Community volunteer roles in edinburgh

Are you a Portuguese speaker looking for a meaningful way to give back to your community?
We invite you to become a volunteer for our Talking Bubble Project!

Many older adults and vulnerable individuals in the UK’s Portuguese-speaking community experience loneliness and social isolation. By giving just a small amount of your time each week, you can make a real difference — offering companionship and a friendly voice in their native language.

What is the Talking Bubble Project?
It’s a phone-based service connecting volunteers with individuals who may feel isolated or lonely. Through regular conversations, you’ll help build friendships, brighten someone’s day, and provide emotional support — especially for those more comfortable speaking Portuguese.

Why volunteer with us?
✔ Support members of the Portuguese-speaking community in the UK
✔ Make a genuine difference in someone’s life
✔ Enjoy flexible volunteering hours
✔ Receive training, ongoing support, and a reference upon completion
✔ Boost your own sense of fulfilment and purpose

What’s required?
✔ Completion of online Safeguarding Adults Level 2 training (funded by us)
✔ A DBS check (also fully funded)
✔ A kind, compassionate approach and a willingness to engage in friendly conversations

How to get involved:
Apply through the CharityJob website — no previous experience needed.
This opportunity is open to UK residents only.

Help us bring connection and kindness to the Portuguese-speaking community across the UK!

Lockdown ended. Loneliness didn’t.

At SUNSHINE, we're here to help, but we need your leadership behind the scenes.

Ready to Make a Real Impact? Be the First Friendly Face at SUNSHINE!

Our mission is to empower individuals by creating a warm, supportive, and safe space where they can connect and thrive. We call this The SUNSHINE Experience, and it’s about more than just giving your time, it’s about being the first friendly voice that welcomes someone into our community.

We are seeking a Participant Onboarding Coordinator to lead on the recruitment and engagement of our service users (participants). If you are a kind, empathetic, and organised individual who loves helping people feel at ease, we want to hear from you.

What You'll Be Doing:

This is a key role that directly impacts a participant's entire journey with us. You'll be the personal guide who helps people take that first brave step. Your duties will include:

• Initial Contact: Sending warm, personalised emails or making friendly phone calls to introduce yourself and SUNSHINE, and to share our Participant Registration Form.

• Friendly Assessment: Once the form is received, scheduling a brief, welcoming phone call or video chat to complete our SUNSHINE Participant Assessment Form. This is a conversation to understand their needs, preferences, and interests, ensuring they feel heard and understood.

• Service Matching: Based on the assessment, you will personally suggest and invite them to 2-3 services that are a great fit for them, such as our Monthly Coffee Mornings or Digital Inclusion and Skills Programme.

• First Session Follow-Up: Collaborating with our "volunteer buddies" to ensure the participant feels comfortable at their first session. Within a week, you'll follow up personally to see how they're doing and whether they would like to attend another session.

• Managing the Participant Journey: Acting as a consistent point of contact for new participants, answering their questions, and ensuring a smooth transition into our community.

• Data Management: Meticulously tracking participant engagement and progress to ensure our services remain relevant and effective.

Why You'll Love Being a SUNSHINE Participant Onboarding Coordinator:

• Be a Leader: You will be the face and voice of our welcome, directly shaping our participants' first impressions.

• Grow with Us: This role offers fantastic professional development in communication, community engagement, and programme management.

• Join a Family: You'll be part of a warm, supportive, and passionate community of like-minded people dedicated to our mission.

Ready to start your SUNSHINE Experience?

We're excited to see your application and learn how your unique skills can help our community shine. Apply today and become a part of something truly special.

Let’s not forget how lockdown made us feel. Let’s make sure SUNSHINE is always ready to respond—with heart and with structure.

We don't currently have a website as it's in development, but you can find us on social media @SUNSHINEChty.

Job Overview

The Abundant Woman is seeking an organised and driven Project Manager to oversee the planning, execution, and completion of various initiatives aligned with our mission to support and empower women. This role will coordinate multiple projects, including community programs, events, and health initiatives, ensuring that they are delivered on time and within scope. The ideal candidate will have strong project management skills, a passion for our mission, and experience in coordinating with diverse teams and stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

 •  Plan, manage, and execute projects from inception through completion, ensuring they align with organisational goals and timelines.

 •  Coordinate cross-functional teams, resources, and third-party vendors to ensure smooth project delivery.

 •  Develop project plans, set deadlines, track milestones, and monitor progress.

