Community volunteer roles in india
For nearly 50 years, nia has provided high quality, women-led services across North and East London. nia has three main aims: to provide services for women, children and young people who have experienced male violence, working to end men’s violence against women and girls, and to inform and influence policy and public awareness.
nia’s values, and our commitment to upholding them, set us apart. We put women first – always and without hesitation: we believe women, we are run by women, for women. We leave no woman behind: we challenge inequality and discrimination and believe that uniting women of all backgrounds is essential to ending the sex-based oppression of women.
We have a voluntary Board of Trustees who have the ultimate responsibility for directing nia and ensuring that the organisation is well-run. Our trustees are passionate feminists and include women with a wide range of skills and include women who have experienced sexual and domestic violence and ex-service users of specialist women’s services.
The role of the Treasurer is to provide financial expertise and direction to the board of Trustees. The Treasurer’s aim is to oversee and scrutinise financial information to enable the board to fulfil their responsibilities for the overall governance and strategic direction of the nia.
The Treasurer will ensure that the organisation complies with its governing document, charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations and to make sure that the organisation pursues its objects as defined in its governing document.
The Treasurer’s role is also to work in partnership with the Chief Executive and Director of Finance helping them achieve the aims of the organisation and maintain fiscal health, accountability and stability.
Delivering cutting edge services to end violence against women and children.


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
About the Role
At Living Reasons, we want to change the face of fundraising and entertainment events. We’re not interested in repeating outdated models — instead, we want to create immersive, innovative, and accessible experiences that engage supporters in brand new ways.
The Events & Entertainments Lead will play a key role in making this vision a reality. You’ll oversee events and entertainment coordinators working on specific projects, ensuring events are well-planned, properly funded, safe, and accessible to all. At the same time, you’ll work with the wider team to design bold, creative, and inclusive experiences — from accessibility-led escape rooms to sensory events, to interactive challenges inspired by shows like The Traitors.
This role is about big thinking, imagination, and leadership. It’s perfect for someone who wants to push boundaries and reimagine what fundraising and entertainment events can look like.
Key Responsibilities
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Oversee and support Events & Entertainments Coordinators delivering specific projects.
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Ensure all events are effectively planned and funded, including managing:
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Health & Safety requirements
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Insurance needs
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Accessibility and inclusivity considerations
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Work with the wider Events, Entertainments & Challenges team to design new, engaging opportunities for supporters.
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Develop immersive, creative experiences that break the mould of traditional fundraising events.
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Build and lead a team of creative volunteers, supporting them to contribute ideas and take ownership of projects.
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Help ensure events raise vital funds to support Living Reasons’ work, while also being enjoyable, inclusive, and meaningful for all participants.
What We’re Looking For
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A creative thinker who sees beyond traditional event formats.
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Strong organisational and planning skills.
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Ability to lead and inspire a team of coordinators and volunteers.
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Confidence in problem-solving and thinking outside the box.
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A commitment to accessibility and inclusivity in every project.
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Enthusiasm for fundraising and creating unique supporter experiences.
What You’ll Gain
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A chance to develop and showcase leadership, event management, and creative design skills.
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Experience in building and leading a team of passionate volunteers.
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The opportunity to test bold ideas and bring innovative events to life.
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The knowledge that your creativity is directly supporting meaningful change.
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A supportive, collaborative environment where your ideas are valued.
Interested?
If you’re excited about reimagining events and entertainment, we’d love to hear from you. Bring your ideas, your energy, and your creativity — and let’s design the future of events together.
To create equality and equity in all areas of society, opening opportunities that are less damaging and focused on the person as a whole.

