Volunteer Roles in Berkshire

In 2016, we set out on a mission to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected by MCAS. Mast Cell Action is more than a charity; it's a movement, a community, and a collective voice that echoes the needs and concerns of those we serve. We provide support to the MCAS Community and work to raise awareness and understanding of MCAS amongst relevant professionals and organisations. Our dedication to the MCAS community extends far beyond words; it's at the heart of everything we do. 

We provide support in multiple ways and are led by the voice of the MCAS community. Through virtual sessions, supportive resources, and awareness-raising activities, we are here for everyone in the UK living with MCAS. Our driving force is the profound desire to improve the lives of everyone affected by MCAS. We are deeply committed to standing by the side of the mast cell disease community, their families and dedicated doctors. We don't merely hope for change; we actively work to create it. 

Our vision is bold and unwavering: a world where every person affected by Mast Cell Disease is not only heard but truly understood. We envision a world where their symptoms are acknowledged, leading to accurate diagnoses and, most importantly, the compassionate care and support they need and deserve.

At Mast Cell Action, we believe in the power of community, the strength of passion, and the boundless potential of collective action. We invite you to join us on this incredible journey, whether you're someone touched by MCAS, a dedicated healthcare professional, or just someone who shares our enthusiasm for making the world a better place for those affected by mast cell diseases. Together, we can transform this vision into reality. 

Our mission: 

To provide support for all those affected by Mast Cell Activation Disorders 

To bring the MCAS community together with one unified voice 

To work with the medical community to help ensure patients with MCAS receive the best care possible 

To promote increased research into conditions related to mast cell activation

To lobby for universal awareness, diagnosis and treatment of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome 

To educate the wider community, helping to reduce stigma and improve lives for those living with MCAS 

Mast Cell Action's vision is of a world where everyone affected by Mast Cell Disease has their symptoms acknowledged and experiences listened to, to achieve a correct diagnosis, and to receive the care and support that they need. 

Our charitable objective is to improve the lives of people affected by Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. 

Database Coordinator role spec: We are looking to recruit a well-organised and practical Database Coordinator who can manage our Salesforce database. You must have sufficient knowledge of Salesforce, this is not a training opportunity and we will be relying on your expertise to manage the workload. 

Key tasks include:  

• Maintain our existing Salesforce database; cleansing and uploading data, managing integrations, overseeing dashboards, creating reports as needed, managing apps 

• Streamlining processes for efficiency 

• Advise on best practice use of Salesforce tools to maximise potential  

• Create user guides/training to support effective ongoing use of database 

• Ensure GDPR compliance with data storage  

Key Objectives Include: 

• Well maintained and GDPR compliant Salesforce database  

• Efficient and accurate reporting in place and accessible to the team 

• Creation of ‘how to’ guides for ongoing usage  

The role is flexible and may be altered to suit both the needs of the organisation and the skills of the candidate. You will be responsible for planning of your work and may involve working with a team of volunteers. An induction will be provided, with continual guidance from a member of the team.

You will have the opportunity to measure your progress through regular check-ins with both your supervisor. This is a great opportunity to gain invaluable experience and enhance your CV and we would be happy to provide a reference.  Currently, this opportunity is remote/home based. 

Applications should consist of a CV and a one-page covering letter explaining why you would like to be part of Mast Cell Action, which aspects of our work particularly appeal to you, and what you would bring to the role. Interviews will be conducted via Zoom/Teams video conferencing on a rolling basis, so apply as early as possible. 

All applicants will be considered for this opportunity without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, parental status or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, parental status. 

Renumeration: 

This is an unpaid role, but any expenses related to charity work will be paid. 

Closing Date: 
Immediate start date if successful 

Other info

UK applicants only

Please check you spam/junk folders for a response as our emails occasionally fall into them 

Bipolar UK was originally formed in the 1980s as a local support system for the community by the community. Our first meeting was held in 1983 and since that day Bipolar UK has supported people living with the condition and their loved ones.  Our aim is to enable everyone affected by bipolar to live well.

Each year we support thousands of individuals through our range of peer support services, which include:

• Peer Support Groups (in-person and online)
• A call-back Peer Support Line
• Our eCommunity

In the years ahead, providing peer support services will remain central to everything we do. This vital work is only possible because of volunteers such as yourself.

How volunteers support us

We couldn’t exist without the amazing support of our dedicated team of volunteers. They help us by giving us key insights from our community. They also provide hands-on support so we can run a significant network of peer support groups and a one-to-one peer support line via telephone and email.