 •  Manage project budgets, resources, and reporting, ensuring that projects stay within budget and meet objectives.

 •  Communicate regularly with stakeholders, providing updates, addressing concerns, and collecting feedback for improvement.

Key Skills and Qualifications

 •  Proven experience in project management, ideally within a nonprofit or social enterprise setting.

 •  Strong organisational and problem-solving skills; ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

 •  Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to engage with stakeholders and team members.

 •  Proficiency with project management tools such as Asana, Trello, or Microsoft Project.

 •  Knowledge of budgeting and resource allocation is a plus.

East London Waterworks Park is looking for illustrators, animators and graphic designers to help campaign in the creation of our new park with natural swimming ponds.

East London Waterworks Park is a volunteer-led charity that has won a 2024 New London Architecture award and raised £2m towards buying land from the Department for Education to transform the 14-acre Thames Water Depot on Lea Bridge Road on the border of Waltham Forest and Hackney, into a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces. 

We are looking for illustrators, animators and graphic designers to contribute to our community-led working circle who are working on coordinating our digital marketing. 

There is opportunity to lead on projects across content creation, social media, film or any other channels of interest, and facilitate the direction of the working circle.

The Comms Circle currently meets fortnightly on a Tuesday evening on Google Meet and spends voluntary time outside of the meeting completing agreed tasks remotely.

While technical skills are essential, we also value your ability to think creatively and strategically. You should have experience in creating engaging visual content for various platforms that will engage stakeholders and decision makers, such as public reports, presentations for decision makers, social media and websites. A strong understanding of storytelling and the ability to communicate complex ideas effectively through visuals will be invaluable. You should be comfortable with community-led processes. Our roles are quite flexible. We hope that people bring radical imagination, peace with nature, and courageous inclusiveness to the role. 

Contribute to the creation of a new biodiverse community-owned park with free access natural swimming ponds.Your creative talents will be invaluable in bringing the park’s biodiversity to life. Through your illustrations, animations, and graphic designs, you’ll help us create visually captivating content that inspires, educates, and engages our community, stakeholders and decision makers. Your work will play a vital role in fostering a strong connection between people and nature, ultimately creating the park’s future.

Treasurer 

Closing date Midnight Sunday 26th October 2025 

We are looking for ambitious and passionate Treasurer to join our Team at Advicenow at a time of growth for the charity but also substantial social and economic challenges for our beneficiaries.

Advicenow has been providing legal support to individuals and communities since 2011. We provide routes to access to justice for people who are otherwise unable to secure basic rights and entitlements to their income, their home and to protect their families. We have a strong track record in leading technological innovation, and educational and research design to tackle legal needs at scale.

As a member of the board you will ultimately be responsible for the overall direction, vision and strategy of Law for Life. We are seeking an enthusiastic and committed Treasurer to work alongside the Chair, Board, CEO and Finance Manager to ensure the charity’s financial wellbeing, accountability, and sustainability.

You will have the ability to innovate, to think strategically, while demonstrating sound judgement. You will help us to move on to the next stage of our three year strategic plan.

We are looking to appoint individuals who share our values in social justice and legal empowerment and would like to become involved. In particular, we would also like to hear from people who have experience in any of the following areas:

• People with experience in financial management, accounting, audit, or a senior finance role in a relevant sector.
• Professional experience in working with or advising Boards on financial matters, particularly in a charity context.
• Leadership or governance experience in charity & non-for-profit, justice & human rights, health, or technology sectors.
• People with lived experience of legal, social, or financial challenges similar to those faced by Advicenow’s service users, offer a first-hand perspective on their needs and barriers to access.

We are searching for people from all backgrounds and sectors but are particularly keen to enhance Board expertise from people with lived experience of discrimination, poverty or access to justice needs.

For more information and how to apply download our recruitment pack.

Fundraising Events Organiser Volunteer

Would you like to be part of a dedicated and friendly team of volunteers and make a real difference to the lives of cats and kittens in our care?  Do you enjoy planning and organising for events?  Maybe you have a particular skill that you would like to put to use?
 
Then this could be the role for you! 
 
Our Fundraising Events Team are at the heart of what we do, raising essential funds for the cats. 

Our Fundraising Events Organisers share ideas, tasks and inspiration, planning and delivering local events, with the support of the Fundraising events helpers, such as Open Days (usually 2 per year) at the centre and our annual Christmas Bazaar. 

Time Expectation:  This role can be varied and time commitment can be flexible. 

