunteer line manager looking after you 

· A job reference

· Reasonable travel and expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with our Volunteer Policy

· Satisfaction of giving a valuable service to the community.

· On site car parking

How do I apply:

Download and complete an application form our website.

NEW VOLUNTEER TEAM NEEDED! A DYNAMIC AND DEVELOPING MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY URGENTLY SEEKING VOLUNTEERS. HELP FORGE THE BEST MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELLING SERVICE

Evolve Counselling is … changing. Over the next year we have an ambitious programme to meet a large and growing demand for professionally-delivered talking therapies. We have plenty of volunteering opportunities for you. Bring your skills and experience to help us, and in return be part of an empowering community - where you can thrive in a rewarding project. Build your CV! Try something new! Put your spare time to use! Revive your career skills! Do life-enriching work helping others! All roles are flexible hours, working remotely with full IT support.

Exciting and absorbing NEW volunteer job roles

Admin Assistant . Secretarial tasks supporting the Trustee Board: Scheduling meetings, preparing agendas and board papers, taking minutes, keeping records, monitoring compliance  with legal and contractual rules, etc. Admin support for CEO: Arrange external meetings, attend planning sessions and produce notes and minutes, schedule key business events, and keep diaries up to date. General office administration: Keeping records, directing calls and messages, maintaining files and building the business ‘memory’. We are looking for a highly efficient organiser, someone used to routine and fine detail, with good IT skills.

Finance Controller or Finance Assistant. Finance tasks supporting our growing charity, working with our external Book Keeper, outsourced payroll service, and the Board Treasurer. Tasks include producing monthly reports and stats for the Board, for funders and fundraising bids. Monthly financial reporting including monitoring of income and expenditure, variance analysis and cashflow forecasting, monthly management accounts, and annual financial statements - charity income and expenditure, balance sheet, P&L. Supporting annual budget setting, and assisting when data is required for grant submissions. You will ideally be, or have been, a chartered, AAT, or qualified-by-experience accountant, have Third Sector knowledge, and have an interest and passion  for charitable enterprises.

Communications and Media Coordinator or Assistant. We are looking for help to communicate much much better with counselling clients, funders, our own “Counselling Community” of therapists, and the wider voluntary sector across our large area. You’ll be writing news stories, success ‘profiles’, publicising regular and special events, and driving social media and the web  - building the brand for Evolve. This job will be great  for a pro-active social media “story teller”, looking to build their own profile by ‘owning’ this new area of Evolve’s work. You’ll need to be creative, organised, and literate, with a very self-motivated  approach. A background in PR, marketing, social media or news will be great for this role.
 

Marketing and Fundraising Specialist or Assistant. Help us to grow our client numbers, improve the service, generate a development fund for new innovations, and get our name in front of sponsors, donors, and other charity project funders. In this demanding but hugely rewarding new role you will be in at the beginning - creating campaigns, researching and writing bids, and working with our communications and media volunteer to build and promote compelling fundable projects.

About Evolve Counselling. Evolve Counselling is a long-established charitable social enterprise, providing low cost, affordable or funded mental health counselling to adults in Cambridgeshire and surrounding counties. Our counselling community is made up of 50 – 60 qualified self-employed practitioners, working part-time. We deliver talking therapies to adults – online and in person. Our service delivers around 500 counselling sessions per month to a broad range of individuals, many of whom would not otherwise be able to access counselling support. Evolve also provides supervision, reflective practice, critical incident support and mental health awareness and related training to organisations and businesses large and small.

Bath Welcomes Refugees (BWR) is seeking a Volunteer Communications Lead to become part of our Management Committee.  The holder of the role will develop and also implement a communications strategy, coordinating our communications with members and supporters, our donors (current and potential), wider stakeholders and the general public. 

Who we are

BWR harnesses the goodwill of the community in welcoming and supporting refugees and asylum seekers to thrive in their new community.  BWR is a small inclusive charity. Volunteer-led and non-partisan, we help refugee families out of desperate circumstances and into a promising future. Our volunteers assist with English-language teaching, DIY, fundraising, gardening, employability needs and more. We also have the hands-on support of befrienders, assistants at social events and helpers at our weekly crèche and at social events.

Expectations for this volunteer role

• Development of a communications strategy and its implementation in line with our wider policies

• Coordinating appropriate responses to any media enquiries, including monitoring and managing our media@  email address

• Engaging proactively with relevant media to help publicise our activities, needs and events by:

  • Writing occasional press releases

  • Creating content and posting on our social media channels

  • Updating our website periodically 

• Coordinating the production of a regular membership newsletter.

• Monitoring and moderating content on our social media channels, taking steps to ensure it’s in line with our values and ethos 

• Assisting in the development of written copy and visuals so that they support our aims, and are in line with our values and responsibilities 

• Supporting our fundraising team by assisting it to develop and implement effective communication plans 

• Monitoring national and international media for relevant issues that BWR should be aware of and may wish to take action to support

• Attending monthly meetings of the Management Committee and contributing to the overall management of the charity

Your skills and experience

Ideally you will have a background in communications in a commercial, public sector or charity setting or you may have a background as a journalist.

Excellent written communication skills are needed and previous hands-on experience of managing social media feeds would be preferable.   Skills in the development of visuals for use both online and in hard copy would also be welcomed. 