Thanks to the incredible collaboration between our staff team and our volunteers we currently empower approximately 1,000 people a month to stay well, and we have the ambition to reach thousands more.

Our commitment to volunteers:

We want you to get the most out of volunteering with us and we take our responsibility towards you very seriously.

 To support you, we will:

• Provide clear descriptions for our volunteering roles
• Treat volunteers fairly and in accordance with the Bipolar UK Equal Opportunities policy
• Ensure volunteers’ information is kept securely and in accordance with Bipolar UK Privacy policy, the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR
• Keep volunteers informed of relevant changes, including to policies and staff
• Provide appropriate training and support to encourage and develop volunteers in every role
• Work collaboratively with all our volunteers to improve the services we deliver, identifying training needs and providing additional learning
• Ensure our volunteering practices are compliant with current and relevant legislation
• Reimburse agreed out of pocket expenses in line with Bipolar UK’s policy and guidance
• Celebrate and recognise all our volunteers’ successes and ongoing contributions to the charity
• Support aspirations to upskill with relevant training and development

Training and development

All volunteers are given an induction and training relevant to their role before they begin volunteering so they can feel confident to carry out their tasks. Training is an ongoing commitment for both Bipolar UK staff and volunteers. Training sessions are usually held by the Bipolar UK team, although external training will be given whenever relevant and appropriate.

Who can volunteer?

As part of the volunteer recruitment process, we ask you to complete an application form. We will then invite you for an informal phone interview and ask you to provide two referees.

Roles within Bipolar UK are subject to an enhanced DBS check. The information gathered throughout this process helps us to make an informed decision about whether the volunteering role is right for you, as well as following our safeguarding procedures.

Skills and experience

We look for people who:

• Communicate well
• Enjoy teamwork
• Are able to adapt and willing to learn
• Are reliable, punctual and good at time management
• See situations with objectivity and compassion 
• All our volunteers must be 18 or older.

Bipolar UK will make sure that people are judged on their ability and potential, not on their background and situation. We will seek to treat people fairly, regardless of visible and non-visible differences such as mental health, health, gender, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religious beliefs or practices, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability, age, family/marital status, social background, pregnancy or potential pregnancy, caring responsibilities, spent criminal convictions or trade union affiliation.

We appreciate that these differences will contribute to diverse experiences of life, attitudes, values, and ways of thinking and communicating - and that these different perspectives can make a valuable contribution to our work.

What we ask of volunteers:

We ask that all volunteers commit to a minimum of two to four hours a week for our phone/email service or up to 4 hours per month for our support groups, for at least six months wherever possible.

We expect all volunteers to attend regular training as part of role development and progression, and to abide by our policies and guidelines. A commitment to our mission and values is imperative, along with a desire to make a difference to those affected by bipolar.  All volunteers represent the charity and must always remain professional when interacting with the public and external services.

Volunteers should:

• Have personal experience of bipolar if the role requires it
• Display empathy and understanding of the needs of others
• Understand and remain conscious of their own needs, including managing their own wellbeing
• Communicate effectively with the team
• Be always respectful of others, in line with Bipolar UK policies
• Have basic IT skills and computer literacy 

Our volunteering roles:

• Support Group Co-facilitator (online)
• Support Group Co-facilitator (in-person)
• Support Group Administrator
• Peer Support Line Volunteer
• Media Ambassador
• Fundraising Assistant
• Events Assistant

The Survivors Trust is keen to find someone with a finance background to join our active and highly motivated Trustee Board.We really welcome the insight and drive that survivors can bring to our work and are keen to promote diversity on the Board.

The Survivors Trust is a national membership organisation for specialist voluntary sector rape and sexual abuse support services in the UK and Ireland.  We have 120+ member agencies who are all independent charities providing a range of counselling, support and advocacy services for women, men, children and young people, partners and family members who have been affected by sexual violence of any kind at any time in their lives.

The impact of sexual violence of any form, whether experienced as an adult or as a child, can be devastating and can last a lifetime. Survivors may experience a wide range of physical and mental health problems as a result of being sexually violated, affecting every aspect of their health, lives, relationships, education and work.  We aim to raise awareness of the support survivors need and the work of our Member Agencies in providing this crucial help.

TST is in the unique position of having member agencies that are working with all victims and survivors of sexual violence and sexual abuse.  We are well aware of the issues facing organisations that are delivering trauma informed services and can support them and policy makers and commissioners to understand how services need to be developed and provided.  TST is an independent inspection body for our UKAS accredited service standards for specialist sexual violence organisations.

