Welfare benefits volunteer roles

Volunteer Ambassador

We are looking for conscientious and proactive Volunteer Ambassadors to help raise the profile of ECI and support fundraising within the community.

Despite being one of Exeter’s oldest charities, many people are still unaware of the work we do. As an Ambassador, you will help share our impact, connect with the community, and support fundraising activity so more people can benefit from our services.

By joining our fundraising and engagement team, you will play an important role in helping ECI continue its work across Exeter and beyond.

What you’ll be doing

• Attend occasional group meetings and community events
• Represent ECI at local events, stands and awareness activities
• Help promote and support fundraising activities and initiatives
• Share information about ECI services, impact and opportunities to get involved
• Support bucket collections, awareness stands and community outreach
• Help identify locations for posters, collection tins and promotional materials
• Encourage community members to get involved in fundraising or volunteering
• Research local opportunities to support ECI’s work
• Follow ECI policies, procedures and safeguarding guidance

Commitment

• Flexible, ad-hoc volunteering based on your availability
• Attendance at occasional meetings and events
• No requirement to attend everything — we work around your schedule
• Communication may take place via WhatsApp, email or Facebook group

Skills and experience

We’re looking for volunteers who are:

• Friendly, confident and approachable
• Good communicators with a positive and empathetic manner
• Reliable, honest and able to work as part of a team
• Comfortable working independently when needed
• Willing to collaborate and make group decisions
• Passionate about community, wellbeing and supporting others

A driving licence or access to a car may be useful for some activities but is not essential.

What you’ll get

Volunteering with ECI is a rewarding way to give back, build confidence and connect with your community.

• Full training and ongoing support from ECI staff
• Opportunity to represent a well-established local charity
• Experience in community engagement and fundraising
• Meet new people and be part of a supportive team
• ECI T-shirt and ID badge
• Agreed expenses (if applicable)
• A sense of achievement from supporting local people and families
• Improved confidence, skills and wellbeing through volunteering

Inclusive Boards is delighted to be supporting We Change Lives in their search for three new Trustees to join their Board.

About We Change Lives

We Change Lives is one of England’s leading specialist care charity providing expert, personalised support for adults with complex needs, including learning disabilities, acquired brain injuries, and mental health needs. Through our expanding residential care and supported living we help people live with greater independence, dignity and confidence.

Our purpose is to help people lead their lives in a purposeful, healthy and enjoyable way, as full and equal members of their local community. We do this by providing residential homes and supported living schemes, as well as other forms of support for individuals in the community. We’re a thriving, ambitious organisation with big plans to grow, so we can support even more people across the UK to live life on their terms

About the Trustee Opportunities

We Change Lives operates with a Trustee Board as its senior decision-making and accountable body. The Board are supported by the SLT and external advisors as required. 

We are seeking 3 new trustees to join the Main Board.

Experience is also required in one, or all of, the following areas: 

• Health and / or Social Care: Care quality or other operational complex, highly regulated environments that require high levels of assurance.
• Growth and Transformation: Experience ensuring an organisation can deliver growth to a high standard and in a fully rounded manner.

Please visit Inclusive Boards website for more information and to apply.

The Africa Health Organisation (AHO) seeks to engage in bidding and tendering to deliver health and social care services effectively.  Our goal is to ensure sustainability and positively impact the lives of more people.  We want assistance in developing an ambitious strategy.

What will you be doing?

We are excited to announce an incredible opportunity for a talented Head of Bids and tenders to join our passionate team at the Africa Health Organisation (AHO)!  Since 1999, we've been dedicated to delivering health and social care to millions across Africa and the Diaspora, and now we're ready to further elevate our impact.

This year, we're embarking on a mission to broaden our funding strategy by incorporating bid and tender submissions.  Our goal is to engage with governments in Africa and the UK, the public sector, and the public, providing essential, practical, and emotional support to those facing chronic conditions.  We need a visionary like you to help us achieve our goals.

We're seeking a dynamic, experienced Head of Bids to develop and execute a winning strategy to secure the necessary financial backing.  There are numerous exciting possibilities ahead, including central government tenders, local and statutory opportunities.  We're eager to explore them all.

In this pivotal role, you'll plan and execute our bids and tender writing efforts, ensuring that our bid proposals not only shine but also come to life in meaningful ways.  If you're a bid writer who thrives on creativity and collaboration, we want to hear from you!  Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to inspire and mentor volunteers within our bid and tender team, making a positive impact together.  Join us on this exciting journey!

