Support Worker Volunteer Roles in Birmingham

Family Lives was formed over forty years ago by volunteers with the aim of ensuring that all parents had somewhere to turn before they reach crisis point.

Remote Family Support Volunteer – Live Chat

We know that the right support at the right time makes all the difference. Family Lives provides targeted early intervention and crisis support to families who are struggling.

Organisational values:

Mission: We build better family lives together.

Vision: Families should have access to active support and understanding. 

Values: Trustworthy, Compassionate and Collaborative

Purpose of the role: To be part of a flexible team providing empathic, caring and informed support to families, carers and others who use our services.

Live chat: is a free confidential service that is accessed via our website. Service users are offered emotional support, information and advice and guidance on a broad range of family issues.

Supervised by: The Shift Supervisor

 Activities: The volunteer will be fully supervised, supported and trained to provide the following activities:

·Provide emotional support to family members via our live chat service

·Use the Family Lives support model and tools to provide an empathic responses

·Ensure that all service users receive a high quality experience

·Sign post users to other agencies for information and additional support

·Complete conversation data records

·Alert the shift supervisor to any difficult situations

General: Volunteers should be willing to:

·Attend the relevant volunteer training

·Maintain confidentiality and adhere to the other policies and procedures of the organisation

·Participate in regular support, supervision meetings and learning sessions as agreed

For home based volunteers only:

·Volunteers will need a Laptop/PC, plug in headset with microphone, fast broadband and a private place to work from home

·Volunteers need to be IT/PC literate and confident troubleshooting should they have technical difficulties

 Time: We would be looking for volunteers to commit to one four-hour shift per week, plus attending training and supervision.

Location: working remotely from home

 You need to be a UK resident

Supervision and Support:

·Supervision during shifts

·Debrief after every shift

·1 to 1 supervision every 6 months

·Staff available outside of shift within office hours

·Annual review

The Benefits of Volunteering:

·Satisfaction in making a real and lasting difference to families who are struggling

·An opportunity to develop experience for CV and references. Family Lives is committed to helping volunteers develop their own learning and development, gaining new skills, knowledge or work experience

·Being part of a team of Family Lives volunteers and staff

·Personal development

·Opportunities to meet and interact with a wide range of people

·Out of pocket expenses reimbursed to a maximum of £10 per session if working from a centre

·Flexible hours

Volunteer Person Specification. We are looking for individuals who:

·Have experience of parenting/being in a parenting role or demonstrable experience of working with parents or children e.g. in their work, previous volunteering or a previous role

·Have an ability to respond empathically to emotional content

·Good written and verbal communication

·Have good keyboard skills and IT skills, with a minimum of 50 wpm

·Can demonstrate a willingness to question their own attitudes e.g. toward different forms of parenting

·Have a fluent, descriptive and expressive use of English

·Can remain open minded and non-judgemental

·Willing to commit to work within Family Lives’ policies, in particular our Confidentiality Policy and Risk of Harm Procedures

·Willing to commit to attending regular supervision and support sessions

·Willing to work as part of a team

·Willing to commit to a mutually agreed period or ideally a 12 months commitment to the organisation.

Typing Task Prior to Application for Live Chat

Prior to you submitting your application for a Live Chat Volunteer, we will require you to do a speed test, we ask for a minimum speed of 50 words per minute. 

Please take a screen shot and send it across with your application

You can have up to 3 attempts and decide which result you would like to forward as part of your application

Typing task

Go to the website typingtest

You are required to take the one minute typing test recording all of the results (speed, number of errors and adjusted speed).

We have remote voluntary call taker training groups the dates are below are you would need to be able to attend all 5 Modules from the training group.

Module 1 – Wednesday 12th March

Module 2 – Wednesday 19th March

Module 3 – Wednesday 26th March

Module 4 – Wednesday 2nd April

Module 5 – Wednesday 9th April

10am to 2pm

Or

Module 1 - Saturday 8th March

Module 2 - Saturday 15th March

Module 3 - Saturday 22nd March

Module 4 - Saturday 29th March

Module 5 - Saturday 12th April

10am to 2pm

Please note that all roles offered are subject to a satisfactory DBS being obtained, you will receive details of documentation required prior to your training and this must all be in no later than the second session of your training.

