Counselling volunteer roles in auckland, auckland

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.

Are you passionate about social media and can lead a small team? We're looking to recruit a Lead Volunteer for our Social Media Team. We’re looking for someone who has a passion for promoting a small charity supporting a rare condition and has the ability to support a volunteering team as well as plan and use platforms and tools for social media including Canva, Google Drive and other digital platforms.

The Social Media Team develops and promotes Burning Nights CRPS Support’s communications online, using social media platforms as widely as possible, in order to maximise our impact and to inspire actions in the public, healthcare professionals, communities and businesses. The promotion of our activities will raise awareness of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and provide support and empowerment to the CRPS community. Communications will also run in line with Burning Nights CRPS Support's campaigns strategy/plan.

This is a flexible volunteering opportunity, which means your commitment can be balanced around your lifestyle - being part of a team to ensure that communications to our community and supporters are up to date and timely.
You will provide leadership for your team and support the development of a communications plan for the charity.

Key Tasks and Objectives
You will lead and support an overarching communications strategy, direction and plans for Burning Nights CRPS Support's Social Media/online communications, create engaging content, supervise the team and encourage high standards.
Tasks may include:

• Managing the Social Media campaigns across social media, which includes overseeing engaging content, writing and editorial, design and artwork from The Social Media Team.
• Help develop social media campaigns and day-to-day activities.
• Prepare graphics for sharing across channels.
• Monitor the impact of social media campaigns; Analyse, review and report on effectiveness of campaigns in an effort to maximize the charity’s reach.
• Scheduling and posting social media content.
• Capture and report on monthly data from across all social media platform.
• Lead on Social Media meetings or the social media section of Comms meetings.
• Work with the whole Comms & Marketing Team including the Lead Communications & Marketing Volunteer to provide relevant content for their teams to use on social media, providing training/coaching where appropriate.
• Develop, manage content and maintain social media objectives and targets.
• Supporting the Social Media Team to ensure our social media platforms are regularly updated.
• Supporting with the development, preparation and implementation of Burning Nights CRPS Support's Social Media strategy in conjunction with the overall Comms strategy.
• Encouraging others to comment on our posts and share them with others, to ensure that our communications reach a wide range of stakeholders and diverse audience.
• Increasing the numbers of followers and engagement across our social media channels - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok and X, using appropriate tools and utilising relevant channels to reach diverse audiences.
• Monitor, analyse and report on the performance of social media channels/activities using tools like Metricool, Buffer and Google Analytics, feeding back monthly to the Lead Comms Volunteer and the trustees, using the data to inform future activities.
• Keep up to date with the charity and healthcare sectors, events and news, and suggest content to promote through our social media feeds.
• Support new volunteer Social Media Team members ensuring they understand their role or assign them their role.
• Act responsibly with data held by Burning Nights CRPS Support that you may access as part of your role, adhering to guidelines and policies and reporting any concerns or possible breaches to Burning Nights CRPS Support's Data Protection Officer/Lead.

Key Skills or Qualifications

• Experience of using social media platforms, other online tools and Communications to generate interest in a charity, business or project.
• Experience of managing a team and projects.
• The ability to inspire people to act and get involved internally and externally.
• Ability to transform small snippets of information into interesting and engaging stories suitable for social media platforms.
• Good IT skills, including Google Drive, Canva, Buffer, Word and Excel.
• Experience of managing multiple campaigns, with excellent organisational and time management skills, delivering effective targeted outcomes.
• Be proactive and show initiative, with the ability to volunteer unsupervised.
• Genuine interest in supporting a small charity and a passion for campaigning for a healthcare charity.
• Be motivated and enthusiastic with proven experience and is passionate about social media and marketing, and producing tangible results.
• Good interpersonal skills dealing with people sensitively and respectfully from a wide range of backgrounds
• Strong strategic development, project management and articulate communication skills.
• Good attention to detail and accuracy, with succinct writing and proof-reading skills
• Able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other volunteers and staff.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills with the ability to prioritise and structure work schedules.
• Ability to be innovative and creative.
• Ability to be flexible and have a 'can do' approach.
• Friendly, approachable manner - able to build rapport with a range of partners and staff, and provide a collaborative team environment.
• Confidence in communicating on Zoom or by email.

Key Benefits

• Voluntary Experience: Gain practical real-world experience working in social media management.
• Supportive Team: Collaborate with a passionate team working on projects.
• Personal Development: Develop your skills in social media marketing, content creation, and community engagement.
• Portfolio content for future job applications.
• Opportunity to contribute to a meaningful cause.