The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Our vision for volunteering
Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.
The difference you will make to cats and people
Our publicity team leaders have the important role of supporting a wider team of publicity volunteers. As a team our publicity volunteers collectively keep members of the public informed of the vital and varied ways we help our cats in need. Raising awareness is crucial to us being able to help the thousands of cats and kittens each year that rely on us. A higher profile can help raise funds, raise awareness of adopting a cat, promote neutering and encourage as many people as possible to learn about feline welfare.
You can expect us to
- Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
- Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
- Cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
- Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities
Making a better life for cats, because life is better with cats


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Our vision for volunteering
Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.
The difference you will make to cats and people
Join us as a Cat Welfare Support volunteer and make a real difference to the lives of cats and their owners. Whether it’s taking cats to the vet, helping to maintain cat welfare standards, or supporting other volunteers to keep everything organised, your support will help us take care of more cats. Help us create a better life for cats and their families with your compassion and dedication.
You can expect us to
- Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
- Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
- Cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
- Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities
Making a better life for cats, because life is better with cats


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Our vision for volunteering
Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.
The difference you will make to cats and people
From elderly moggies to energic kittens, every day across the UK cats and kittens are in need of a temporary place to stay, and lots of love and TLC! We need more fosterers like you to provide a safe, temporary haven for cats and kittens and provide them with everything they need before they get their chance to land on their four paws and make a house a home.
You can expect us to
- Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
- Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
- Ensure you have all you need in place to foster the cat(s) in your care, for example equipment and food
- Cover all your foster cats’ expenses and agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
- Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities
Making a better life for cats, because life is better with cats


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Our vision for volunteering
Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.
The difference you will make to cats and people
At Cats Protection we help thousands of cats each year thanks to our dedicated and passionate volunteer groups and teams, all of which help our cats in different ways. Our treasurer volunteers maintain the finances of local groups and teams, ensuring they hold the funds needed to continue their vital work. Cats Protection relies solely on donations from generous members of the public, and our treasurer volunteers help make sure these funds are spent in the most effective way.
You can expect us to
- Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
- Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
- Cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
- Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities
Making a better life for cats, because life is better with cats


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
African Development Choices (ADC) is a UK-based Social Enterprise on a mission to reduce poverty by empowering communities to make more informed choices in the management of public resources.
ADC’s purpose is to enable communities to independently meet their needs for essential services, such as clean water and safe sanitation and improve lives in Africa.
At ADC we encourage a working culture of seeking and giving input, showing and taking initiative, and commitment to the organisation and its purpose.
We now have an exciting opportunity for a volunteer Social & Content Manager to join ADC
Main purpose of job (brief summary): Develop and implement our social media & content strategy in order to increase our online presence and drive stakeholder engagement.
Division: Operations
Department: Marketing & Communications
Position reports to: Head of Marketing & Communications
Who reports to this position: N/A
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
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Develop a content calendar across all social platforms ensuring a constant supply of relevant content (1 post per week on LinkedIn, Facebook & Instagram – initially)
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Collate content for, prepare and publish the monthly volunteer newsletter through MailChimp
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Identify and engage with key social influencers to create beneficial relationships and strong networks and grow the ADC brand
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Perform social listening across all social platforms by monitoring and responding to relevant brand mentions and identifying opportunities for engaging in related topics/discussions
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Define social media KPIs, measure and optimize social media performance metrics, and develop enhanced reporting
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Manage and oversee social media content
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Develop and implement E2E fundraising campaigns in collaboration with the fundraising team
Knowledge, Skills, and Experience
Essential
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3+ years of experience in social and content management
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Experience using MailChimp or similar software
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Experience in designing, managing and executing successful fundraising campaigns
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Excellent knowledge of Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media platforms
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Experience of forming relationships with key influencers on social media
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Good understanding of SEO metrics and social media KPIs
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Ability to come up with creative content (text, image and video)
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Available to volunteer at least 7 hours a week
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Ability to actively take initiative and help set things up in a start-up environment
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Ability to actively seek and give input in a collaborative team environment
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A committed team player with good communication skills.
Desirable
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Experience of establishing online communities on social media
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Experience working in an early stage start-up and gone through a scaling phase
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Passion for the start-up life and comfortable in a role with a little ambiguity
What ADC Offers You
This is a volunteer, remote and unpaid position with the following benefits:
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Professional learning and career development opportunities
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An opportunity to build on your work experience within your profession
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An opportunity to be part of a diverse team representing different parts of the world that is helping to deliver systemic social change in Africa
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An opportunity to help shape a start-up social enterprise
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We provide work reference
This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal ccountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.
Here at African Development Choices, we celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our teams are made up of people from all over the world and we welcome all applications. If you are disabled or have a long-term health condition, and you require any reasonable adjustments for your application with us, please let us know by contacting recruitment(at)africandevelopmentchoices(dot)org.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Our vision for volunteering
Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.
The difference you will make to cats and people
From elderly moggies to energic kittens, every day across the UK cats and kittens are in need of a temporary place to stay, and lots of love and TLC! We need more fosterers like you to provide a safe, temporary haven for cats and kittens and provide them with everything they need before they get their chance to land on their four paws and make a house a home.
You can expect us to
- Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
- Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
- Ensure you have all you need in place to foster the cat(s) in your care, for example equipment and food
- Cover all your foster cats’ expenses and agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
- Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities
Making a better life for cats, because life is better with cats