Family Lives operate a free confidential helpline for anyone experiencing difficulties in their family or relationship.

Our volunteers take calls from parents and carers on a wide range of subjects, whether that might be issues around separation and divorce, isolation, depression, bullying and abuse, dealing with behavioural problems, etc. You can find out more about our services on our website.

We are a national service with home-based call takers county wide and we also have a call centre in Old Hatfield Hertfordshire. Once trained volunteers sign up for a weekly 4-hour shift comprising 3 hours ‘online’ followed by a debrief session with your supervisor which can lasts around half to one hour. 

We recruit volunteers with a range of backgrounds and experiences though we ask that volunteers have experience of parenting or working with children and young people, are good listeners and have a willingness to learn. Being remote it will be very important that you have a PC/laptop, plug in headset with microphone, good Wi-Fi and a private place to work from home. 

You need to be a UK resident.

Our training programme is excellent and will give you the opportunity to develop the skills needed to offer empathic support and guidance to callers whatever their circumstances; all shifts are overseen by a regular shift supervisor who provides ongoing remote support. We ask our volunteers to make a commitment of 1 year (with time off for holidays), obviously we understand that circumstances sometimes make that an impossibility but can be helpful to know at the outset that is the general expectation. 

We have call taker training sessions that run over five sessions and is done remotely connecting you via a Microsoft Teams link.

You would need to be able to attend all five sessions from one of these remote training groups and be available on four occasions to listen into calls, this can be organised remotely.

Module 1 – Wednesday 12th March

Module 2 – Wednesday 19th March

Module 3 – Wednesday 26th March

Module 4 – Wednesday 2nd April

Module 5 – Wednesday 9th April

10am to 2pm

Or

Module 1 - Saturday 8th March

Module 2 - Saturday 15th March

Module 3 - Saturday 22nd March

Module 4 - Saturday 29th March

Module 5 - Saturday 12th April

10am to 2pm

Please note that all roles offered are subject to a satisfactory DBS being obtained, you will receive details of documentation required prior to your training and this must all be in no later than the second session of your training.

Loneliness is something many young people are struggling with. If you are looking for a flexible volunteering opportunity where you can help build a supportive space for young people feeling alone, this is the role for you!

As a peer-supporter, you will become a core member of our online peer community and provide regular support to members of our community that are looking for people with similar experiences to talk to. This will involve you replying to posts providing active listening, giving your own thoughts, sharing experiences if you feel comfortable and giving words of encouragement. Sometimes, having a group of people you can trust to talk openly and honestly can be the key to making meaningful steps forward, whatever the issue. 

This is an informal role with no minimum hours to commit to – volunteer as little or as much as you like. Once you sign up, we will be in touch to talk through next steps for your application. 

What are we looking for? 

• You must be 13 to 25
• Based within the UK
• Be happy to listen and be empathetic
• No experience is necessary

How often can I get involved?

• You are welcome to use the boards as often as you feel comfortable
• We suggest starting with two hours a week, spread over as many days as you like, as the community thrives on regular contact between its members
• It's up to you how much you do, and this can change from week to week

Please note we can only offer references after 6 months of volunteering.

We are looking for social workers to join our social worker and safeguarding team to give background help and advice to members who are in need of this.

Someone who can work as part of a team but also on their own when needed, we will take on trainees as we have a supervisor in this team

VOLUNTEER TITLE: Support Line Volunteer

LOCATION: Home Working

LINE MANAGER: Volunteer Programme Manager

Rape Crisis South London (RCSL) works in partnership with Rape Crisis England and Wales on the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line. Support line volunteers provide telephone support, information and signposting to survivors of sexual violence aged 16+ across the country. We are open 24 hours a day. Shifts are 3 hours long and volunteers can choose which shift to sign up to, to fit in around any other commitments. We provide all our volunteers with an accredited training course from the Open College Network. The post is open to female applicants only as the role is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

Responsibilities and duties:

1. Provide telephone support and information to callers on the support line, including survivors of sexual violence, family/friends/partners of survivors and other professionals.

