19 Challenge and community fundraising assistant volunteer roles

Portsmouth Cathedral's Fabric Advisory Committee (FAC) is seeking to recruit two new members to join the existing committee which has expertise in architecture, planning, art, design, and conservation.  We are looking for people with extensive experience and sound judgement who can advise within a complex organisation.  Applications are particularly welcome from those with liturgical, architectural, museum or heritage backgrounds.

The FAC is responsible to the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England (CFCE) for the care, conservation and development of the Cathedral and forms part of the planning application for the Grade 1 listed building and its immediate precinct (The Cathedral Green).

As a member of FAC your role will be vital in the oversight of the overall development, conservation and maintenance of the Cathedral building and precinct.   Appointees will, as appropriate, provide determination on applications and advise the Cathedral Chapter (the governing body of a cathedral) in line with the statutory responsibility of the Committee under the Care of Cathedrals Measure, remaining true to the values of the Cathedral and its role as a living place of worship. 

Term of Office
Members are appointed for up to five years with the option for reappointment.  All members are re-appointed every five years.  The current Quinquennial runs until 2031.

Time Commitment
FAC meets a minimum of three times a year. Meetings are normally held on mornings in October, February and May in person but with an online option. The committee will need to work more regularly when major capital works or repairs are planned. Ad hoc meetings and support through working groups and/or support to the executive team may be required.

Remuneration

Membership of FAC is an unpaid role.  Reasonable travel and out of pocket expenses will be paid in accordance with the Cathedral’s Expenses policy.

Safeguarding

The Cathedral takes the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults very seriously, and practices Safer Recruitment for all roles (both paid and voluntary). Members of our committees are expected to undertake any safeguarding training provided by the Church of England and Diocese pertinent to their role and the Cathedral records and manages the checks and courses taken to ensure that training is refreshed as required.

We are committed to ensuring our committees are diverse and representative of the community we serve. There is no requirement to be a Christian, but appointees should be able to understand the ethos and structures of the Church of England, and work in sympathy with the Cathedral’s mission.

Interviews will be held on a rolling basis.

We're looking for Initial Contact Advisers across our offices in South West Surrey: Cranleigh, Farnham, Godalming, Guildford, Haslemere. 

What will you do?
● complete an introduction to Citizens Advice and training for your role
● talk to clients over the phone, face to face, or online to explore whatproblems they’ve come for help with
● assess clients capacity and the level of help they need, to decide nextsteps
● find information about the clients’ problems and help them to understandtheir options
● identify when a client needs more in depth help than you can give at initialcontact, and make an appointment for them to come back
● write a summary of the clients’ problems and what action you’ve taken
● look out for problems’ that are common, or are unfair, and write a shortreport about the problem or a letter to an elected official like an MP, AMor local councillor.

Some examples of what you could do:
● help a client with rent arrears find how to get help with their rent, andtake the first steps to secure their housing
● help someone with debts work out a reasonable amount to pay back, andmake a phonecall to an organisation they owe money to.
● explore what benefits a client is entitled to and to take the first steps inmaking a benefit claim.

What’s in it for you?
● make a real difference to people’s lives
● learn about a range of issues such as benefits, debt, employment and housing
● build on valuable skills such as communication, listening and analysing
● increase your employability
● work with a range of different people, independently and in a team.
● have a positive impact in your community.

And we’ll reimburse your travel expenses too.

What do you need to have?
You don’t need specific qualifications or skills but you’ll need to:
● be friendly and approachable
● be non-judgmental and respect views, values and cultures that are different to your own
● have good listening skills
● have excellent verbal and written communication skills
● have good maths and IT skills
● be able to understand information and explain it to others
● be willing to learn about and follow the Citizens Advice aims, principles and policies, including confidentiality and data protection
● be willing to undertake training in your role

How much time do you need to give?
Ideally we ask for 6 hours per week, which can be over one day or spread over two days, for at least 6 months.

Valuing inclusion
Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds and we particularly welcome applications from racially minoritised people/people of colour, disabled people, people with physical or mental health conditions, LGBTQ+ and non-binary people.

If you are interested in becoming an assessor and would like to discuss flexibility around location, time, ‘what you will do’ and how we can support you please contact us.

Contact details
To apply, please fill out a Volunteer Application Form.

We're looking for Reception volunteers across our offices in South West Surrey: Cranleigh, Farnham, Godalming, Guildford, Haslemere. 

What will you do?

• complete an introduction to Citizens Advice and training for your role
• welcome clients and other visitors to the local Citizens Advice
• explain to the client how long they might be waiting and what will happen and give out a form for clients to fill in
• type up information from the client form onto a spreadsheet or database
• answer the telephone, reply to emails and post
• help with the day to day running of the Citizens Advice service

What’s in it for you?
• gain and build on valuable skills and experience such as communication, IT skills and working in a team
• increase your employability
• contribute to the smooth running of the advice service which makes a real difference to peoples’ lives
• work with a range of different people, independently and in a team.

And we’ll reimburse your travel expenses too.

What do you need to have?
You don’t need specific qualifications or skills but you’ll need to:
• be friendly and approachable
• be non-judgmental and respect views, values and cultures that are different to your own
• have good IT skills
• be calm under pressure
• be willing to learn about and follow the Citizens Advice aims, principlesand policies, including confidentiality and data protection
• be willing to undertake training in your role

How much time do you need to give?

We ask for a commitment of 1 day a week for 12 months at least.

Valuing inclusion

Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds and we particularly welcome applications from racially minoritised people/people of colour, disabled people, people with physical or mental health conditions, LGBTQ+ and non-binary people.
If you are interested in becoming a customer service volunteer / reception volunteer and would like to discuss flexibility around location, time, ‘what you will do’ and how we can support you please contact us.

Contact details
To apply, please email to request a Volunteer Application Form.