Without volunteers, Cats Protection Berkshire Cat Centre simply wouldn't exist. Our amazing, friendly volunteers are a diverse group with a shared love of cats who fit volunteering around their home lives and personal commitments.

We're often looking to welcome new volunteers to join our brilliant team. As well as meeting great people and making an incredible difference to the cats of Berkshire.

Please note:  Although we do welcome everyone, unfortunately our centre is not set up to accommodate young volunteers under the age of 18, including those on the Duke of Edinburgh programme.

Full training and support will be given for all roles.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Universal Maidens Association Cameroon (UNIMAC)

Universal Maidens Association Cameroon (UNIMAC) is an organization dedicated to empowering women and promoting social and environmental development within Cameroon. The association recognizes several pressing challenges faced by communities, particularly women and marginalized groups, and aims to address these issues through various initiatives.

In summary, UNIMAC is committed to addressing the intertwined social and environmental challenges in Cameroon by empowering women, fostering sustainable development, and advocating for policies that protect both human rights and the environment.

Board Member

Role Description
Call for Board Members – Universal Maidens Association of Cameroon (UNIMAC)

Are you passionate about empowering women, fostering community development, and making a meaningful impact in Cameroon? The Universal Maidens Association of Cameroon (UNIMAC) invites dedicated individuals who share our vision and mission to join our Board of Directors.

Who We Are: UNIMAC is committed to promoting the rights, welfare, and development of women across Cameroon. Through advocacy, education, and community engagement, we strive to create a supportive environment where women can thrive and contribute to national progress.

Who We Are Looking For: We are seeking proactive, committed, and visionary individuals who are willing to work closely with UNIMAC to achieve our goals. Potential board members should possess qualities such as integrity, leadership, and a strong sense of social responsibility. Experience in areas such as governance, community development, fundraising, or women’s rights is a plus.

Responsibilities:

• Attend regular board meetings and actively participate in organizational decision-making.
• Support the development and implementation of strategic plans.
• Advocate for UNIMAC’s mission within your networks and the broader community.
• Assist in resource mobilization, including fundraising and partnership building.
• Ensure organizational compliance with legal and ethical standards.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated commitment to women’s empowerment and community development.
• Ability to dedicate time and effort to organizational activities.
• Willingness to collaborate and uphold the organization’s values.

Minimum Hours per Week:

7-9 hours per week

Duration:

6+ months

Web developers and designers wanted to support East London Waterworks Park in continuing to improve its website and digital infrastructure.

East London Waterworks Park is a volunteer-led charity that has won a 2024 New London Architecture award and raised £2m towards buying land from the Department for Education to transform the 14-acre Thames Water Depot on Lea Bridge Road on the border of Waltham Forest and Hackney, into a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces. 

We are looking for web developers and designers to contribute to our community-led working group who are working on coordinating content and infrastructure for the East London Waterworks Park website. 

There is opportunity to lead on projects across web development and UX and web design, and facilitate the direction of the working group.

The Comms Circle currently meets fortnightly on a Tuesday evening on Google Meet and spends voluntary time outside of the meeting completing agreed tasks remotely.

You should be experienced in HTML, PHP, CSS, Javascript and SQL, and or UX and web design. You should be comfortable with community-led processes. Our roles are quite flexible. We hope that people bring radical imagination, peace with nature, and courageous inclusiveness to the role. 

Contribute to the creation of a new biodiverse community-owned park with free access natural swimming ponds. Your skills in web design and development will be crucial in creating a visually engaging and user-friendly online presence that effectively communicates the park's biodiversity and mission. By designing engaging websites and interactive platforms, you'll help us connect with our community, inspire action, and secure the necessary support for the park's future.

Local Initiative for Sustainable Development 

Local Initiative for Sustainable Development (LISUDEV) is driving holistic, community-led change across Cameroon by tackling the root causes of poverty and inequality. Too many communities face daily struggles with unsafe water, limited healthcare, poor education, unsustainable farming, and gender inequality—barriers that perpetuate cycles of vulnerability. LISUDEV bridges these gaps by improving access to clean water and sanitation, strengthening healthcare systems, expanding educational opportunities, and promoting sustainable agriculture. By meeting these essential needs, the organization helps reduce preventable diseases, boost food security, and create pathways to better futures for children, women, and marginalized groups.