2. Provide empathic, non-judgemental and boundaried support at all times.

3. Signpost callers to local specialist services.

4. Complete basic administration during the shift.

5. Debrief with Support Line Workers after every shift.

6. Communicate issues or concerns in timely manner to Volunteer Programme Manager.

7. Attend monthly supervision support sessions.

8. Attend quarterly support line meetings and CPD training

9. To uphold Rape Crisis South London’s (RCSL) Confidentiality Agreement.

10. Follow RCSL’s policies, practices, standards and ethics.

The commitment we ask of you:

1. Volunteer for RCSL for at least 1 year after completion of your training and 3-month probation period.

2. Volunteer on the support line for a minimum of 4 times per month and sign up for shifts at least a month in advance.

3. Volunteer for at least one bank holiday, and four weekend shifts per year.

4. Attend monthly supervision at an agreed time.

The commitment we make to you:

1. We will provide you with Open College Network accredited training, which will fully equip you to give high-quality support to survivors.

2. We will mentor and support you throughout your volunteering journey with us.

3. We will communicate respectfully and always value your opinions, thoughts and experiences.

4. We will come together in the fight to end violence against women.

Support line volunteers are crucial to the running of the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line. Thank you so much for your interest in volunteering with us.

The Salusbury World advice team have been successfully helping clients to navigate welfare benefits, immigration problems, housing support and to find work for 20 years. 70% of our clients require an interpreter. 

We particularly need interpreters to support our Arabic-speaking clients.

Some appointments take place virtually and some are face-to-face appointments, usually in the London borough of Brent. 

Your main tasks will be to: 

*offer clear independent interpreting of the client’s issue and responses from the advice worker to the client. 

*support clients from a variety of Arabic-speaking countries, many with almost no English.

Experience of interpreting is desirable but not essential. You need a warm personality and an ability to build a rapport with people quickly, a high standard of English, and a non-judgemental and supportive approach.

Commitment: this is an irregular commitment, as and when needed. It is likely to be 2 or 3 hours per month but may be less.

We offer induction training, support and reimburse travel costs. 

Volunteer Trustee Treasurer

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity
Location: London (in-person Board meetings with virtual Budget, Audit, and Risk Committee (BARC) meetings)
Commitment: Approx. 10 meetings per year + ad hoc support
Term: 3 years (renewable)

Start: May 2025

Make a Difference with St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

We are seeking a qualified financial professional to join our Board as Trustee Treasurer and Chair of the Budget, Audit, and Risk Committee (BARC). This is a unique opportunity to use your financial expertise to help drive our mission—ensuring everyone has a safe place to call home.

As Trustee Treasurer, you will play a vital role in overseeing the Charity’s financial health, ensuring strong governance, and supporting strategic decision-making. Working closely with our CEO and Board, you will provide financial leadership, ensuring the organisation is financially resilient and sustainable.

What You’ll Do:

• Provide financial oversight and ensure compliance with regulations.
• Work with the Executive Team to deliver clear financial reporting to the Board.
• Chair the Budget, Audit, and Risk Committee (BARC), ensuring robust financial governance.
• Support financial planning, including budgeting, risk management, and reserves policy.
• Liaise with auditors and oversee the annual accounts process.
• Contribute to the Charity’s overall strategy and decision-making as a Trustee.

What We’re Looking For:

• Fully qualified financial professional (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Experience with charity sector financial reporting and regulations.
• Strong strategic and analytical thinking skills.
• Ability to communicate complex financial matters to non-financial Board members.
• Experience in governance, risk management, and financial leadership.
• Non-executive director or Trustee experience (desirable but not essential).

Why Join Us?

• Influence strategic decisions in a leading UK homelessness charity.
• Gain high-level Board experience and expand your governance skills.
• Work alongside passionate and experienced Trustees.
• Make a real impact on homelessness and social justice.

This is an unpaid voluntary role, but all reasonable expenses will be reimbursed. Meetings are a mix of virtual and in-person in London (approx. 10 per year).

Interested?

We warmly encourage applications from all backgrounds and experiences.

To apply, please submit:

· CV outlining your experience

· Supporting statement (max 2 pages) explaining your interest and suitability.

For more information about the role or how to apply please check and read our Candidate Information Pack.

Join us in making a difference!

Recruiting Multiple Volunteers

Are you passionate about community building, travel, nonprofit development, and positively impacting the world?

