Volunteer roles in Gateshead

Why we want you

Our vision is a society in which Armed Forces, veterans and their families can thrive. When anyone in the Armed Forces community finds themselves in need, SSAFA is the charity they can turn to – no one’s service is ever forgotten. More and more people need help, so we are growing our network of dedicated caseworkers.

Come and join our team! You will be making a real difference to the lives of those who need financial, practical, and emotional support. We value all our volunteers and the unique skills and experience they bring.

What you will be doing

• Arranging to talk with potential beneficiaries (on the phone or face to face) at a mutually convenient time
• Understanding peoples’ support needs and gathering information to assess their circumstances
• Typing written case reports to apply for financial assistance
• Sign-posting to services providing specialist support, such as mental health or housing support
• Keeping beneficiaries and the SSAFA regional office up to date with progress

The skills you need

• Friendly and approachable
• Great written and verbal communication skills
• Non-judgemental
• Reliable
• Basic IT skills

What's in it for you

• Use your skills, knowledge, and life experience to benefit others
• Be part of a friendly and supportive SSAFA team
• Develop your experience and skills which you can highlight on your CV and in job interviews
• Access a range of training and learning opportunities

 Disclaimer

SSAFA is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all those involved in our work and expects volunteers to share this commitment. This role qualifies for a criminal record check, which will be carried out at no cost to you. If you have a criminal record, it won't necessarily stop you from becoming a volunteer. Please read our Volunteer Vetting Guidance for more information.

Join the International Humanity Foundation (IHF) - Writing & Editing Team!

✍ Craft Stories That Matter! Join the IHF Writing & Editing Team✍

Are you passionate about storytelling and humanitarian causes? The International Humanity Foundation (IHF) is looking for talented writers and editors to join our Writing & Editing Team remotely . Use your skills to create impactful content that spreads awareness, inspires support, and sheds light on important global issues.

What You’ll Do:

- Produce Meaningful Content: Write and edit articles, blog posts, and press releases that bring IHF’s work to life and connect with audiences.

- Raise Awareness: Develop stories that highlight the challenges facing underserved communities and showcase IHF’s efforts to bring about change.

- Inspire Support: Craft compelling narratives that motivate individuals to join our mission, volunteer, and contribute.

Why Join IHF?

- Global Storytelling: Make a difference by giving a voice to those who need it most and promoting IHF’s life-changing projects.

- Portfolio Growth: Gain experience and expand your portfolio with real-world, impactful humanitarian content.

- Work Flexibility: Enjoy the freedom of creating from anywhere, working around your schedule.

Requirements:

- Strong writing and editing abilities, with a knack for crafting compelling narratives.

- Background in journalism, content creation, or communications is advantageous.

- Independence, creativity, and a passion for humanitarian storytelling.

Help Us Amplify Our Mission – Join IHF’s Writing & Editing Team and use your talent to drive awareness and inspire action for communities worldwide.

Guardian Light Foundation

Location: Remote
Commitment: Flexible – approx. 20 hours per month
Role Type: Volunteer
Reports to: Board of directors

�� About Guardian Light Foundation

Guardian Light Foundation exists to protect, support, and empower children, teenagers, and single-parent families facing homelessness, abuse, and extreme hardship.

Many of the individuals we serve are navigating complex legal situations while already dealing with trauma, fear, and instability. Access to safe, ethical, and compassionate legal advice can be life-changing — and that’s where you come in.

⚖️ About the Role

We are seeking a Volunteer Solicitor with experience in family law, safeguarding, or domestic abuse-related legal matters to provide initial legal guidance, signposting, and referrals to vulnerable individuals supported by Guardian Light Foundation.

This role is advisory and supportive, not high-volume casework. Your expertise will help people understand their rights, options, and next steps at critical moments in their lives.