Key Duties and Responsibilities will include:

• Overall responsibility for delivering high-quality, accurate, compliant and commercially sound proposals on time, to budget, with inputs from key stakeholders.
• Responsible for the coordination and management of all Bid activities, for ensuring that Bid Plans are put in place and that all internal inputs are received promptly to meet Bid submission timescales.
• Responsible for the receipt, management, control and coordination of all external and internal information and documentation with respect to the enquiry and for the team acting as custodian for Bid documents, including all approved internal documentation signed by the Organisation.
• Responsible for compliance with all internal Bid policies and procedures and for passing internal and external audits.
• Contribute to the overall Bid strategy alongside other stakeholders.
• Responsible for the overall leadership of the team and ensuring that individuals within the team are given appropriate opportunities to grow and develop, and that the team maximises performance by creating and fostering a positive, can-do attitude and outlook on an ongoing basis.
• Responsibility to ensure that improvements are identified and those agreed upon are implemented continuously to support the growth and development of the team and those within it.
• There is a need to keep good records and to create and measure metrics on bidding performance to both review performance and drive continuous improvement in a key area of the business.
• Responsible for mentoring and training Bid Managers and Bid Writers to ensure they are up to date with bid requirements and improve their competence.

What are we looking for?

Education, Skills and Experience: Requirements

Essential:

• At least three years of experience in successfully leading teams within a bid environment.
• Proven track record of improvement and achievement - processes and people
• Keen understanding of numbers, spreadsheets, VOP/invoices, rates, cash flow, milestones, negotiations, and pricing audits.
• Ability to write strong proposals and experience as an estimator
• Excellent communicator (written and verbal) with local and international customers, and with an appreciation of cultural differences
• Ability to persuade and influence others
• Ability to lead team by example, with the ability to foster and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to work to deadlines
• Strong business/commercial acumen
• Keen attention to detail
• Commercially sound judgement
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Strong financial skills

Desirable:

• Leadership qualification (CMI or ILM)
• Experience with an integrated project management / ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning)
• Experience in bidding roles in the Medical, Biochemistry, Biomedical, Public Services, Global Health, Humanitarian, NGOs, Public Health and Social Care industry
• MBA, Professional Qualification or formal leadership Qualification (CMI, ILM)

What difference will you make?

In this exciting role, you will lead the strategic process for winning new business through competitive bids, tenders, and proposals, ultimately elevating AHO's success. Your specialised knowledge of bids will enhance our win rates and maximise revenue by bringing clarity, quality, and coordination to what can be a complex, high-stakes journey.

Your primary mission is to boost AHO's tender win rates and strengthen our strategic advantage.  By diligently overseeing each step of the bidding process—from initial evaluation to final submission—you will significantly improve the quality and persuasion of our proposals, directly increasing our chances of securing valuable contracts.

You'll provide key insights to help AHO target the most promising opportunities by implementing a thoughtful "bid/no-bid" process.  This approach will ensure we focus only on lucrative and winnable contracts that closely align with our strategic goals, ultimately saving time and resources and allowing us to prioritise high-potential projects.

In this role, you will orchestrate a well-coordinated process that drives operational efficiency.  As the central point of contact, you will gather input from diverse internal teams—sales, finance, legal, and technical—ensuring everyone collaborates smoothly to meet critical deadlines.

As a leader, you'll elevate the quality of our bid content.  By overseeing the creation of compelling, polished materials, you'll ensure our final submissions are professional, cohesive, and error-free.  You will utilise a centralised content library containing valuable resources, such as case studies and CVs, to streamline efforts and enhance our proposals.

You will keep projects on track by developing detailed project plans and timelines, ensuring all tasks are completed on time—especially critical in the fast-paced environment of tender submissions.  Your effective management will ease colleagues' workloads, allowing the entire team to shine.

To foster long-term business growth, you'll create a wealth of knowledge around our tenders and bids. By conducting insightful post-submission debriefs and analysing feedback, you will capture invaluable lessons from both successes and setbacks.  This ongoing improvement process will enhance our bidding capabilities for future opportunities.

You also have the opportunity to enhance AHO's brand reputation by submitting well-organised, accurate, and compliant bids.  By doing so, you'll showcase our professionalism and reliability to clients, building trust and solidifying our credible standing in the market.

Strategic alignment is vital for sustaining consistent, stable business growth.  Together, we can make a remarkable impact on development.

Are you creative and tech-savvy? Are you passionate about sustainability, tackling food waste or supporting local communities? 

We are recruiting a Volunteer Social Media Intern to join our food charity for a 6-month placement. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain hands-on experience in charity communications while helping us reach more volunteers, supporters and people who benefit from our work. You don’t need previous professional experience - just creativity, initiative, and strong basic computer skills. We’re especially keen to hear from people who are confident using social media and Canva, and enjoy creating engaging content that connects with audiences.

