Volunteer roles in Buckfastleigh

Position Overview

An exciting and unique internship opportunity to work closely with key senior operational staff in a respected UK international development charity; this position has strong vocational content for anyone looking to break into the international development sector with future possibilities of progression into roles within the UK and/or Madagascar.

The post holder will gain hands-on experience in international development, gain understanding and skills across a wide range of duties associated with programmes development, corporate fundraising, volunteer coordination, and practical charity management.

The internship spans a minimum of six months and is a remote role. The diversity of activities that will be undertaken provides training for an early-career development professional who can effectively and efficiently deal with a comprehensive range of tasks related to the complex world of overseas development work.

Reporting to: Grants and Administrative Assistant

Location: Remote

Commitment: Part-time, two days a week for a minimum of six months - with full flexibility to choose which two days you work, and the option to adjust or change those days as needed.

Salary: N/A (voluntary)

Responsibilities:

1. Supporting the Programmes & Partnership Manager in securing trust and foundation funding, which will include: performing donor research; drafting, proofreading, and editing grant applications and reports (in part or in full); and ad hoc administration relating to donor management.

2. Supporting the Corporate Liaison Officer to secure corporate funding, which will include: researching potential donor companies; supporting corporate facing marketing materials; and supporting creation of report and proposal materials.

3. Supporting the Managing Director and the Director of Programmes and Operation, to ensure the smooth running of the organisation, which will include: preparing financial reports and documentation; note taking at trustees’ meetings; supporting development of policy and procedural documentation; building on fundraising and networking opportunities; and supporting the recruitment process.

It should be noted that the successful candidate will take on a variety of tasks outlined above. While SEED Madagascar will make every attempt to tailor the tasks to the post-holder’s desired area of experience, this will be balanced by the priorities of the organisation.

Desired Knowledge/Experience/Skills/Qualifications

• Hold or be studying towards an undergraduate degree in or relating to international development (or have equivalent professional/experiential background).

• Knowledge and/or keen interest in development and/or conservation issues facing least developed countries such as Madagascar; previous experience living or working in a developing country would be an asset.

• Knowledge and/or keen interest in at least one of SEED Madagascar’s five core areas (community health; sustainable livelihoods; environmental conservation; education infrastructure and water, sanitation and hygiene); previous experience of community-based work would be an asset.

• Excellent analytical skills and ability to gather and assimilate information from various sources, compile documents (reports and proposals), and identify lessons learnt and best practice.

• Sound ability to adapt material for different audiences.

• Be able to conduct internet research.

• Be able to work both independently and as part of a team.

• Be able to financially support themselves for the duration of their internship as there is no stipend available for travel or sustenance.

• Strong written English is essential, French and/or Malagasy would be an asset.

• Be willing to take on mundane tasks such as drafting thank you notes for donors

Are you an enthusiastic organiser with a flair for bringing people together? TVS is a small charity working with rural schools in South Africa to empower vulnerable young people through education. We are recruiting a team of volunteers and are searching for a volunteer events organiser to help plan and deliver fundraising events that will make a real difference for our beneficiaries.

The role encompasses a variety of responsibilities including securing venues, managing budgets, recruiting volunteers, and promoting events, while cultivating relationships with donors and stakeholders to maximize income. We would expect you to start small but build up to the creation of a sustainable funding stream on which the charity can rely.

If you’re experienced in event management and have the contacts needed to make events successful, we’d love to welcome you aboard. This is a brilliant opportunity to make a positive impact, gain valuable skills, and work with other volunteers to support the work of the charity.

Are you passionate about helping others and skilled with digital tools? TVS is a small volunteer-led charity working with rural schools in South Africa to empower vulnerable young people through education. We are recruiting a team of volunteers and are searching for dedicated individuals to support our charity’s digital fundraising efforts.

As a volunteer digital fundraiser you would contribute towards unlocking potential and shaping a brighter future for children living in poverty in South Africa. Your responsibilities would include one or more of the following:

Campaign Development: Planning, delivering, and evaluating digital fundraising campaigns, appeals, and virtual events.

Digital Marketing & Advertising: Managing paid advertising on platforms like Meta, TikTok, and Google Ads to acquire donors.

Content Creation: Writing engaging content for websites, social media, and email marketing, ensuring high-quality, emotive messaging.

