Executive director volunteer roles in Greater london

Help Shape the Future of SUNSHINE

SUNSHINE is a start-up grassroots, volunteer‑powered community based loneliness charity bringing joy, connection and belonging to people who need it most. We create warm, uplifting spaces where no one stands alone — ever. From coffee mornings to community socials, every SUNSHINE moment is designed to spark smiles, laughter and genuine human connection.

As we grow, we’re looking for a committed, compassionate and capable Senior Leadership Volunteer to work closely with our Founder & CEO and help guide SUNSHINE into its next chapter.

This is a rare opportunity to be part of building something beautiful from the ground up.

The Role

As a Senior Leadership Volunteer, you will support the Founder & CEO in the strategic, operational and cultural development of SUNSHINE. You’ll help ensure the charity runs smoothly, sustainably and with the warmth and integrity that define us.

This role is ideal for someone who:

• Thrives in purpose‑driven environments.

• Enjoys shaping systems, structure and strategy.

• Is emotionally intelligent, reliable and grounded.

• Wants to make a meaningful difference to people experiencing loneliness.

• Believes in kindness‑led leadership and community empowerment.

Key Responsibilities

You may support with:

1. Strategic Support

• Helping shape priorities, plans and community‑led initiatives.

• Offering insight, ideas and leadership perspective.

• Supporting the Founder in decision‑making and organisational development.

2. Operational Support

• Assisting with coordination, planning and smooth running of activities.

• Helping develop processes, systems and volunteer pathways.

• Supporting with admin, scheduling and internal organisation.

3. People & Culture

• Helping nurture a warm, inclusive, supportive volunteer culture.

• Supporting volunteer onboarding, wellbeing and engagement.

• Being a trusted sounding board for the Founder & CEO.

4. Community & Partnerships

• Helping build relationships with local partners, groups and supporters.

• Representing SUNSHINE with warmth and professionalism.

What You Bring

• A calm, steady, supportive presence.

• Strong organisational or leadership experience (charity, community, business or public sector).

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

• A collaborative, compassionate approach.

• Commitment to SUNSHINE’s values of joy, belonging, kindness and radical welcome.

What You’ll Gain

• A meaningful leadership role in a growing grassroots charity.

• The chance to shape a movement that brings people together.

• A close working relationship with the Founder & CEO.

• A warm, supportive environment where your contribution truly matters.

• The joy of seeing your work directly improve people’s lives.

Join Us in Building SUNSHINE

If you’re someone who leads with kindness, believes in community, and wants to help build something hopeful and human‑centred, we’d love to hear from you.

Together, we can make sure no one stands alone.

VOLUNTEER!

Ready to help steer a brand‑new movement? Become a Trustee at MINDSET

MINDSET isn’t a traditional charity. We’re a start‑up movement reshaping men’s mental wellbeing across England and Wales — ditching the waiting rooms, the stigma, and the “one‑size‑fits‑all” approach. We’re building something new, something bold, and something that actually works for the communities we serve.

Now we’re looking for a volunteer Trustee to join our current board who want to help shape that future.

We are especially and particularly keen to welcome people from a range of diverse backgrounds, including people from BAME communities, women as well as men and women from the LGBT+ community, to ensure our Board truly reflects the communities of England and Wales.

The Role: Trustee

As a Trustee, you’ll sit at the heart of MINDSET’s mission. You’ll help guide our strategy, strengthen our governance, and ensure we deliver real, measurable impact for men across the country.

This is a volunteer leadership role for someone who cares deeply about mental wellbeing, social change, and building something meaningful from the ground up.

Your Mission

1. Shape the Vision

Help define the strategic direction of a start‑up charity determined to transform men’s mental fitness and personal growth.

2. Strengthen the Foundations

Ensure we operate with integrity, transparency, and strong governance as we grow from an idea into a national movement.

3. Champion Inclusion

Bring your lived experience, your community insight, and your voice to a Board committed to representing the full diversity of England and Wales.

4. Drive Impact

Support the development of innovative services, campaigns, and partnerships that challenge stigma and create real change.

5. Hold the Mission True

Make sure everything we do is high‑quality, ethical, sustainable, and aligned with our values.

The Vibe

We’re informal, direct, and positive. We value creativity, honesty, and people who get things done. As a Trustee, you’ll have space to lead, freedom to shape the organisation, and the chance to build a legacy with a movement that’s only just beginning.

Sound like you

If you’re passionate about mental wellbeing, committed to inclusion, and excited by the idea of helping build a new national charity from scratch, we’d love to hear from you.

Bring your voice. Bring your experience. Bring your leadership.

Join the MINDSET mission.

Kent Wildlife Trust is one of the largest of the 46 Wildlife Trusts, which together make up The Wildlife Trusts federation. KWT is an independent charity supported by three wholly owned income-generating subsidiary companies which together make up the Kent Wildlife Trust Group. Our Wilder Kent 2030 strategy sets out our vision for creating a nature-rich, climate resilient Kent, in acknowledgement that we must act now at scale to recover nature across Kent, and the entire UK. 

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a voluntary Non-Executive Director to join the board of our subsidiary company Kent Wildlife Enterprises.

