Communications assistant volunteer roles in rochester, medway

Main purpose of job: To host our Parent/Carer online community support group as part of Mast Cell Actions community support services.

Key tasks include:

· Host support sessions with professionalism and enthusiasm.

· Moderate Q&A sessions, and facilitate audience interaction to keep participants engaged.

· Manage technical aspects of virtual events, to ensure smooth execution.

· Take the register and send post event emails using our bespoke event platform

· Raise safeguarding concerns using internal processes and procedures. Training will be provided

· Maintain confidentiality and follow charity policies and procedures

· Undertake relevant training

Key Objectives Include:

· The main purpose of this role is to facilitate and host our Parent/Carer Support Sessions alongside another volunteer

· Host support sessions in a manner that captivates and engages the audience, keeping them interested and actively participating throughout the event.

· Reassure and validate participants' experiences whilst encouraging story-sharing.

· Manage the technical aspects of virtual events proficiently.

· Represent Mast Cell Action professionally at all times, demonstrating strong communication skills, reliability, and adaptability in a virtual environment.

Experience/skills required:

· Proven experience as a virtual event host, moderator, or similar role is desirable but not essential as we can train you.

· Must have personal experience of being a parent or carer for a child with MCAS or suspected MCAS

About YAUK

We are a not-for-profit organisation passionate about improving the lives of young people across the UK and believe that every young person should have the opportunity to succeed regardless of their background or circumstances.

Our work involves using up-and-coming research and advocacy to address issues affecting young people, such as climate change, unemployment and skills training, and inclusion and diversity. We are firmly committed to improving young people's lives and believe that our unique and successful approach to achieving our vision will change lives for the better.

Please note that this is a VOLUNTEER role.

Responsibilities may include

• To complete research tasks in line with timelines and agreed deadlines

• To help plan, write, edit and proofread reports, literature reviews and related writings

• To work alongside others in managing a workload, and actively communication 

• To analyse and interpret research data (mainly qualitative, secondary data analysis)

• To support and be accountable to the senior researcher 

• To assist in the design and planning of projects and research work

• To follow ethical guidelines

Requirements: 

• To have knowledge on children’s human rights in the UK and other related areas

• To have experience as a Research Assistant or Researcher or equivalent role in related areas

• Experience in qualitative research methods and secondary data analysis, quantitative experience a plus

• To be able to work well as part of a team and independently

​Benefits

• This is a UK based 100% fully remote and flexible role

• Supportive Team and Management to enhance your skills and build on your experience.

• Your work will help transform and empower many young people’s lives, rights and interests and assist in promoting equality for all young people.

Why volunteer with us?

We are a supportive and friendly organisation that takes pride in developing and nurturing our staff and providing them with excellent opportunities to thrive and further encourage their career growth and future aspirations. 

We offer a fully remote working environment and a flexible and adaptable working schedule. This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing organisation, enhance your skills, and gain valuable experience to help you begin your career in Research as we endeavour to grow our organisation and continue to make positive changes to the lives of young people. If this sounds like you and you are interested in applying for this position, please submit your CV.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Location: Remote (with occasional in-person meetings, if possible)
Time Commitment: Flexible hours + weekly team meeting (Tuesdays at 7:30 PM)

Are you an organised, proactive individual passionate about supporting meaningful community work? We're looking for a Volunteer Project Manager to lead our Jumping Beans Team—a child-focused initiative supporting local families through engaging programmes and activities.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead and manage the Jumping Beans Team to deliver projects on time and effectively

• Coordinate and chair weekly Tuesday evening team meetings

• Track team tasks, monitor project progress, and ensure timelines are met

• Regularly report progress to the leadership team

• Collaborate across departments to align goals and resources

• Occasionally attend in-person meetings (if possible)

Qualifications & Experience:

• Previous project management or team leadership experience (paid or voluntary)

• Strong organisational and time-management skills

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

• Creative thinking and problem-solving abilities

• Experience working with or supporting children or families is a plus

Benefits & Impact:

• Play a key role in bringing joy and support to children and families in need

• Gain valuable experience in project leadership and charity operations

• Flexible, remote-friendly volunteering

• Work with a passionate, supportive team and make meaningful contributions

• Build connections with other professionals and community leaders

• Personal and professional development opportunities through mentoring and teamwork

Shout is the UK’s only free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. When people text 'Shout' to 85258, they are connected to a Shout Volunteer for a text conversation. Our volunteers provide a safe space for people to share what's causing them distress, while showing warmth and compassion.

Tasks and Responsibilities

If your application is successful, you’ll be enrolled in a training group. New groups start every two weeks.

Shout Volunteers receive 25 hours of free training in communication, listening, managing and assessing risk, and problem solving. The training is self-paced and done online. You’ll learn how to bring people in distress to a place of calm and practice skills that will be useful to you throughout life.

As we are investing in you throughout your time with us, our hope is that you will complete the training in a timely manner and look at this as a longer term commitment. The experience you gain over time is valuable and our goal is to have volunteers commit to 200 hours on the platform, which can take up to two years to complete, as we ask you to take one 2-4 hour shift per week. 