Website & Platform Maintenance: Updating online donation pages, using Content Management Systems (CMS), and ensuring tools like JustGiving or Easyfundraising are effective.

If you have experience with digital marketing, social media platforms, or online fundraising we’d love to hear from you. This is a brilliant opportunity to make a positive impact, gain valuable skills, and work with other volunteers to support the work of the charity.

Supporter Engagement Officer

At TVS we’re devoted to empowering vulnerable young people through education. We aim to unlock potential and shape a brighter future for young people living in poverty.  We are recruiting a team of volunteers and are searching for dedicated individuals to help us to strengthen the bonds between our organisation and the incredible people who support our work with rural children in South Africa.

As a Supporter Engagement Officer you would have responsibility for one or more of the following:

Stewardship: Thanking donors and demonstrating the impact of their gifts.

Communication: Reaching out to supporters via phone, email, and social media.

Database Management: Updating supporter records and preferences.

Enquiries: Answering questions about donations, fundraising events, and campaigns.

Whether you have experience in customer service, community engagement, or simply a passion for making people feel appreciated, we encourage you to apply. Join our supportive team, develop your skills, and make a meaningful impact.

The Greater Manchester Women’s Support Alliance is seeking new trustees to join our Board, including a Chair and Treasurer.

The Alliance brings together organisations across Greater Manchester that provide specialist support to women facing issues such as domestic abuse, homelessness, mental health challenges, substance use and social exclusion. By working collaboratively, we strengthen services, share expertise and ensure that women’s voices are represented in policy and commissioning.

We are looking for individuals who share our commitment to improving outcomes for women and who are interested in contributing to the strategic leadership and governance of the Alliance.

We welcome applications from people with a range of backgrounds and experience. In particular, we are interested in hearing from individuals with experience in areas such as:

• financial management or accounting (particularly for the Treasurer role)
• leadership or governance
• partnerships, policy or public sector collaboration
• the voluntary or women’s sector.

Previous trustee experience is not required, and we welcome applications from people who are new to board roles.

Time commitment: approximately four board meetings per year, plus preparation.

These are voluntary trustee roles, although reasonable expenses may be reimbursed.

To find out more, view the application pack below. 

We particularly welcome applications from individuals who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, including women from Black and minoritised communities, disabled women and those with lived experience of the issues affecting the women our members support.

Application deadline: Thursday 3rd July 2026 12 noon 

Online Interviews: w/c 13th July 2026

Plateful Café works to relieve poverty and isolation amongst refugees, asylum seekers and ethnic minorities in Lewisham. Our commitment is to reach the most vulnerable people in our community and open a pathway to employment for people who have asylum here. Refugees will benefit from workshops, training skills and knowledge relevant for the catering industry. Plateful Cafe are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all volunteers and team members. We are an equal opportunities provider and actively encourage applications from people with a refugee background.

What will the role involve?

• Looking for partnership opportunities with the private sector.
• Assisting with the development and ongoing work of Businesses Fundraising Action Group.
• Assisting in planning fundraising strategies with local businesses.
• Reporting on businesses partnerships and recent developments at Plateful Café.
• Working in partnership with the Plateful Café fundraising team.

Essential:

• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to inspire a group of volunteers to support a cause 
• Strong relationship-building skills

Desirable:

• Previous experience in fundraising and/or marketing
• Experience of working with corporates
• Expertise in new project creation and developing business links

What difference will you make?

• Helping to support a refugee-run cafe
• Connecting local refugees with their passion for cooking
• Helping local refugees find employment and enter the workforce much sooner than they otherwise might

As a Volunteer Donor Relationship Co-ordinator, you will play a crucial role in forming and maintaining relationships with our donors, ensuring they feel valued and appreciated, whilst forming & implementing a strategy to keep them donating. This role would suit someone who is confident, enthusiastic about building strong connections, and passionate about the welfare of refugees & asylum seekers.

Key responsibilities:

• Identify and approach local high net worth individuals/businesses to approach for a regular donation
• Develop a donor relationship strategy aimed at maximising engagement and satisfaction.
• Personally reach out to existing donors to thank them for their contributions (& send seasonal cards/other personalised messages to maintain positive relationships).
• Build relationships by engaging with donors via phone calls and emails to understand their motivations for donating and gather feedback used to improve our efforts.
• Encourage previous donors to continue their support.
• Keep detailed and accurate records of all our donor interactions to ensure we have up-to-date information on our supporters.
• Create and distribute surveys to gain insights into our donors’ needs and expectations.
• Further down the line, host webinars or live Q&A sessions to answer donor questions and provide updates on our work.