The role is remote, with the potential to come into our Brixton office if you prefer. You’ll work closely with charity staff to promote our upcoming projects, raise awareness of our work, and help rebuild our social media presence as we launch new projects in 2027. We’re looking for a commitment of 16–20 hours per week.

Who we are:

Founded in 2018, Compliments of The House (CoTH) began by collecting surplus cooked food from Brixton Village and surrounding areas, and redistributing it free to people in need. From our local hubs we served our guests, and also ran our ‘Back to Work’ and ‘Care Leaver’ schemes. 

During the COVID-19 lockdown, we could not host our guests in our hub. So we launched a temporary grocery delivery scheme supported by local council school buses, which gained recognition from the Prime Minister due to its impact. 

Since then, we have found a new venture to channel our commitments to reducing the environmental impact within hospitality whilst nourishing people through food. We are so lucky to have many vibrant and diverse festivals locally and across the UK, which produce a whopping 400 tonnes in food waste every year! We’re taking on the challenge to reduce that waste and use it to nourish those in need. 

We’re looking for someone:

• Experienced using Canva (or confident in transferable skills with similar software)

• With excellent written communication skills

• With basic computer skills

• Who can manage their own work and time

• Organised and reliable

• Confident using social media platforms, with a good understanding of maximising engagement and willingness to learn more

• Passionate about sustainability, reducing food waste or supporting communities

• Eager to learn and contribute new ideas

Responsibilities:

• Create engaging and relevant social media content (with guidance) for various platforms using Canva

• Organise a regular posting schedule

• Awareness of methods to boost engagement

• Write interesting captions to promote further engagement

• Research relevant awareness days and events

• Monitor engagement and identify opportunities to grow our online community

• Assist with measuring the success of campaigns using social media analytics

What You'll Gain

• Hands-on experience managing social media for a growing charity

• A portfolio of real campaigns and content

• Training, support and regular feedback

• A professional reference on successful completion of the placement

• The opportunity to make a genuine difference by helping reduce food waste and improve access to nutritious food

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming organisation. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and lived experiences. 

How to Apply

Please send us:

• Your CV

• A portfolio (if you have some previous work) and short statement (up to 300 words) explaining why you'd like to volunteer with us and what you hope to gain from the placement 

For more than a century, the RAF Benevolent Fund has stood beside the RAF Family;
through war and peace, hardship and change. From the first day in uniform to the final
years of life, we have been a constant source of emotional, practical and financial support.
Today, our work reaches serving personnel, veterans, families and the bereaved in more
than 30 countries.
As the demands on the RAF Family grow in complexity and urgency, so too must the resilience
of the charity that serves them. Our ability to provide life-changing support, whether keeping a
family in their home, helping veterans navigate injury or isolation, or walking beside the
bereaved, relies on strong, stable and sustainable income streams. Therefore, we are seeking a
Trustee with significant fundraising expertise to help shape and strengthen our long-term
financial future. The successful candidate will join our diverse and highly skilled Board and
Fundraising, Communications and Engagement Committee to:
• play a key strategic role in supporting our fundraising vision and strategy
• provide strategic input into fundraising plans and campaigns
• support and advise on income generation, donor engagement and partnerships
The full role description can be found on our website here. The role is voluntary, however
reasonable out-of-pocket expenses are paid. We will provide the successful candidate with a
bespoke induction programme and relevant training / development.
Interested?
We would love to hear from you if you have the experience and passion we are seeking.
Please send an up-to-date CV and covering email / letter outlining your background, skills,
experience and interest in the role. Email address and contact details can be found on our website. If you have any questions about the role or would like to have an informal
discussion prior to applying, please contact Lisa (information on website).
We welcome applications from anyone who has the experience we are seeking, irrespective of
background, community, industry or protected characteristics. If you require any reasonable
adjustments as part of your application process, please let us know. You must be eligible to be
a charity trustee under UK law to be considered for this role. We operate safer selection
practices; this will involve the successful candidate being required to have a Disclosure and
Barring Service check.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and this position will remain open until we
have found our ideal candidate. No agencies please.

Can you spare 3 hours a week to make a difference to the lives of children? Home-Start Volunteers offer support, friendship and practical help to families.

We are looking for compassionate, non-judgemental and caring individuals to join our community of volunteers to share their parenting experiences and knowledge with families. Home-Start is one of the leading family support charities in the UK and Home-Start Warrington and Cheshire work in Northwich, Warrington and Winsford. Our volunteers provide a weekly, one-to-one home-visiting service. We help families from all backgrounds, with at least one child in the household under the age of 5 years, through their most challenging times.