Our Volunteer Training Support team is here to support you, answer any questions and provide feedback during training and throughout your time with Shout. You’ll be joining an incredibly supportive volunteer community and have access to the resources you need to do your role.

As a volunteer, you’ll be supporting people in distress, so it’s important we see the skills required to do that while you are in training. While most trainees complete the training and go on to volunteer, not everyone will pass the training. If this happens, there are other ways you can still support us.

Selection Criteria

A Shout Volunteer is kind and compassionate, a good listener, and has the ability to remain calm when supporting people in crisis. You will also:

• Understand the difference between being friendly and being a friend

• Be aware of your own mental health and wellbeing

• Be open-minded

• Be supportive

• Be reliable

• Be discreet and able to respect confidentiality at all times

• Be accepting and non-judgemental

• Be passionate about contributing some of your time to a cause such as Shout

• Adopt a growth mindset, and be willing to accept feedback

Requirements

• You must live in the United Kingdom or New Zealand while volunteering. 
• You must be over 18 years of age.
• You will need a reliable internet connection and a private place to take your shift.
• All of your volunteering must be done using a laptop or desktop computer and Google Chrome.

It’s worth spending time thinking about the nature of the role, and whether it’s right for you. We support all texters, regardless of race, religion, sexual identity or issue. You will need to be comfortable addressing topics frequently discussed with texters (suicide, self-harm, depression, etc.) without compromising your own mental health. 

Before you apply, please consider whether either of the following applies to you:

• Have you recently experienced grief, loss or change issue/s? For example; someone close to you has been ill or has died, you’ve lost your job, your relationship has ended.

• Is your current mental health and wellbeing in a place such that the stress and pressure of listening to the challenges of others would bring additional burden to you personally?

Benefits to Volunteers

The role is rewarding and can save lives. Shout Volunteers tell us they gain a sense of pride, satisfaction and purpose from taking conversations. They also tell us that their own wellbeing increases, they learn valuable skills and gain experience they can use at work and in their personal lives.

Volunteering can also be a great addition to your CV. You do not need to have any past experience in mental health to be a Shout Volunteer - we’ll provide you with all the training and support you need to do the role.

Application Process

You will need to create your account and fill in the application using a laptop or desktop computer and in a Google Chrome browser. This is a standard requirement for all of our systems at Shout, from the application through to the platform.

You should leave up to an hour to complete the form. As Shout is a text based service and we do not conduct in person interviews for our volunteer candidates what you write in your application and the strength of your references are how we get to know you. 

We appreciate when candidates take the time to write thoughtful, considered answers. We recommend you review your application with an eye toward things like spelling, grammar and punctuation. While some of our texters will occasionally reach out using more informal text speak, our volunteers respond in full sentences and double check their messages for accuracy before hitting send. 

Your application will be reviewed once we have received responses from both of your references. We ask for a personal reference and a professional reference. The personal reference can be a friend or colleague but the other must be someone who knows you professionally or has supervised you in some way. 

This could be a manager or supervisor from where you work or a teacher or educator from where you study. We recommend you choose references who are able to speak to your ability to fulfil the selection criteria outlined above.

We do not accept references from family members. This includes your partner or their relatives, your children, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents or godparents. 

Please allow up to a month for us to review your application and return a decision. 

If your application is approved, you can book your place on training. Training groups usually start every two weeks and spaces are available to book a couple of months ahead. While you are in training and before you are allowed on the platform we will carry out a background check.

Location: Remote (with occasional in-person meetings, if possible)
Time Commitment: Flexible hours + monthly team meeting (First Thursday of each month, time TBC)

Do you have an eye for detail and a passion for securing funding for a good cause? We’re seeking a Volunteer Project Manager to lead and coordinate our Grants Team, helping us access essential funding to deliver life-changing programmes.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead and coordinate the Grants Team to identify, apply for, and manage funding opportunities

• Chair monthly meetings and track team actions and outcomes

• Support the preparation and submission of compelling grant applications

• Monitor funding deadlines, reporting requirements, and application status

• Work closely with the leadership to align funding with organisational goals

• Occasionally attend in-person meetings (if feasible)

Qualifications & Experience:

• Previous experience in project coordination, grants, or fundraising (desirable but not essential)

• Strong writing and communication skills

• Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple deadlines

• Collaborative team player with leadership potential

• Familiarity with budgeting or nonprofit finance is a plus

• Comfortable with remote tools and flexible working

Benefits & Impact:

• Help secure critical funding that directly supports children and vulnerable communities

• Gain hands-on experience in grant writing, team management, and nonprofit strategy

• Flexible, remote volunteering tailored to your availability

• Contribute to a growing, mission-driven organisation

• Receive support, recognition, and opportunities for personal growth

• Make a tangible difference in people’s lives while building your own skills and network

Volunteering for Sense

Our amazing team of volunteers help us run over 100 shops across England and Wales.  Every donated item that you sort, prepare and sell helps to raise vital funds to support us in our mission to make sure no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, is isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential. Our shops are at the heart of local communities – sharing the work of Sense, and helping to secure support for our life changing work.