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We are looking for trustees who reflect the different communities served by Thirtyone:eight and bring a range of skills and expertise that will assist us in achieving our mission and vision.
We are particularly keen to appoint trustees who are based in, or who have relevant knowledge of operating in, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
We welcome applications from all ethnic minority groups and age-groups.
We are specifically looking for trustees with experience in the one or more of the following areas:
- IT
- Fundraising and Campaigning
- Marketing, Communications and PR
Commitment
Trustees currently meet as a full Board four times per year, one of which is in person and includes an overnight stay. The remaining meetings are conducted online and times vary to assist attendance of all members. In addition to full Board meetings, trustees will be strongly encouraged to participate in committees and working groups, which again are held remotely. An invitation is also extended to all trustees to attend an annual team event which includes an overnight stay.
Independent and thought-leading, we equip organisations, churches, other faith groups, individuals and government with safeguarding tools they need




The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Join the only lived experience-led national mental health charity as a trustee, chair or treasurer!
NSUN is a network of grassroots, user-led community groups and people who have lived experience of mental ill-health, distress, and trauma. We connect, support, and amplify the voices and work of our members. As the only user-led national mental health charity, all of our staff members and trustees have lived experience, and our work is rooted in solidarity.
Trustees act as the guardian of the vision, purpose and values of NSUN. Being a trustee gives you valuable and transferable leadership, strategic and governance skills and experience in the non-profit sector.
We’re really hoping that our new trustees possess a deep interest in how mental ill-health, distress and trauma connects with other social justice issues, such as disability and racial justice.
NSUN is a membership organisation of user-led mental health groups and people who have lived experience of mental distress, ill-health or trauma
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Our vision for volunteering
Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.
The difference you will make to cats and people
Our publicity team leaders have the important role of supporting a wider team of publicity volunteers. As a team our publicity volunteers collectively keep members of the public informed of the vital and varied ways we help our cats in need. Raising awareness is crucial to us being able to help the thousands of cats and kittens each year that rely on us. A higher profile can help raise funds, raise awareness of adopting a cat, promote neutering and encourage as many people as possible to learn about feline welfare.
You can expect us to
- Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
- Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
- Cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
- Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities
Making a better life for cats, because life is better with cats