�� Focus Areas

�� Children’s Arrangements

• Custody and contact arrangements

• Child safeguarding concerns

• Schooling and parental responsibility guidance

• Early advice on family court processes

��️ Domestic Violence Injunctions

• Non-molestation orders

• Occupation orders

• Restraining orders

• Emergency protection guidance and referrals

��‍�� Single-Parent Legal Support

• Family court guidance

• Child maintenance advice

• Housing rights and homelessness-related legal signposting

• Referrals to specialist legal services where appropriate

�� What You’ll Be Doing

• Providing initial legal advice and guidance (not ongoing representation)

• Supporting safeguarding decisions where legal insight is required

• Advising on urgent legal options in high-risk situations

• Signposting individuals to appropriate external legal services

• Working closely with GLF’s safeguarding and support teams

• Maintaining clear professional boundaries and ethical practice

��️ Safeguarding & Compliance

Because this role supports vulnerable individuals:

• An Enhanced Volunteer DBS Check is required

• DBS checks are conducted via our trusted partner Serve (Rushden)

• All work must align with GLF’s safeguarding policies

• Confidentiality and GDPR compliance are essential

�� Skills & Experience Required

Essential:

• Qualified UK Solicitor (or equivalent legal professional)

• Experience in family law, domestic abuse, or child safeguarding

• Strong understanding of trauma-informed practice

• Ability to explain legal concepts clearly and compassionately

• Commitment to ethical and client-centred practice

Desirable:

• Experience working with charities or vulnerable populations

• Knowledge of housing or homelessness law

• Familiarity with referral pathways and support services

�� Who We’re Looking For

You are someone who:

• Has a genuine passion for protecting children and families

• Believes access to justice should never depend on income

• Can balance professionalism with empathy

• Understands the emotional impact of legal uncertainty

• Wants to use their expertise to create real social impact

⏰ Time Commitment

• Approx. 20 hours per month

• Flexible scheduling

• Fully remote

�� What You’ll Gain

• The opportunity to make a direct, meaningful impact

• Professional fulfilment through purpose-led legal work

• Recognition and appreciation within a growing social enterprise

• Networking with professionals across counselling, housing, and social care

• Opportunity to join an Advisory Board or Board of Directors as the organisation grows

ABOUT US

The Great Friendship Project is an award-winning organisation tackling loneliness through research-informed community programmes, campaigns, and partnerships.

We design and deliver social interventions that help people build real-world friendships, strengthen social confidence, and rise out of loneliness.

Over the past four years, we have delivered hundreds of community activities, partnered with major brands and public institutions, contributed to national research and policy conversations, and built a highly engaged community of tens of thousands of young adults.

As we look ahead, we are now entering a critical next phase of growth, strengthening our foundations in preparation for wider national expansion.

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OVERVIEW

We’re excited to be recruiting a brand new Senior Marketing Volunteer to play a vital role in amplifying the mission and activities of The Great Friendship Project.

This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a meaningful cause, gain hands-on experience in social media and digital marketing within a non-profit setting, and make a positive impact on the lives of young people experiencing loneliness.

As the Senior Marketing Volunteer lead, you will play a critical role in shaping the organisation’s future. Your leadership will not only enhance our marketing efforts but also contribute significantly to our mission of creating a lasting positive impact on the lives of young individuals struggling with loneliness.

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RESPONSIBILITIES

- Leadership and Team Management: Lead and mentor a team of marketing volunteers, ensuring they are motivated, supported, and aligned with the organisation’s goals.

- Strategic Planning: Devise and implement a comprehensive awareness strategy that aligns with the organisation’s mission and long-term objectives. Identify key opportunities, set measurable goals, and adjust plans as necessary to drive engagement and impact.

-Analytics and Insights: Regularly review and analyse marketing metrics to assess performance, make data-driven decisions, and optimise strategies for better outcomes.

- Content Direction: Oversee the creation of impactful and mission-driven content across various platforms, ensuring that all content reflects the organisation’s voice, resonates with the target audience, and drives engagement.

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ABOUT YOU

- 3+ years of experience leading marketing teams: Proven experience in devising and implementing successful marketing strategies, with the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and priorities.

- Collaboration: Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams and stakeholders

- Passionate: A strong commitment to the mission of reducing loneliness among young adults, with the ability to inspire and lead a team toward shared goal.

- Organisational Skills: Highly organised and proactive mindset, with the ability to manage multiple projects, prioritise effectively, and meet deadlines.

Purpose of the role:

Are you passionate about using technology to empower communities and drive social change?

Tell My Truth and Shame the Devil C.I.C. is seeking a dedicated Technical Systems & Platform Liaison to join our founding volunteer team. This role is pivotal in connecting our technical infrastructure with the operational and community-facing needs of the organisation, ensuring our open-source membership platform and systems function seamlessly to support survivors, marginalised communities and emerging leaders.