Bigger Than Us Residency is seeking dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers to join our team in multiple roles!

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Social Media Management: Work alongside the founder to develop and implement a social media strategy to expand the reach of the charity. (Potential to transition into a paid role once funding is secured.)

• Website Development: Lead the development and enhancement of our website, making it a powerful tool for the residency.

• Partnerships Lead: Play a key role in building relationships with funders, corporate sponsors, and nonprofit mentors. This position is crucial in securing sponsorships, in-kind donations, and guest speakers to support the residency. (Potential to transition into a paid role once funding is secured.)

• Fundraising: Collaborate with the founder to secure grants and develop a fundraising strategy for Bigger Than Us. This role is ideal for entry-level candidates or those looking to gain experience in the fundraising sector. (Potential to transition into a contracted role once funding is secured.)

We are also open to volunteers from other backgrounds not explicitly listed above. Additionally, we welcome volunteers interested in attending and assisting with the residency’s launch in Winter 2025. This will be an international opportunity, and we may be able to provide partial or full funding for travel based on volunteer time and role.

To get a sense of who we are and what we do, please visit our website (still in development). We aim to make history as the first retreat-style non-profit residency dedicated to supporting leaders focused on helping BAME communities worldwide.

How to Apply:
Please submit a brief blurb explaining why you’d like to volunteer and which role you're applying for when completing the quick apply.

We look forward to hearing from you!

About Vibes in Care (ViC)

Vibes in Care CIC is a newly forming Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) dedicated to amplifying the voices of children and young people who are care-experienced or at risk. By harnessing insights from lived experience, we develop training, workshops, and advocacy initiatives that reshape professional practices within the care sector.

• Founded on Lived Experience: We believe that those who have gone through the care system have the clearest insights into how to improve it.
• Innovative Training & Workshops: Our programmes empower professionals - such as social workers, educators, and youth workers - to bring about lasting change in how care is delivered.
• Collaborative Culture: Partnership is at the heart of ViC. We work closely with local authorities, youth organisations, and sector specialists to co-create solutions.

Why We Need You

We are seeking Trustees who share our passion for transforming the care experience. Whether you have direct care experience (e.g., have been in care yourself), professional experience in the sector, or simply a deep commitment to improving outcomes for care-experienced children and young people, your voice and leadership are invaluable at this pivotal stage of our growth.

The Role

• Steer Strategic Vision: Help shape and refine ViC’s long-term plans, ensuring that lived experience remains at the core of every decision.
• Champion Good Governance: Oversee compliance with charity regulations, manage financial health, and set policies that maintain transparency and integrity.
• Advocate for Care-Experienced Children and Young People: Act as an ambassador, raising awareness about ViC’s mission and the importance of centring care-experienced voices.
• Support Growth & Partnerships: Contribute insights on fundraising, partnership-building, and community engagement to help ViC expand its reach and impact.

What We’re Looking For

1. Care Experience (Highly Valued): We particularly encourage applications from individuals who have first-hand insights into the care system.
2. Dedication to Social Impact: A genuine desire to improve day-to-day experiences and long-term outcomes for care-experienced children and young people.
3. Collaborative Mindset: Ability to work well in a team, valuing diverse perspectives and open dialogue.
4. Integrity & Oversight: Commitment to upholding the highest ethical standards and acting in the best interests of ViC’s beneficiaries.
5. Strategic Thinking: Capable of understanding big-picture objectives, assessing organisational risks, and spotting growth opportunities.

Skills & Experience (Desirable)

• Professional or Personal Care Experience: Lived experience, in social care work, child protection, or related fields.
• Finance/Accounting: Competent in budget oversight, financial planning, or grant management.
• Legal & Compliance: Familiarity with UK charity regulations or basic legal frameworks.
• HR & Governance: Ability to guide policy setting, recruitment, and staff/volunteer support.
• Fundraising & Communications: Skill in securing resources and raising organisational visibility.

What’s In It For You?

• A Real Chance to Influence: Your perspective will be integral in shaping how ViC evolves.
• Professional Development: Gain governance experience, hone leadership skills, and build your professional network.
• Impact & Legacy: Contribute directly to improving practices that affect some of society’s most vulnerable young people.
• Flexible & Supportive Environment: We meet quarterly, with much of our collaboration happening remotely, so you can fit your responsibilities around other commitments.