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Our challenge
Our Support and Information team offer a wide range of inclusive and accessible services to support those diagnosed with a brain tumour and their families.
One of our most critical services is our Support and Information Line, which is open between 9am-5pm, Monday—Friday. This service is run by our Support team and assisted by volunteers. It offers a place for people affected by a brain tumour diagnosis to ask questions or raise concerns about a diagnosis, and how to support a loved one. We continue to see an increase in people accessing these services, and strive to work in smarter ways to manage this increase.
How can you help?
We’re looking for volunteers to help us make sure the Support Line runs more efficiently, by answering calls and asking a small number of specific questions to ensure the caller is transferred/triaged to the most appropriate support for them. This role also has the opportunity to develop into providing support to the community about specific areas. In this role, you will:
- Answer incoming calls to the Support Line with empathy and understanding
- Ask specific questions to understand the caller’s support needs and transfer to the appropriate teams
- Accurately record information about the call onto our database
- Assist the support team in specific project areas where appropriate
- Respond to support emails from our community
- Support our digital support team with our peer support groups on Facebook
- The role could develop into providing support over the phone regarding specific areas
What impact will you have?
This is an opportunity to be the first point of contact for our community, ensuring those that we support get the best service possible.
We’re looking for...
- Experience or confidence in answering calls and speaking on the phone
- Good IT and computer skills, ideally experience of using databases
- Ability to demonstrate a high degree of empathy and resilience
- Active listening and strong communication skills
- Ability to separate own experiences from others
- Confidence to work autonomously and as part of a team
- Organisation and reliability
- Demonstrable understanding of confidential working
What can I gain from volunteering with you?
- You’ll have the opportunity to utilise your existing skills, while developing and learning new ones to take forward into the future
- You’ll join a friendly, passionate team and develop an understanding of how this team at The Charity operates
- The satisfaction of knowing that you’re assisting those affected by a brain tumour diagnosis to gain the appropriate support
- The opportunity to expand the role in the future, by taking on additional training
Time commitment
To ensure we have volunteer cover for the full Support Line opening hours, we are looking for volunteers to commit between 2-4 hours a week between 9am5pm, Monday to Friday. Due to the continuous training involved, we would ask that volunteers commit to a minimum of six months spent volunteering with us. This is a remote role where you can volunteer from home. You will have regular contact with our Support and Information team who, while facing tough challenges along the way, look out for each other and nurture an inspiring, positive team environment.
Practical considerations
You’ll receive a full online induction to The Brain Tumour Charity and specific training for the role, as well as training on the use of our database and phone system. You’ll receive weekly supervision after each shift and ongoing support through online webinars, emails and telephone calls, from a team member within the Support team. You’ll have the opportunity to keep in touch and gain support from other volunteers in the same role. Incoming support call numbers may vary, so some shifts may be quieter than others. We’ve created a number of different activities that you can get involved in between calls, if you would like to. This role has the opportunity for development to other areas of the support team—guidance and training will be provided for this.
We carry out reference checks for all individuals who will be volunteering with us on a regular basis. Volunteers will also be required to complete some internal data protection and disclosure documentation before commencing the role.
The Brain Tumour Charity is the world’s leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally.