What makes LISUDEV especially impactful is its integrated approach to development. From providing scholarships and school supplies to underserved children, to training rural farmers in climate-resilient methods, to empowering women with vocational skills, financial literacy, and microgrants, LISUDEV equips communities to thrive. By combining immediate relief with long-term capacity building, LISUDEV fosters dignity, resilience, and self-sufficiency—ensuring that communities are not just surviving, but building brighter, healthier, and more sustainable futures.

Communications Officer

We are looking for a dynamic and creative Communications Officer to lead our organization’s internal and external communication strategies. The candidate will manage media relations, digital content, and brand visibility to ensure consistent, impactful messaging across all channels.

• He/she will work with the social media manager to develop and manage content for social media, newsletters, and the organization's website.
• Document project activities through stories, photos, and reports.
• Support advocacy campaigns and public relations efforts.
• Assist in branding and visibility of LISUDEV’s programs.

Minimum Hours per Week:

7-9 hours per week

Duration:

3-5 months

Al Naasih is a 1‑to‑1 mentoring programme established by Hidayah in March 2020. It seeks to support queer Muslims struggling to reconcile their faith and identity. Mentors are trained in relevant skills (emotional intelligence, active listening, managing relationships, etc.) and paired with mentees to help them achieve personal goals. Within this role you will:

· Provide empathetic, non-judgemental support for mentees working through challenges related to faith, identity and wellbeing

· Help mentees set and achieve personal goals

· Act as a positive role model and safe space

· Assist mentees in exploring reconciling their faith with their LGBTQ+ identity, supporting spiritual, emotional, and practical wellbeing

Please this role is UK based and online/virtual.

What are the key responsibilities of this role?

This role will have the following duties, but are not limited to:

· Build a trusting and respectful relationship with mentee

· Be in regular contact: at least once per month, according to what works best)

· Help mentees identify goals, hurdles, and strategies to work towards those goals

· Listen actively and empathetically; offer guidance rather than prescribing solutions

· Maintain confidentiality, boundaries, and ethical conduct

· Attend required training sessions (1‑on‑1) to develop mentoring skills (emotional intelligence, active listening, relationship management, etc.)

· Reflect on own practice; be open to feedback and possibly supervision / check‑ins

What do we expect from an Al Naasih Mentor?

Please note that you must agree with and fit the criteria below to be eligible to volunteer in this role:

Essential:

· Must be a queer Muslim

· Strong empathy, patience, and trustworthiness

· Comfortable discussing issues around faith and sexuality / identity

· Good communication skills; active listening; emotional intelligence

· Ability to set and maintain healthy boundaries

· Reliability and consistency (making time for regular sessions)

· Ability to maintain confidentiality regarding mentee’s personal information

·Ability to recognise limits of the mentoring role (e.g. not a therapist / counsellor) and refer on where needed

· Able to respect the mentee’s autonomy and pace

Desirable:

· Prior experience of mentoring, coaching, or peer‑support work

· Some understanding of LGBTQ+ issues within Muslim communities

This role will report to the Al Naasih Programme Coordinator or designated lead.

 

How much commitment is required?

This is a voluntary role with flexible hours subject to the agreement between you and your mentee. However, the following are vital to the success of this role:

· Minimum once per month meetings (virtual) with mentee

· Time needed to prepare, reflect, and possibly attend training or support / supervision meetings

· Duration per mentee: to be mutually agreed, depending on goals and needs

· Up to three mentees once comfortable with the role

About Waterwatch UK
Waterwatch UK is a grassroots initiative based in Southend with national ambition. We bring communities, regulators, water companies, MPs, and local authorities together to hold decision-makers accountable for water quality. We are transitioning to become a registered charity and are building a strong local base in Southend before scaling nationally.

Role Purpose
We are looking for a volunteer Communications & Marketing Officer to lead and grow Waterwatch UK’s communications. This role is central to raising awareness of our work, engaging the public, and ensuring transparency as we set up our Southend Committee, take over the Southend Water Quality Summits, and expand nationally.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver Waterwatch UK’s communications plan (starting locally, building to national reach).

• Lead on social media: create and schedule posts, engage followers, grow reach.

• Draft and publish news posts and updates on our website.

• Produce a regular newsletter for supporters, volunteers, and partners.

• Lead comms around key milestones:

  • Registration as a charity.

  • Launch of the Southend Community Committee.

  • Waterwatch UK taking over Southend Water Quality Summits (working with MPs, Anglian Water, Environment Agency, local council, and community partners).

• Build and maintain relationships with local press and media outlets.