Time Commitment

• Board Meetings: Held four times per year (virtually or in person).
• Preparation & Engagement: A few hours each quarter to review papers and stay updated on organisational developments.
• Additional Involvement: Optional sub-committees or working groups on areas like safeguarding, finance, and training delivery.

Application Process

• CV & Cover Letter: Apply via CharityJob outlining your relevant experience (especially care experience), why you’re passionate about our cause, and how you hope to contribute as a Trustee.
• Informal Interview: We’ll invite shortlisted candidates for a conversation with our Director (Founder) to explore mutual fit and answer any questions.
• Appointment: Successful applicants will be welcomed onto the board, pending usual referencing and compliance checks.

Join us in creating meaningful change for care-experienced children and young people. Your lived insight, passion, and dedication could transform how professionals approach care and, ultimately, transform futures. We look forward to hearing from you!

Become a Trustee at Sunrise Multicultural Project

Are you passionate about making a difference in your community?

We are looking for dedicated, enthusiastic individuals to join our Board of Trustees and help guide the future of Sunrise Multicultural Project.

As a trustee, you will play a vital role in shaping our strategy, ensuring we stay true to our mission, and supporting the development of initiatives that promote inclusivity and integration. We are seeking individuals with a range of skills, backgrounds, and experiences – whether in community work, finance, governance, fundraising, or marketing – who share our commitment to empowering minority groups and fostering a more connected, diverse community. 

If you are eager to contribute your time, expertise, and passion, we would love to hear from you!

Barking Mad Dog Rescue are seeking to recruit two trustees to help us take our charity forward.  We have big ambitions.

Who we are

We are a UK registered charity (1160985) that operates two shelters in Constanta district, Romania, with around 350 dogs and puppies.  They are cared for by our small, effective Romanian team of paid workers, who run operations there. In the UK, our charity operates through a team of dedicated volunteers. They manage adoptions, fundraising, marketing, social media and charity promotion.

What we do

Dog welfare is low on the political and public agenda in Romania and life is hard for many street dogs, particularly since the introduction of the 2013 killing law. This, alongside poor uptake of spaying/neutering, means an endless stream of stray and abandoned dogs; pregnant mums, puppies, the old, the sick and the surplus to requirements. This is where Barking Mad Dog Rescue steps in. We work in our local community to educate, spay/neuter, rescue and where possible rehome.

We have made huge strides in dog welfare in our local Romanian community over the past ten years of operation. People are: bringing their pets for neutering and encouraging neighbours to do so; reporting sick, injured and abandoned dogs in need to us; caring for street dogs who live nearby; and, in some cases, adopting dogs in need. Since our establishment in 2015, we have rehomed approximately 3,000 dogs in the UK, Germany and other EU countries.

The future – growing our ambitions

This year we have an exciting opportunity to start to build a new more spacious shelter on land we own, which was kindly purchased for us by a generous donor. With this, come opportunities to work more closely with our local community, to have enhanced facilities for our dogs and shelter team, and to expand our ambitions for what we want to achieve as a charity.

Who we are looking for

To support us to take these exciting next steps, we are looking for two additional trustees who are passionate about dog welfare, willing to bring energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the role, and who will broaden the diversity of thinking and expertise on our board. We are particularly hoping to attract trustees with proven business backgrounds and strong business networks and experience, experience of fundraising and/or with construction or large-scale capital projects, who will take a keen interest in understanding about our work, and helping us to grow and thrive.  

Personal skills and qualities

·    Willingness and ability to understand and accept their responsibilities and liabilities as trustees and to act in the best interests of Barking Mad Dog Rescue.

·    Ability to think creatively and strategically, exercise good, independent judgement and work effectively as a board member.

·    Effective communication skills and willingness to participate actively in discussion.

·    Willingness to bring their expertise and networks to help Barking Mad Dog Rescue determine and deliver its goals

·    A strong personal commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

·    Enthusiasm for our vision and mission.

·    Willingness to lead according to our values.

·    Commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

Time commitment

·    Attending four Board meetings annually (evenings). Meetings are held remotely.