Requirements:

• Strong communication abilities
• Proficiency with google docs/sheets
• Excellent organisational skills
• A confident individual who is comfortable engaging with a diverse range of people
• Pro-active approach and work with minimum supervision
• Can commit a minimum of 2 hours per week

We are looking for an Events Assistant who can help us organise monthly community dinners featuring three course meals from around the globe to enable the charity to engage with and attract donors. We require help with running the dinner on the day with tasks including welcoming the guests, serving food and drinks, take payments, setting up and clearing, etc.

You will be working as part of a team to plan and organise other events and fundraisers throughout the year, for example refugee week. You will also be assisting with applying for funds for events including securing raffle prizes, donations of ingredients, material needed, musicians and entertainment, etc.

This role will also include working closely with our marketing team, providing details of upcoming events for promotion; taking pictures and quotes at the event.

Main duties will include:

• Prior experience of events planning and organisation
• A passion and keenness to engage in community-based work to support refugees and serve the local community
• Good organisation skills including: effective time management, punctuality and delegation of tasks.
• A flexible and proactive attitude to working
• Good responsiveness to emails/ text/ whatsapp
• Practical skills to help prepare and set-up the café for events
• Able to work well in a team and communicate effectively with the rest of the staff and visitors of the cafe
• A willingness to learn new skills

Desirable:

• Prior experience working with refugees, people seeking asylum or other vulnerable groups
• Prior experience of involvement in charity fundraising events

Lenera

We produce lab-grown exotic animal skins for luxury fashion using sustainable biotechnology.

​Lenera is a biotechnology startup dedicated to the bioproduction of skin for the luxury leather industry. 

We are looking for a market analyst to help us stay ahead of the curve by monitoring and analyzing emerging trends in the sustainable and innovative materials market, with a specific focus on the luxury sector.

**Key Responsibilities**

• Trend Monitoring & Intelligence: Establish a continuous market watch on new material launches, R&D breakthroughs, and consumer shifts within the luxury industry (fashion, watches, jewelry, automotive, and packaging).
• Competitor & Brand Mapping: Track how major luxury conglomerates (e.g., LVMH, Kering, Richemont) and independent high-end brands are sourcing and implementing innovative materials.
• Insight Synthesis: Transform complex market data, industry reports, and patent filings into concise, actionable summaries and visual trend reports for our strategic team.
• Supplier & Innovator Scouting: Identify and vet the emerging material scientists, startups, and suppliers who are creating the next generation of luxury-grade sustainable materials.

What We’re Looking For:

• Analytical Mindset: A strong interest in market research, trend forecasting, material science, or the business of luxury.
• Resourcefulness: Ability to navigate industry reports, design fairs, luxury news outlets (e.g., Business of Fashion, Vogue Business), and academic/patent databases.
• Excellent synthesis skills

Minimum Hours per Week:

4-6 hours per week

Duration:

3-5 months

The Bra Recyclers

We partner with retailers to recycle lingerie, reduce textile waste, and donate underwear to communities.​

The Undie Chest is looking for a thoughtful, detail-oriented volunteer to help us research grant opportunities and support the early stages of grant writing for our growing nonprofit.

The Undie Chest provides new underwear to individuals and families experiencing poverty, homelessness, crisis, or economic hardship. Through programs like Everyone Deserves Underwear, which supports students and schools, and Undie Power, which supports adults and community partners, we help make sure people have access to one of the most basic essentials: clean, new underwear.

Our work also supports a more sustainable and responsible retail ecosystem. We partner with retailers, brands, and community donors to redirect new overstock, returns, samples, and excess inventory away from waste and into the hands of people who need them. Instead of discarding essential items, we help turn them into dignity, comfort, and care for schools, shelters, nonprofits, and community organizations.

This volunteer role is perfect for someone who enjoys research, writing, storytelling, sustainability, and community impact. You’ll help us identify grant opportunities that align with our mission, gather information about funders, organize deadlines and requirements, and potentially assist with drafting or editing grant content.