About the role:

As the Technical Systems & Platform Liaison, you will act as the bridge between the CIC’s technical teams, leadership, and community members. You will ensure that digital systems are effectively implemented, maintained, and optimised to serve our mission. This is a hands-on, multi-faceted role combining strategic coordination, operational oversight, and community engagement, providing you with unique experience in systems management and collaborative leadership.

Experience Qualification and Requirements

Essential Technical Competencies:

• Experience in digital platform management, IT operations, systems administration or similar roles where platform functionality and user support were key responsibilities.
• Ability to monitor system performance, identify issues and implement improvements to ensure reliability, scalability and security.
• Act as a liaison between technical teams and end-users to communicate requirements, issues and solutions effectively. 
• Ensure that technical systems and platforms operate efficiently, securely and meet organisational needs.
• Maintain the integrity, reliability and performance of organisational platforms and systems. 
• Provide guidance, training and documentation to staff, volunteers and community members to improve platform adoption and utilisation.
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to diagnose technical issues and propose practical solutions.
• Ability to plan, prioritise and manage multiple tasks, projects and deadlines simultaneously.
• Work closely with developers, IT staff and platform users to ensure system requirements and issues are clearly communicated.
• Degrees, diplomas, or certifications in IT, systems management, computer science or related fields are desirable but not essential.

Desirable / Can Be Developed:

• Experience or interest in working with technical systems, digital platforms or IT support environments. 
• Ability to act as a bridge between technical teams and non-technical stakeholders.
• Awareness of system integration, data flow or platform coordination concepts, with willingness to learn.

Qualifications:

• Formal qualifications are not required but desirable.
• Relevant study, training or experience in IT, digital systems, computer science or a related field is valued.
• Willingness to complete required induction, safeguarding or data protection training.

Main Responsibilities/ Key Duties

• Coordinate communication and workflow between technical teams (e.g., platform engineers, digital design specialists) and leadership or membership teams.
• Act as a liaison to ensure both technical and non-technical teams understand project goals, priorities and deliverables.
• Work with leadership, staff and membership teams to identify platform needs or improvements.
• Ensure implementation aligns with CIC’s objectives, standards and strategic priorities.
• Monitor system performance, user experience and platform functionality.
• Track platform usage, functionality and user feedback to identify potential issues or areas for improvement.
• Ensure system operations comply with data protection, safeguarding and security policies.
• Provide hands-on guidance on using digital platforms, tools and systems effectively.
• Maintain clear and up-to-date records of technical processes, configuration settings, workflows and platform updates.
• Implement safeguards to protect vulnerable users and sensitive organisational information.
• Provide guidance to staff and volunteers on safe data handling, secure system use and adherence to organisational policies.
• Collaborate with leadership, technical teams and stakeholders to define long-term goals and priorities for digital platforms and systems.
• Ensure that proposed developments align with organisational strategy, community needs and compliance requirements.
• Provide advice and practical support to users to minimise downtime and optimise platform use.

What This Role Offers You:

• Leadership experience in managing and coordinating complex digital systems within a mission-driven organisation.
• Personal growth through hands-on problem-solving, strategic thinking and collaborative team leadership.
• The opportunity to contribute directly to building systems that empower survivors and marginalised communities.
• The satisfaction of shaping the infrastructure and processes of a pioneering, values-led CIC.

What This Role Is Not For:

• Individuals seeking traditional corporate hierarchy, purely financial reward or rigid structures.
• Those unwilling to work within a collaborative, anti-capitalist and community-driven environment.
• People expecting pre-built systems or hands-off technical roles—this position requires active.

Next Steps

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to

• A values-led conversation.
• If you are ready to use your technical coordination skills to make a real-world impact and support the creation of innovative community systems, we want to hear from you.
•  Apply now and be part of building a platform that transforms truth into action.

A Final Word
Technology is a tool to empower people. Bridge the gap between technology and people

If you know that: Keeps people connected.

Volunteer Prospect Researcher
This role supports our fundraising efforts by identifying and researching potential donors, funders, and partners. Responsibilities include online research, data analysis, and preparing prospect profiles to support strategic fundraising.

What we’re looking for:

• Strong attention to detail and good organisational skills

• Comfort working with data, research, or CRM/databases (training can be provided where needed)

• Ability to work independently and maintain confidentiality

• An interest in fundraising and supporting our mission

What we offer:

• Flexible, remote volunteering opportunities

• The chance to develop or apply valuable fundraising and data skills

• A supportive team environment and meaningful contribution to our work