·    Providing additional time and expertise via e-mail, ad hoc meetings as relevant

·    Membership of working groups where relevant, to support the charity and its projects (time commitment agreed as part of working group set-up)

Find out more

A role descriptor for the position is attached

You can read more about our charity and our work on our web-site

If you would like an informal conversation about the role ahead of applying, please e-mail us and we will get back to you to arrange a convenient time.

Marie Curie is expanding its Community Companion service to support people at end of life in/across Bournemouth

Drawing upon their volunteer training, community knowledge and networks, Community Companions visit people identified as end of life in a place of their choosing e.g., their own home, care home, community venue or surgery etc. and empower them to decide what support if any, they would like.

Support may be a one-off activity or an ongoing engagement providing different aspects of support over a longer period of time. 

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

The support a Community Companion provides is unique to each person and their individual circumstances, but is likely to include:  

• visiting people identified as end of life in a place of their choosing and outlining the support that is available to them and to the people closest to them
• providing emotional support to people at end of life and the people closest to them
• providing practical information, support, and signposting to other local services to people at end of life and the people closest to them
• supporting and empowering people at end of life to create an advanced care plan (ACP) which considers, documents, and clearly communicates what is important to them
• providing carer support including pre and post bereavement support, ensuring the right local provision-based support is in place for people within caring roles 
• providing support around fuel poverty and accessing available resources 
• promoting the Community Companion service within the local community
• completing and returning a short report at the end of each session  
• attending and participating in regular volunteer wellbeing sessions, team meetings, and refresher training

THE SKILLS / EXPERIENCE YOU WILL NEED

• Friendly and approachable 
• Patient, empathetic and sensitive to the needs of others
• An active listener and an ability to build a rapport with others
• Self-aware and emotionally resilient
• Adaptable and open to learning and developing
• Able and willing to operate within Marie Curie’s boundaries and to follow all processes, procedures and guidelines including using a lone worker device
• Committed, reliable and trustworthy
• An understanding of confidentiality
• Inclusive and respectful  
• A mature perspective on life and death
• Access to a PC, laptop, Tablet or Phone and basic IT skills e.g. the ability to type on word and email attachments  

WHAT YOU CAN GAIN FROM THIS OPPORTUNITY

• Becoming an important part of Marie Curie, the UK’s leading end of life charity
• Making a real difference to people at end of life and to the people closest to them
• Connecting with new and interesting people with a common goal
• Building and developing your skills in a supportive environment
• Continued training, development, and support 
• Access to other opportunities within Marie Curie 
• Agreed reasonable out-of-pocket expenses

THE NEXT STEPS 

• Complete a volunteering application form or submit an expression of interest 
• Attend an informal interview with a member of the Marie Curie team either face to face or online via Microsoft Teams
• Supply the details of two people (not family members) who can provide you with a reference
• Consent to a DBS (criminal record) check and submit the appropriate documentation online for the check to be completed 
• Attend a face-to-face volunteer induction
• Complete core and role specific Marie Curie training

Marie Curie is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of patients and their families and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Marie Curie will treat all volunteers fairly and with respect. We will not discriminate on the basis of disability, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, sex (i.e. gender), sexual orientation, religion or faith, or gender reassignment. We will not discriminate on the basis of age, unless the responsibilities of a role require us to do so in order to safeguard our volunteers and/or service users. 

For more information or if you have any questions regarding this volunteer role, please us.

About I Have a Voice

At I Have a Voice, we are passionate about empowering young people to engage with politics and have a say in the decisions that shape their lives. We break down barriers to political participation through education, advocacy, and grassroots campaigns—ensuring that young people, regardless of background, feel confident and equipped to influence change.

From working with schools to delivering training and amplifying youth voices on key policy issues, our work is making politics more accessible, diverse, and representative. As we grow, we are looking for committed and experienced individuals to join our Board and help shape our strategic direction.

Why Join Our Board?

This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in a dynamic, purpose-driven organisation at the forefront of youth political engagement. As a Board Member, you will:

• Influence the growth and sustainability of I Have a Voice.
• Help shape our strategy to expand our impact and reach.
• Guide governance and financial sustainability, ensuring strong and effective decision-making.
• Be part of an inspiring network of changemakers dedicated to democracy, education, and empowerment.