• Support preparation of press releases, statements, and briefings.

• Ensure consistency of Waterwatch UK’s voice and messaging.

• Work with the CEO and volunteers to capture impact stories, case studies, and testimonies.

• Develop templates and systems so comms can scale to a national audience.

Commitment

• Approx. 5–10 hours per week, flexible to suit your availability.

• Mostly remote, with occasional Southend-based meetings or events.

What You Will Gain

• A leadership role in a fast-growing grassroots movement with national ambition.

• Hands-on experience in strategic communications, social media, and public engagement.

• Networking opportunities with MPs, local government, regulators, NGOs, and community groups.

• The chance to shape a new national charity from its early stages.

• Possibility of a paid role in the future, subject to funding.

Who We’re Looking For

• Experience (professional or voluntary) in communications, PR, or digital media.

• Strong writing skills with the ability to tailor messages for different audiences.

• Confident using social media platforms and tools for scheduling and analytics.

• Able to work independently and take initiative.

• Passionate about protecting the environment and empowering communities.

Do you want to join our mission to empower and support LGBTQ+ young people? The Kite Trust is recruiting for a number of new Trustees, following several of our long-standing Trustees reaching the end of their tenures.

It's an exciting moment to join our charity and our work in supporting and empowering LGBTQ+ youth, with a new strategic plan in development and new major projects recently launched such as Turning the Tide - drawing together collaboration across the LGBTQ+ youth sector - and Creating Supportive Environments, fighting back against hate.

Central to us now and always is our fantastic Youth Work programme which provides individual and group support to LGBTQ+ young people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

We are looking to add to our board's expertise in particular areas, and would welcome applications from people who share our passion and commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ young people, alongside skills and experience in any of the following: Finance (for Treasurer role), Charity Governance and Compliance, Income Generation and Business Development, Safeguarding, Human Resources, and Communications.

Trustees can be based nationwide, but will be required to attend the Cambridgeshire LGBTQ+ Centre in Ely on one day a year for Trustee Day. Board and sub-committee meetings are conducted online. Commitment to LGBTQ+ rights and the empowerment of young people are essential to the role.

Café VI is an inclusive and accessible space, in line with RNIB Scotland’s mission to support people with sight loss and promote a sense of community in everyday life. The café aims to provide a welcoming environment for the local community and to help raise awareness of sight loss through its design and operation.

The café is staffed by a team of dedicated volunteers, including both sighted and partially sighted individuals, working together to deliver friendly service and foster inclusion. We are looking for friendly and enthusiastic volunteers to assist in the running of the café and drop in centre for blind and partially sighted people. We require help in the kitchen, preparing food, cleaning and waiting on tables and assisting community members by chatting with them, sighted guiding and assisting members to take part in activities.

A passion for cooking is desirable but not essential. Experience in cash handling and how to use a cash register would be advantageous. Our aim is to move to a contactless process but we're not at that point yet.

The café is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11am until 3pm.

How often will I be needed?

• 4 Hours per Week

Key requirements

• This role requires 1 reference and a PVG.

Location

Region

• Scotland

Additional location information

• 12/14 Hillside Crescent, Edinburgh EH7 5EA

Who this opportunity will suit

Minimum age

• You must be at least 16 years old to apply

What skills and experience are needed?

• Good Interpersonal Skills
• Willingness to work as part of a team
• Willingness to work independently
• Reliable, punctual and trustworthy

DeeMaRa Foundation

The DeeMaRa Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of abandoned children, the elderly, and the disabled in South Africa. Through education, vocational training, and storytelling, we provide opportunities for personal growth, independence, and community support.

Founded in 2016 and officially registered in 2019, our foundation was built on the belief that every individual deserves dignity, support, and the chance to thrive. By offering structured programs and safe spaces for learning, expression, and skill development, we aim to restore hope and empower lives.

Marketing Assistant

Help DeeMaRa Foundation grow from a local launch to global impact. Our children’s books and affirmation posters are out in a few South African communities, but we missed the chance to engage our global audience during launch due to internal delays. We’ve registered for free tools like Zoho for email marketing, but haven’t used them effectively.
We’re looking for someone who can help us build a simple, sustainable marketing system — including email campaigns, social media content, and outreach to businesses who might sponsor or buy books. Your support will help us reach families, schools, and sponsors across South Africa and beyond. If possible, create a guide or video to help us continue confidently after your support ends.

Minimum Hours per Week:

4-6 hours per week

Duration:

1-2 months