25 Internal communication volunteer roles

About DPAN and this role

The Disabled Policy & Advocacy Network CIC (DPAN) closes the implementation gap: helping disabled people know their rights and belong to their movement, and helping organisations turn inclusion commitments into practice.

The Funding & Partnerships Volunteer plays a crucial role, helping DPAN find funding opportunities and potential partners. You'll work with the Executive Director and their PA, who do the bid writing. The Executive Director and DPAN's directors lead relationship building with funders and partners. 

What you'll do

• Funder research: search for grants and funding across a range of platforms, including finding new ones to explore.
• Charitable trusts and foundations: identify trusts that fit DPAN's aims, and research how DPAN could build relationships with them over time.
• Partnerships: explore possible partners for specific projects, such as DPOs, charities, universities or creative organisations. Also identify individuals, groups and organisations who could back specific projects, or who DPAN could network with.
• Know our projects: review DPAN's project briefs and keep a basic knowledge of current projects, so you can screen for suitable funding.
• Eligibility checks: read funder guidance and note whether DPAN qualifies (CIC status, board size, age of organisation, location, income). Contact funders with questions where it's unclear whether DPAN fits.
• Funder meetings: attend virtual information sessions or calls about applications, and feed back to the team with clear notes.
• Record keeping: keep the grant tracker in Google Sheets accurate and up to date, including funders, deadlines, contacts and outcomes.

What this role does not include

• Writing final applications
• Submitting applications or making commitments to funders or partners in DPAN's name without approval.
• Making decisions about which bids DPAN applies for, or what goes in a budget.
• Signing anything on DPAN's behalf.
• Any payment linked to whether a bid succeeds.

Time, location and flexibility

• About 2 hours a week, at times that suit you.
• Check-ins: a 30–60 minute check-in or team meeting once every 4 weeks.
• Who you'll work with: the Executive Director, their PA and, where needed, wider team members.
• Fully remote. Funder meetings and team catch-ups are held online. 
• Volunteers need to be 18 or over, based in the UK and fluent in English.
• You can pause or stop at any time. Please let the volunteer lead know when you can.

Skills and experience

You'll need either:

• Experience in grant funding, fundraising, VCSE organisations, research or partnership work, or
• A genuine wish to learn this area.

Also essential:

• Strategic thinking or analytical skills, such as judging whether a funder is a good fit and why.
• Strong record-keeping and attention to detail.
• Strong written English, or access to tools that support this.
• Comfortable using Google Workspace, especially Sheets, Gmail and Google Chat, and exploring new funding platforms.
• Using AI is fine, but your work needs to reflect your own thinking and checking, not rely on AI.

Welcome:

• An interest in disability rights or community. Or lived experience of disability is welcomed.
• Access to LinkedIn is ideal, for researching funders and partners.

What DPAN offers

• Experience of real grant applications across policy, arts and employment funders.
• Support and feedback from the Executive Director as volunteer lead.
• Reasonable adjustments to how, when and where you volunteer.
• Expenses agreed in advance and reimbursed.
• A reference on request.
• Depending on funding and organisational growth, this role may become a paid freelance or employed role. This is not guaranteed, and any paid work is agreed separately in writing.

Applicants will be shortlisted and invited to an informal inteview about the role.