What your role will involve

There are a variety of tasks that you can get involved with in the shop, including:

• Welcoming and assisting customers, providing great customer service and a fantastic shopping experience
• Receiving donated goods from members of the public
• Sorting, steaming, tagging and preparing donated goods for sale
• Creating eye catching window and in-shop displays
• Keeping the shop floor well stocked, tidy, clean and organised
• Processing sales and serving on the till
• Promoting Gift Aid and other Sense fundraising initiatives
• Acting as an ambassador for Sense; promoting the shop and Sense in your local community
• Supporting with the recruitment and training of new volunteers
• Following new health and safety measures to ensure the safety of everyone

Will the role suit me? Yes, if you are:

• Motivated and hardworking
• Reliable, flexible and willing to do a variety of shop tasks
• A team player
• Friendly and helpful
• Passionate about customer service and enjoy interacting with people
• Respectful of others and their diversity
• Interested in supporting the work of Sense and want to make a difference to people who have complex disabilities and are deafblind.

What can Sense offer me as a volunteer?

• A full induction and ongoing support and guidance from your Shop Manager to make sure you feel confident in your role
• Support to develop new skills, knowledge and experience, in particular of a retail environment, but also skills such as teamwork, customer service, communication and using your initiative
• A reference for other paid or voluntary work (available on request)
• The opportunity to share your existing skills and experience to benefit others
• The chance to meet new people from a wide range of backgrounds and to join a passionate and committed team
• The opportunity to make an invaluable contribution to Sense by raising vital income and raising the profile of Sense in your local community; changing the lives of those who have complex disabilities and are deafblind

About Sense

For everyone living with complex disabilities. For everyone who is deafblind. Sense is here to offer personalised support to help people communicate and experience the world. We believe that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential. Our experts offer support that’s tailored to the individual needs of each person, whether that’s at our centres, through our holidays and short breaks, or in people’s own homes. In addition to practical support, we also provide information to families, and campaign for the rights of people with complex disabilities to take part in life.

Volunteers add real value to Sense, bringing their passion, enthusiasm and fresh perspectives to the work that we do. We believe that volunteers enable us to bring people together, and provide opportunities for people with complex disabilities to communicate and experience the world.

We include. We collaborate. We find a way. We challenge. We celebrate.

Volunteering for Sense

Our amazing team of volunteers help us run over 100 shops across England and Wales.  Every donated item that you sort, prepare and sell helps to raise vital funds to support us in our mission to make sure no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, is isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential. Our shops are at the heart of local communities – sharing the work of Sense, and helping to secure support for our life changing work.

What your role will involve

There are a variety of tasks that you can get involved with in the shop, including:

• Welcoming and assisting customers, providing great customer service and a fantastic shopping experience
• Receiving donated goods from members of the public
• Sorting, steaming, tagging and preparing donated goods for sale
• Creating eye catching window and in-shop displays
• Keeping the shop floor well stocked, tidy, clean and organised
• Processing sales and serving on the till
• Promoting Gift Aid and other Sense fundraising initiatives
• Acting as an ambassador for Sense; promoting the shop and Sense in your local community
• Supporting with the recruitment and training of new volunteers
• Following new health and safety measures to ensure the safety of everyone

Will the role suit me? Yes, if you are:

• Motivated and hardworking
• Reliable, flexible and willing to do a variety of shop tasks
• A team player
• Friendly and helpful
• Passionate about customer service and enjoy interacting with people
• Respectful of others and their diversity
• Interested in supporting the work of Sense and want to make a difference to people who have complex disabilities and are deafblind.

What can Sense offer me as a volunteer?

• A full induction and ongoing support and guidance from your Shop Manager to make sure you feel confident in your role
• Support to develop new skills, knowledge and experience, in particular of a retail environment, but also skills such as teamwork, customer service, communication and using your initiative
• A reference for other paid or voluntary work (available on request)
• The opportunity to share your existing skills and experience to benefit others
• The chance to meet new people from a wide range of backgrounds and to join a passionate and committed team
• The opportunity to make an invaluable contribution to Sense by raising vital income and raising the profile of Sense in your local community; changing the lives of those who have complex disabilities and are deafblind
• Access to Sense discounts and advice, including cashback and discounts on hight street brands, as well as 10% off at Sense charity shops.

About Sense

For everyone living with complex disabilities. For everyone who is deafblind. Sense is here to offer personalised support to help people communicate and experience the world. We believe that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential. Our experts offer support that’s tailored to the individual needs of each person, whether that’s at our centres, through our holidays and short breaks, or in people’s own homes. In addition to practical support, we also provide information to families, and campaign for the rights of people with complex disabilities to take part in life.

Volunteers add real value to Sense, bringing their passion, enthusiasm and fresh perspectives to the work that we do. We believe that volunteers enable us to bring people together, and provide opportunities for people with complex disabilities to communicate and experience the world.

We include. We collaborate. We find a way. We challenge. We celebrate.