We’re looking for someone who is curious, organized, and comfortable working independently. Grant-writing experience is helpful but not required. What matters most is that you care about dignity, equity, sustainability, and helping communities access essentials that are too often overlooked. Experience researching U.S.-based grants or corporate giving programs is helpful, but not required.

Your support will help The Undie Chest expand our capacity to serve schools, shelters, nonprofits, and community organizations, while also encouraging retailers and brands to make more responsible decisions about excess inventory. Behind every grant opportunity is a chance to keep usable essentials out of waste streams and get more underwear into the hands of someone who needs it.

If you believe everyone deserves to feel clean, confident, and cared for, we would love to connect with you.

Minimum Hours per Week:

2-3 hours per week

Duration:

3-5 months

Voicing Voices

We use digital tools, workshops and partnerships to amplify intersectional voices for systemic, intergenerational change.​

Voicing Voices is looking for a creative and organised Digital Campaigns & Social Media Change Maker to support our summer campaigns from 25 June to 25 August 2026.

This role will help us strengthen our digital presence, grow engagement and communicate our work across leadership, education, intergenerational dialogue, community voice, and social impact.

You will support with:

• Creating social media content for LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok
• Executing campaign ideas for the summer engagement period
• Turning Voicing Voices’ work into posts, captions, carousels and short-form content ideas
• Supporting website updates, especially service pages, case studies and programme pages
• Helping create a simple content calendar for June, July and August
• Repurposing founder insights, programme updates and event themes into accessible digital content
• Tracking basic engagement and suggesting improvements

This role is ideal for someone interested in social impact communications, digital storytelling, ethical leadership, youth voice, women’s leadership, education, culture, community engagement or responsible business.
By the end of the role, you will ideally have contributed to:

• An 8-week content calendar
• A bank of draft social media posts
• Website improvement recommendations
• Campaign ideas for Voicing Voices and Through Our Mothers’ Eyes
• A short digital engagement summary

You do not need to be an expert, but you should be thoughtful, reliable, creative and comfortable working with themes around identity, culture, leadership, family, education and social change.

Minimum Hours per Week:

4-6 hours per week

Duration:

1-2 months

Afro Ubuntu TradeNet

We connect African informal traders to opportunities, markets, and credit through AI-powered technology.​

This role will support financial modelling, grant research, fundraising preparation, and impact measurement activities.
Working closely with the Founder, you will help ensure Afro Ubuntu is investment-ready, grant-ready, and able to clearly demonstrate its economic and social impact.

Responsibilities

• Support financial forecasting and budgeting activities
• Assist with grant identification and application preparation
• Research funding opportunities, competitions, and accelerator programmes
• Develop financial models and business case assumptions
• Help track key business and impact metrics
• Support investor, donor, and partner reporting
• Assist with funding and partnership proposals

Ideal Candidate

• Background in finance, accounting, economics, investment analysis, business strategy, or development finance
• Strong analytical and numerical skills
• Experience with Excel, Google Sheets, or financial modelling
• Interest in startups, impact ventures, fintech, or African development
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work independently

What You'll Gain

• Exposure to startup finance and fundraising strategy
• Experience supporting an impact-focused venture operating across Africa
• Practical experience with grants, investment readiness, and impact measurement
• Professional reference and future growth opportunities

Nice-to-Have Experience

• Grant writing
• Impact investing
• Development finance
• Venture capital
• Financial modelling
• Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E)
• ESG or impact reporting

Minimum Hours per Week:

4-6 hours per week

Duration:

6+ months

GHRI is seeking qualified Nutritionists and Dietitians to provide nutritional guidance and support through our telemedicine platform.

Responsibilities

Conduct nutrition assessments

Develop personalized nutrition recommendations

Educate patients on healthy eating habits

Support preventive healthcare initiatives

Requirements

Degree in Nutrition, Dietetics, or related field

Strong counseling and communication skills

Passion for health promotion

GHRI is seeking volunteer pharmacists to provide medication guidance and pharmaceutical care through our telemedicine services.

Responsibilities

Counsel patients on medication use

Identify potential drug interactions

Promote medication adherence

Provide pharmaceutical information to patients and healthcare teams

Requirements

Degree in Pharmacy and valid practicing license

Strong attention to detail

Excellent communication skills