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
This is an exciting opportunity to join a charity at the very start and to make a difference in shaping how we move forward.
Who are we looking for?
At present we are working towards being fully operational, over the next year Living Reasons will be looking to ensure that all of our operational activity, whether internally or with people who come in contact with the organisation, are having the best experience they can possibly have and that the work we are carrying out, the campaigns we are focusing on and where we are focusing our time and our money, is relevant and remains so moving forward.
That is where I lived experience board of volunteers comes in. In essence that lived experience board is the driver for all that we do as an organisation and will inform, guide and develop the organisation.
The board is broken in to separate lived experiences which hold focus groups, support groups and communicated with each other to talk about members lived experiences, support each other and feel part of a community, while also using the voice and power of that lived experience to bring about change. The board chooses what information is passed on to the organisation and what is not.
Additionally, to the community aspects of the role, you will also be sent specific materials to share your experiences or take part in research or in new policy discussions or campaign ideas as the organisation evolves.
Additionally, to the specific lived experience groups, the full board can communicate with each other and will have periodic full board meetings that will allow people to share their experiences from various viewpoints, so that cross overs and shared experiences can become strength but can also guide the overall operation of Living Reasons.
For this role, all you need is to have lived experience of autism, ADHD, dyslexia or dyspraxia, either from a personal viewpoint, or as a supporter/care giver/guardian/family member. There will be two separate groups (one for personal experience and people who are supporting someone – this allows for different conversations to happen).
This role will really drive change, not just in Living Reasons as an organisation, but in society as a whole.
What is the plan?
The person who is starting the charity up is autistic, has ADHD, CPTSD and also multiple physical conditions that effect daily life and is part of the LGBTQ+ community and has faced a lot of issues in life because of these things.
Living Reasons is being created to fix what we think is a challenging situation that is getting harder to achieve every week, month and year in the current economic, political, environmental and societal landscape. It is not easily defined but we hope the charity objects below will help put context to what we want to achieve, what we can say is that below are the issues we are trying to address, how we do this will change as quickly as society does, but the issues we want to tackle are these:
1) Outdated and damaging employment practices
2) Accessibility to services
3) Limited employment, training and education opportunities
4) Lack of support during times of crisis or need
5) Lack of equity and agency for many people in society
6) Institutional discrimination that is not challenged
7) Abuse of the legal system at all levels
8) Abuse of power in government bodies
9) Poor access to healthcare
10) Unequal treatment of many people in society by large corporations
11) Assumptions made by wider society based on incorrect, outdated or discriminatory rhetoric that is used in daily life
12) Outdated company engagement with the public
13) Lack of support that is not talked about and not being addressed
Our Living Values -
Creativity
1) Imaginative Development (Individual)
2) Instilled Collaboration (Internal)
3) Changing The Status Quo (External)
Prospectivity
1) What Can You Do (Individual)
2) What Can We Do (Internal)
3) What Can They Do (External)
Revolutionary
1) Inspire With Confidence (Individual)
2) Boundaryless Innovation (Internal)
3) Challenge Traditions (External)
Attentivity
1) Analyse and Redesign (Individual)
2) Rebel and Reform (Internal)
3) Enquire and Reimagine (External)
To create equality and equity in all areas of society, opening opportunities that are less damaging and focused on the person as a whole.

Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Are you a dog lover with room in your home to look after a dog during evenings and weekends? This could be the perfect role for you!
As a Training Dog Fosterer, you’ll provide a loving temporary home to a dog in training, typically for a period of 12 to 20 weeks, as they begin their journey to become a guide dog. You’ll get to see the progress your furry companion is making in their training and be a vital part of their journey, without the commitment of looking after a dog full time.
What you’ll be doing:
In this rewarding role, your support for a guide dog in training will include:
- Doing the school run for your dog in training! This will typically involve dropping them off and picking them up at an agreed time Monday to Friday at one of our regional centres or community teams, however, some sites may vary. There are some locations where we will be able to collect and return the training dog from your home.
- Caring for your dog in your home such as feeding, grooming, free running and playing, following the advice of our expert staff.
- Helping your dog keep up with their training by reinforcing the techniques at home from our first-class training programme.
- Making sure your dog is not left alone for more than four hours in a 24-hour period. If you’re planning on going on holiday, let us know at your initial phone call so we can plan alternative cover for your future life changer.
Can I foster a dog?
If you’re hoping to foster a guide dog in training, here’s what we ideally look for:
- Being close to one of our regional centres or community teams so that your dog can get to their training.
- The agreement of your landlord to have a dog in your home if you rent your home.
- A safe and secure area outside for the dog to go to the toilet.
However, we try to be flexible – for example, you’ll still be able to foster a dog if you live in London, even if you don’t have access to outside space.
What you’ll get:
- The opportunity to have a lovable canine companion!
- The satisfaction in knowing you’re supporting people with sight loss to live actively, independently, and well.
- The rewarding feeling of seeing your dog learn new training techniques to help them develop into a guide dog.
- An insight into our bespoke world-class training programme so that your dog’s training stays consistent at home, which can also help you train your own dogs or advance in a future career in dog handling.
- The opportunity to be part of the Guide Dogs community, meeting like-minded people in your area.
- A dedicated volunteer manager and fellow peers who will help support you throughout your role.
Training and support
You’ll attend a training workshop to understand the basics of our bespoke training techniques so you can confidently support your dog’s training at home. You’ll also receive ongoing guidance from your volunteer manager. If you have questions about the training requirements, we can answer these at your initial phone call along with any other support or accessibility needs you may have.
Volunteering for Guide Dogs should never leave you out of pocket. We’ll make sure we pay any pre-agreed expenses related to volunteering with us, including veterinary costs, dog food costs and other materials needed for your dog’s training.
Minimum age for volunteer is 18.
We also have a respite fosterer role available in some areas, where a dog would stay with you full time before moving on to the next stage of its journey.
Please check out our website to see what roles are available where you live.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Are you a dog lover? Do you have the time to help raise a life-changing puppy? Would you like to make a difference to someone's life? If you've answered yes to these questions, then this role could be perfect for you!
As a Puppy Raiser, you'll provide a 6-8 week-old puppy with the vital foundation for its future role as a guide dog. You'll be looking after a puppy for 12-16 months and will guide him or her through training, socialisation, the introduction of new environments and experiences while providing a loving home.
There might be the odd chewed slipper along the way, but nothing beats the rewarding feeling of loving and raising a puppy who will go on to make an enormous difference to someone living with sight loss.
What you'll be doing:
- Engaging with our world-class training programme to prepare your puppy for the next stages of becoming a guide dog.
- Providing care and support for your puppy at home e.g., loving, grooming and feeding him or her.
- Socialising your puppy and introducing him or her to a variety of environments to increase confidence – this can be as simple as taking your puppy with you to the shops, office or park as you go about your everyday life.
- Teaching your puppy to be comfortable alone - gradually building up from a few minutes to a maximum of four hours.
- Taking your puppy to monthly puppy classes, and interacting with other puppy raisers in your community whilst refreshing your training and sharing tips.
- Meeting with your volunteer manager as frequently as needed to discuss any changes or issues with your puppy.
- Completing short questionnaires about your puppy’s development.
You'll ideally have:
- A loving home with enough time to invest in raising a puppy and attending to their needs (e.g. toilet training). If you work from home or have hobbies, you'll need to be available to give the puppy regular attention alongside these.
- Someone at home who is physically able to handle large breed dogs (around 25-40kg).
- Access to a car, so that you can get your puppy used to travelling.
- The agreement of your landlord to have a dog in the property if you rent your home.
- A safe secure area outside for your puppy to go to the toilet.
What you'll get:
- The satisfaction of knowing you're supporting people with sight loss to live actively, independently, and well.
- The rewarding feeling of watching a mischievous puppy learn new training techniques to help them develop into a guide dog.
- The opportunity to participate in our bespoke world-class training programme – this can help you train your own dogs or advance a future career in dog handling.
- The opportunity to have a loveable, canine companion, proven to reduce feelings of stress and improve fitness – you’ll be out walking rain or shine!
- The chance to be part of the inspirational Guide Dogs community, meeting like-minded people and interacting with a community of puppy raisers in your area.
- A dedicated volunteer manager and fellow peers who will help support you throughout your role.
s a volunteer you'll have access to our world-class training programme, to implement with your puppy in training, a great bonus for any dog owner! This is delivered in an interactive and engaging manner, using a mixture of different learning techniques virtually e.g., videos, documents and e-learning modules. Examples of the modules you'll have access to include:
- Food manners
- Greeting new visitors
- Being home alone
- Settling in new environments
You'll receive plenty of support from your volunteer manager who will help you work through these training modules with your puppy. We also offer puppy classes for puppy raisers in the local area to get together, share stories and provide refreshers on training techniques.
Volunteering for Guide Dogs should never leave you out of pocket. We’ll make sure we pay any pre-agreed expenses related to volunteering with us, including veterinary costs, food costs for the puppy and other materials needed for the puppy’s training. We will also pay an optional allowance of up to £100 a year to offset additional costs, and we have working agreements with certain bus and train operating companies, letting you take your puppy on short training journeys free of charge.
Minimum age of applicant: 18.