We are particularly keen to hear from individuals with expertise in:

• Governance – ensuring strong organisational leadership and compliance.
• Fundraising & Development – securing sustainable income and forging key partnerships.
• Education – deepening our impact in schools and the wider education sector.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Oversight: Help shape and refine I Have a Voice’s strategic priorities.
• Governance & Compliance: Ensure we meet legal and ethical responsibilities as a nonprofit.
• Fundraising & Partnerships: Support initiatives to secure funding and build strategic relationships.
• Advocacy & Influence: Champion I Have a Voice’s mission and expand our network of supporters.
• Advisory Role: Provide guidance and mentorship to the leadership team where needed.

Who We’re Looking For

We welcome applications from passionate individuals who share our vision of a more engaged and empowered generation of young people. You might have experience as a board member or trustee, in school leadership, policy work, fundraising, or nonprofit governance. Above all, you should be:

• Committed to youth political engagement and democratic participation.
• A strategic thinker with strong problem-solving skills.
• Willing to actively contribute to Board discussions and initiatives.
• Well-connected within governance, fundraising, or education sectors (desirable).

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive Board that is reflective of the communities we work with - from across the UK, lower socioeconomic households and racially marginalised groups.

Tender aims to prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence by educating children and young people about the issues through creative projects. Our programmes are safe, enjoyable, and age-appropriate which allow people to engage with sensitive topics and “rehearse” for real-life scenarios. Participants are encouraged to learn through script-work, role-play and creative media such as films and art. Throughout, we enable young people to explore their choices, rights and expectations in relationships and to recognise the early warning signs of abuse. 

Our Trustees are vital to us, setting the strategy for the organisation, ensuring its financial stability and offering insights that help us to ask and answer questions. The Board of Trustees lead and control Tender and are responsible for its governance, policy and affairs. Trustees have responsibilities under charity and company law, and also under Tender’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, for directing the affairs of the organisation, ensuring that it is solvent, well run and delivers Tender’s objects. The day-to-day running of the charity is delegated to the CEO and the Senior Leadership Team.

All trustees are expected to:

• Safeguard and promote the reputation, vision, mission and values of Tender
• Ensure the charity complies with its governing documents, relevant legislation and regulatory requirements
• Determine the overall strategic direction and development of Tender, by agreeing organisational polices, budgets and objectives, and to ensure targets are set and performance is measured against those targets
• Contribute any specific skills, knowledge, and experience which they may have to help the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions
• Ensure the effective and efficient administration of Tender and its financial stability
• Ensure that key risks are being identified, monitored and controlled effectively
• As requested by the Chair, represent the Chair of the Board at functions and events, and lead or be a member of committees/panels/groups
• Collectively own and hold the Board to account for its decisions and activities, ensuring the avoidance of any personal conflict of interest
• Provide support and challenge to Tender’s CEO in the exercise of their delegated authority and affairs
• Engage with volunteers, Patrons and other beneficiaries to keep informed about the organisation's activities and wider issues that affect Tender's work
• Attend Board meetings, adequately prepared to contribute to discussions

What we are looking for

We look for the following qualities in all trustees:

• An interest in and commitment to the mission, values and vision of Tender
• The ability to think and act strategically
• Leadership, communication and influencing skills
• Sound independent judgement and integrity
• An understanding of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship, or a willingness to learn (we will provide training and guidance on charity governance if you do not have previous experience)
• A strong personal commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion
• The ability to inspire trust and confidence in people
• A willingness and ability to devote the necessary time and effort to prepare for and attend board and committee meetings, including remaining in the role for a minimum term of two years

For trustees with communications experience, we are also looking for:

• Experience in developing or implementing communications strategies
• Experience of building communications capacity within a growing organisation
• Knowledge of crisis communications management
• An ability to use communications to aid the diversification of our fundraising

For trustees with policy and influencing experience, we are looking for:

• Knowledge of UK politics and parliamentary processes
• Knowledge of policy areas and governmental departments relevant to Tender, in particular Education, Health and Home Office
• Experience of developing and promoting policy and campaign strategies for an organisation, and creating effective public affairs influencing strategies
• Experience of engaging with stakeholder at different levels of government (Parliament, civil service, local authority) to influence policy decisions