As a regionally based charity, local media contacts would also be very valuable to us.

You will need to undertake a DBS check.

Time commitment

The time may vary from week to week but we would expect that most weeks it  would be around 7 hours spread across the week to make sure we are monitoring media enquiries and updating social feeds in a timely way. 

As a member of the management committee you would also be expected to attend committee meetings (one evening per month) and attend occasional meetings with the Trustees (also held in the evening or on a Saturday).

We would provide back-up support for times when you are not available to volunteer, for instance due to holidays.

We are excited to share this great opportunity to join our Board of Directors.It is a very important time for Cornerstone, as we  set a course for the future, with our  strategy ‘Future proofing Cornerstone’. 

As a member of our Board, you will be instrumental in guiding the strategic future of the charity and ensuring exemplary governance and fiscal control. The main Board meets four times a year and board  members will be expected to be a member of one of the sub committees. You will also act as a local ambassador for Cornerstone. 

We are particularly keen to hear from those with skills, knowledge and experience in one or more of the following areas who feel they can make a positive contribution to our charitable activities: - 

• Management experience in social care quality standards, compliance, commissioning and / or procurement 
• Senior management experience in the social work / social care sector preferably with strategic planning skills 
• Accountancy/financial experience preferably at management level 
• Personal experience of providing care and support of a relative or carer of a person who has experience of care 

 
About Us 
 
Cornerstone is one of Scotland’s largest charities and is a leading provider of social care services to more than 1,200 adults, children and young people with disabilities and other support needs.  We employ over 1,900 people across Scotland and are fully committed to delivering high quality care and support. 

In addition, we also operate our Cornerstone Self-Directed Support service.  Across this service, we have over 200 Personal Assistants on our books and approximately 1000 active clients. 

We’re committed to building a workforce that represents the true diversity of Scotland, where every single one of our colleagues feel enabled to deliver their best.  We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer who selects the best person for the job.  We value the diversity of our workforce and work hard to create an inclusive environment where each individual can bring their unique skills, experiences and ideas to the table to help us grow, bring create innovative solutions and develop of our people.  We are keen to receive applications for board position that reflect the diversity of the organisation. 

Click on our advert attachment to view for our Cornerstone Trustee Board information pack.

We welcome applications from anywhere in Scotland. 

There is no re-numeration attached to the role but expenses will be reimbursed. 

If you’re up for the challenge and think you have what it takes, apply today with your CV and cover letter.We're waiting to hear from you.Your cover letter should be uploaded to the 'Supporting Documents' section within our online application.

Cats Protection is the UK’s leading feline welfare charity, and our vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs.

Cats are at the centre of everything we do, and our objectives are homing, neutering, and educating people about cats and their care.

We help thousands of cats across the UK each year thanks to our network of dedicated volunteers, employees and supporters.

A bit about this role

Our social media volunteers use their passion and knowledge of social media to promote the activities of local volunteer groups and teams though various channels. They directly help cats by raising awareness of Cats Protection. A higher profile can help us raise the funds we need for our work, ensure people know they can adopt a cat from us, help promote neutering and help as many people as possible learn more about feline welfare.

What can you expect to be doing?

• Promoting the work of Cats Protection through various social media channels, for example, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
• Gathering information from across the organisation and locally within your team or volunteer group
• Writing and creating social media content, ensuring it complies with policies and guidelines
• Scheduling and posting social media content
• Monitoring activity and responding to comments on social media channels
• Promoting and sharing fundraising activities 

What are the benefits to you and the cats?

You will develop new skills, expand your knowledge, and make a significant contribution to improving the lives of cats and kittens by raising the profile of Cats Protection through social media. You will also meet new people, make new friends and be part of a dedicated team of volunteers.

We’re looking for someone with

• A passion for social media and experience of using social media channels regularly
• Knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of using social media
• Good IT skills
• Excellent writing skills, including good grammar and spelling
• Good communication skills
• Willingness to be part of a team
• Willingness to learn a new skill

Time expectation

Our social media volunteers can expect to spend between one to three hours per week in this role. This role is flexible and can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed.

Support, guidance and keeping you safe

At Cats Protection we believe our volunteers should be happy and confident in their roles. We provide support and guidance from our National Cat Centre and through our regional and local volunteer groups and teams. We offer engaging online and face-to-face training, expenses and have policies and processes to help volunteers get the most out of their time with us.

The wellbeing of our people is important and at Cats Protection we are committed to safeguarding children, adults at risk and all those that we come into contact with as part of our activities.

Are you committed to childhood flourishing with an interest in creating stragegies for this to happen?

Godly Play offers spiritually sensitive approaches to learning and living together in a fragile world. We take childhood spirituality seriously, providing training to transform thinking and practice for the whole of life.

A Christian movement, Godly Play seeks to make space for questions about the meaning and purpose of life, through play, wondering, story, exploration and community.

Our small board of trustees supports a group of fifteen part-time trainers offering courses to people working with children in churches of many traditions, in schools and in community settings. 

We would like to diversify our board's ethnicity, age and gender. It would be great to have someone with grant-seeking experience and/or communications know how, but we would love to talk to anyone who is interested.

Would you like to join us? Our website offers lots more information.