Established in 1996 Kent Wildlife Enterprises (KWE) receives and manages our core ‘non primary purpose’ trading income. This includes income generated through retail, our extensive events programme, and our Visitor Centre activities. KWE also receives the funds generated from our reserves through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) activities, including the sales of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and carbon units.

In 2026 KWE anticipates realising the benefits of an enhanced visitor experience at our Sevenoaks Visitor Centre following its refurbishment over the last year, as well as a refreshed online retail offering following the launch of our new KWT website. 

At a time when the nature and climate crises is becoming all too real, it is critical for the Trust to maximise income opportunities to support its work. KWE donates all its year-end profits to the parent charity to this aim. If you have the skills and time this role offers an opportunity to use your business and governance expertise to deliver real benefits for UK wildlife and biodiversity. 

As a Non-Executive Director, you will join the board to provide independent oversight, strategic guidance and values-based leadership to the company, helping to ensure strong financial health, business growth and effective risk management.  You will work with fellow directors and the Trust’s senior leadership team to promote the success of the company, ensure compliance with legal, ethical and regulatory obligations and uphold the highest standards of environmental practice.

We are particularly interested in applicants with experience in areas such as:

•            SME business growth

•            Visitor centres, destination venues, events and experiences

•            Environmental or heritage retail enterprises including e-commerce

•            Eco-tourism

•            Company finance, tax and accounting

•            Experience working with or within charities, social enterprises or trading subsidiaries

Prior experience in a senior leadership role is highly desirable.

The role is unpaid and voluntary, requiring attendance at a minimum of four board meetings per year, primarily online with occasional in-person meetings.

Next steps:   

If you're ready to join our team and help us create a Wilder Kent, simply follow the link below to apply via our website. 

Closing date: Sunday 29th March 2026

Interviews will be held online before invitation to an in-person meeting at our headquarters near Maidstone, Kent.

Kent Wildlife Trust believes that everyone has a responsibility to safeguard children, young people, and adults at risk; we are committed to ensuring their safety and wellbeing is at the heart of our engagement with people.  We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to references, Disclosure and Barring Service checks along with other relevant employment checks as appropriate to the role.

The Kent Wildlife Trust Group is Wild About Inclusion. To us, this means inspiring, empowering and engaging people from all backgrounds, cultures, identities and abilities, to change the natural world for the better.  It also means cultivating inclusive workspaces that are free from discrimination, where differences are celebrated, everyone can be themselves and flourish, just like nature!

Lead a Movement. Shape a Legacy. Become the Volunteer CEO of Unlock YOUR Potential

Take the helm of a new social‑mobility charity determined to break barriers and transform futures

At Unlock YOUR Potential, we believe that an accident of birth should never determine a person’s destination. We exist to challenge the structural inequalities that hold people back — and to create pathways to employment, wellbeing and opportunity for adults living in the UK’s most deprived communities.

We are building a charity with a bold mission: to unlock the potential of people who have talent, ambition and drive — but face the highest barriers to opportunity.

Our work is focused in areas ranked among the top 10% most deprived nationally for employment and skills. The need is urgent. The stakes are high. And the opportunity to create lasting change is extraordinary.

Now we are looking for a leader who can help turn this vision into reality.

Volunteer CEO (Founding Leadership Role)

Steer a new charity from concept to impact

This is a rare and remarkable opportunity to become the founding Volunteer CEO of a start‑up social‑mobility charity at the most pivotal moment in its creation.

You will work closely with the Founder to shape the organisation’s direction, culture, strategy and early operations — and play a defining role in building a charity designed to transform thousands of lives.

This is not a ceremonial title. This is hands‑on, mission‑critical leadership.

As our Volunteer CEO, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership and direction as we move from start‑up to launch

• Work with the Founder to define our vision, values, priorities and long‑term roadmap

• Oversee the development of early operational structures, governance and systems

• Lead and inspire a growing volunteer team across design, operations and service development

• Drive forward key decisions that shape our programmes, partnerships and impact

• Champion our mission publicly and help build credibility, trust and momentum

• Ensure we stay focused, organised and aligned as we prepare to launch our services

• Play a central role in recruiting the wider volunteer team that will deliver our work

Your leadership will directly influence how quickly and effectively we can begin supporting adults who face the highest barriers to employment and skills.

Who we’re looking for

You’ll thrive in this role if you are:

• An experienced leader with a background in strategy, operations, organisational development or charity leadership

• Someone who can bring clarity, structure and direction to a fast‑moving start‑up environment

• A visionary thinker who can also roll up their sleeves and get things done

• A collaborator who enjoys building something from the ground up

• Deeply committed to social mobility, fairness and expanding opportunity

• Able to commit time over the next few weeks/months to help us reach launch

This is a short‑term, high‑impact volunteer role — but if you wish to continue with us after launch, that option is open.

Why this role matters

This is your chance to lead a charity at the moment of its birth. To shape its identity, its strategy, its culture and its future. To build something that will outlast all of us — and change lives for years to come.

• If you believe in a fairer society…
• If you want to use your leadership to create real, measurable impact…
• If you want to help build a movement that unlocks potential where it’s needed most…

We would be honoured to hear from you.