Training and Support

• Full induction to our organisation, as well as check-ins, ongoing training, supervision and support from the Communications & Marketing Lead Volunteer, Volunteer Co-ordinators, Trustees and the Volunteer Team.
• Relevant and ongoing training for your volunteer role.
• Regular updates on charity activities.
• Support, advice and guidance from Charity team.
• After 3 months volunteering, all volunteers are eligible for additional training courses (reasonable cost).
• Out-of-pocket expenses, approved in advance will be reimbursed.

We're looking for 2-3 detail-oriented and strategic Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Specialist Volunteers to help optimise our online presence and ensure our campaigns and content reach the communities that need them most and increase the charity’s search engine results rankings. The SEO Specialist Volunteers will play a key role in enhancing the visibility and searchability of Burning Nights CRPS Support’s website and digital content.

The SEO Specialist Volunteers will be volunteering within the Communications & Marketing Team to implement SEO best practices, conduct keyword research, improve site structure, and analyse web performance – all to ensure our content reaches a broader audience and amplifies the voice of our charity’s supporters online.

Key Tasks and Objectives

• Competitor and Keyword Research: Conduct keyword research to inform website content and campaign strategies.
• On-page optimisation: Optimise existing content for improved search engine ranking (meta tags, meta descriptions, headers, alt text, etc.)
• Monitor and analyse SEO performance using tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and SEMrush.
• Technical SEO Implementation: Identify technical SEO issues and collaborate with content teams to resolve them.
• Backlink and Off-Page SEO: Assist in developing backlink strategies and improving domain authority.
• Support the content team in creating SEO-optimised articles and pages.
• Provide monthly reports on SEO performance and suggest improvements.
• Stay up to date with SEO trends, Google algorithm updates, and emerging best practices.

Key Skills or Qualifications

• Excellent understanding of SEO principles and search engine algorithms.
• Proven experience in conducting SEO audits, strategy development, and implementation.
• Experience using SEO tools such as Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Ahrefs, or SEMrush or similar platforms.
• Previous experience in digital marketing, content strategy, or technical SEO.
• Ability to perform keyword research and competitor analysis.
• Familiarity with HTML, CSS, and content management systems (ideally Django framework).
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent written communication and reporting skills.
• Evidence of organisational skills, with good attention to detail.
• The ability to work independently, turning recommendations into action without needing constant oversight.
• A passion for using your skills to support patients and families impacted by a debilitating pain condition and help save lives.
• Passion for creating inclusive and accessible digital spaces.
• Highly organised, self-motivated, and able to work independently.
• Enthusiastic about supporting a small charity.
• Willing to learn, adapt, and collaborate with a supportive team.

Desirable Experience

• Experience of Google Ads for nonprofits.
• Experience of using Django framework websites.
• Familiarity with accessibility best practices and inclusive web design.
• Experience working with or volunteering for nonprofit / charitable organisations.
• Demonstrable IT skills, particularly Google Drive and Microsoft.
• Good research and information management skills.
• An understanding of the charity sector and/or fundraising.

Key Benefits

• Volunteer as part of a forward-thinking, supportive team.
• Unique opportunity to directly contribute to strategic SEO recommendations, and the implementation of those changes to increase the charity’s visibility.
• At Burning Nights CRPS Support you’ll use your SEO skills for a mission with a real, measurable impact. This is more than just a volunteer role, it’s an opportunity to change and save lives.
• Make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and families impacted by a severe pain condition.
• Building your network and forming connections with like-minded people and organisations.
• Enhance your CV and gain skills that are transferable to a variety of career paths.
• Receive training and ongoing support from our team.
• Experience the personal satisfaction and fulfilment that comes from helping others.

Training and Support

• Full induction to our organisation, as well as check-ins, ongoing training, supervision and support from the Communications & Marketing Lead Volunteer, Volunteer Co-ordinators, Trustees and the Volunteer Team.
• This a remote volunteering opportunity with regular online team check-ins and collaborative sessions with a supportive, creative, and inclusive team environment.
• Relevant and ongoing training for your volunteer role.
• Regular updates on charity activities.
• Support, advice and guidance from Charity team.
• After 3 months volunteering, all volunteers are eligible for additional training courses (reasonable cost).
• Out-of-pocket expenses, approved in advance will be reimbursed.

This is an opportunity to become Chair of a Charity which has recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. If you are someone who is looking to make a “real difference” for mothers/birthing people and their families facing one of the most challenging and unexpected periods of their lives, then we would like to hear from you.  We are also looking for a Chair who can lead and “harness” the range of skills present within our existing Board members, who come with a range of experience.

Now into our second decade as a charity, it is exciting time to join Mummy’s Star as the Chairperson. We have broadened the conversation about cancer and pregnancy nationwide, and internationally too despite our small stature. We now must sustain what we have built and help take the charity to that next level where we can elevate the voices of those we support, so that their needs are not only understood, but are also prioritised and used to inform policy and planning.