Your role will be to offer support to a family you are matched with and support them in the way that they would like: this may include help with practical tasks such as getting out of the house, attending appointments, an extra pair of hands on a trip to the park or a playgroup, role-modelling how to play with children or helping to get organised. It could also involve empathising and supporting through emotional issues in a compassionate and non-judgmental way. All visits are a maximum of three hours, once per week and all take place Monday to Thursday, between 9am and 4pm (and only when our office is open).

Home Start also deliver targeted groups to support families, a place for families to connect, learn and play together. Volunteers support Home Start staff to deliver groups for families – from helping to set up/clear away, role-modelling playing with the children to parents and offering friendly emotional support to parents.

We will train you to Home Start Warrington and Cheshire standards of excellence. The training is free and is delivered by a combination of online modules and four, weekly, face to face sessions with one of our Family Support Coordinators. 

The course will cover 

The role of a Home-Start volunteer

Values, attitudes and inclusivity

Confidentiality

Listening and communication

Meeting the needs of families and children

Safeguarding

Our next volunteer course of preparation is due to start in September. We offer the course in two locations - Warrington on Tuesday's or Winsford on Thursday's.

Volunteers will receive ongoing support and supervision from our Family Support Coordinators and there are opportunities for further training. Your experience, attributes and competencies will be recognised, and you will have the opportunity to develop them further.

Home-Start Warrington and Cheshire is committed to safer recruitment practise as an important part of safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults. Any offer of a voluntary role is subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS check, two satisfactory references and to have completed our preparation course and signed our Code of Conduct and relevant policies and procedures before they will be able to volunteer with a family or at one of our groups or events.

Make a difference for children in Northwich, Warrington and Winsford and enquire today.

Within CPSL Mind's serives, our trainined Peer Mentor "walk alongside" individuals on thier recovery journey as they work towards specific personal goals through 1:1 work or group support. This service is offered Monday to Friday between office hours. 

Aims of the service is to:

• Reduce loneliness and social isolation among adults
• Improve mental wellbeing and confidence through regualar social contact
• Encourage informal physical activity, including walking, gentle exercise and community particiaption 
• Strengthen resilience by supporting individuals to access public services, groups and wider community provision
• Reduce reliance on statutory support 

Inclusive Boards is delighted to be supporting Oaklea Trust in their search for their next Chair of Trustees. 

About Oaklea Trust

The Oaklea Trust is a charitable organisation whose purpose is to give vulnerable people the opportunity to live and work as independently as possible within their community. Established in 2002 and based in Cumbria, County Durham and Northumberland, we support disabled, disadvantaged and vulnerable children and adults. Our charitable work supports people of all ages who have Learning Disabilities, Physical Disabilities, Mental Health needs, and/or Dementia.

The Oaklea Group is made up of the charity, Oaklea Trust, and its commercial arm, Right2Work. Together, they support people and communities to learn, develop and thrive through person-centred care and support, learning opportunities, and pathways into employment.

This is a unique opportunity to help lead a values-driven organisation that supports people and communities across the North of England to learn, develop and thrive.

About the Chair opportunity

As Chair, you will energise and empower the Board and the Group as a whole. You will foster a culture of openness, collaboration, and constructive debate. You will inspire confidence and ensure the highest standards of governance, integrity and accountability. 

You will also help shape the Group’s future impact, supporting our mission to reduce inequality and create opportunities for people and communities to thrive. Through your strategic insight and advocacy, you will help extend our reach, strengthen partnerships and ensure more people can access the care, support and opportunities they need and deserve.

The Chair of the Oaklea Board of Trustees will:

• Ensure the Board functions effectively
• Guide Oaklea Trust’s strategic direction
• Ensure governance oversight
• Represent Oaklea Trust internally and externally
• Evaluate and support the Chief Executive
• Champion the leadership of Committees

We are seeking a new Chair of Trustees who can bring the following experience and capabilities to the role. We recognise that lived experience can offer valuable insights that greatly enhance a role like this, especially when combined with professional expertise.

Experience/Background:

• Experience of strategic leadership and governance within an organisation of equivalent size and complexity to Oaklea Trust, ideally within a Group structure. 
• A track record of driving growth and innovation, with the ability to apply insight to support the achievement of Oaklea Trust’s strategic objectives. 
• Understanding of the challenges associated with leading and delivering regulated services and the management of the associated risks.
• Ability to constructively challenge and hold space for compassionate and constructive conversations.
• Financial and commercial acumen, including experience in financial planning, oversight, risk management, and the establishment and monitoring of systems of control and accountability. 
• Ability to scrutinise and manage financial risk, ensuring long-term financial sustainability and safeguarding against fraud. 
• Ability to open doors, build networks and maximise opportunities with a range of stakeholders, funders and partner organisations.
• Previous trustee and/or Chair/Vice Chair experience is desirable.