We provide an accredited Diploma for Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and CPD accredited workshops.  We have also established a quality mark for educational establishments and corporate organisations, our Trauma Informed Educator and Trauma Informed Employer Quality Marks (TIE).

The right candidate will need to make a pesonal commitment to our work and to support our vision and values with compassion and empathy.  They will need to be willing to work with the other Trustees, the Chief Executive and staff team, acting as an ambassador for TST and helping to support our collaboration with partners and secure funds to deliver our objectives.

We are looking for someone who knows the CSA / CMS system to either do some on-line advice sessions or to be on the board readily available to answer CSA questions. This is an on-line role so needs access to facebook and an email address will be provided

We are increasing our councillors that we have for our main group and sub groups and we now need someone to supervise them. You need to be trained in this.

We are looking for a new on-line counselor to join our organisation. This will mean running an email service and even a Skype / zoom service if you wish.

We are looking for social workers to join our social worker and safeguarding team to give background help and advice to members who are in need of this.

Someone who can work as part of a team but also on their own when needed, we will take on trainees as we have a supervisor in this team

We are looking for someone to replace our current housing advice role as she is having to take time off. If you have expertese in this area please apply!

We are looking for trained or experienced Mckenzie friends to offer some scottish family law legal advice on our groups. We have a few volunteers already but they dont know scottish law.

We are looking for someone training / trained / or have experience in family courts for Scotland

We are looking for some volunteers trained in divorce law to help our current law team at SPSAS.

Harrow Food Bank is part of the Trussell Trust - a network of over 1300 food bank centres in the UK. Between April 2022 and March 2023, food banks provided almost 3 million food supplies to people in crisis. 

Harrow Food Bank requires two Trustees to support the Chair and current members who can support the existing Trustees:

Administrator / Secretary: to lead on all the administrative duties of the food bank and Trustee Board, ensure all meetings are conducted within the legal requirements and a record of all meetings maintained. Key roles & responsibilities:

1. Arrange and communicate dates for all Trustee Meetings, circulating papers in advance

2. Follow up on the agreed actions from meetings and keep an accurate ‘action log’

3. Ensure all stakeholders are informed of the AGM and that the AGM report is submitted to all relevant bodies

Treasurer: to lead on the financial affairs of the foodbank and to ensure that they are conducted within the required legal accounting and good practice conventions. Key roles & responsibilities:

1. Ensure that the Food Bank has proper systems for budgeting, financial controls, insurance and reporting

2. Produce and present regular finance reports for the Trustees Board Meetings

3. Maintain accurate financial records as report in a timely manner to all relevant bodies

Chair of Trustees - Sansara

SANSARA is a vocal collective making choral music that matters, giving voice to powerful human stories.

It is recruiting for a new Chair of Trustees to chair its board that has strong governance, public health, finance, and creative arts experience, from the 1st of August 2024 or earlier, as the current Chair resigns on the 31st July 2024.

Choirs are living, breathing instruments with unmatched expressive potential. SANSARA channels this creative force to present compelling choral experiences at the highest level, from intimate a cappella performances to immersive electronic soundscapes and critically acclaimed recordings. Its core projects fuse artistic excellence with social engagement.

Moi Panda are solving the world's economic and social problems of isolation by building an engaging community globally with cutting-edge technologies. To help children with a better chance to adapt to new cultures while staying connected to their own culture heritage, make diverse friends all around the world anytime and anywhere, and learn to build a healthy relationship with the digital world. Moi Panda was built to support the next generation to better adapt to new cultures, while staying connected to their own heritage. They raise the digital competence of kids, empowering them with human skills, and promoting a healthy relationship between individuals and the digital world.

CREATIVE DIGITAL MARKETER

• We are actively seeking volunteers to assist with our Marketing team. They will develop and implement social media marketing strategies to promote our digital learning platform; identify and engage with influencers to expand our reach and grow our audience; and, create engaging video content to showcase our platform and enhance user engagement, amongst other tasks.
• Volunteer 4-6 hours per week remotely for 3-5 months

Moi Panda are solving the world's economic and social problems of isolation by building an engaging community globally with cutting-edge technologies. To help children with a better chance to adapt to new cultures while staying connected to their own culture heritage, make diverse friends all around the world anytime and anywhere, and learn to build a healthy relationship with the digital world. Moi Panda was built to support the next generation to better adapt to new cultures, while staying connected to their own heritage. They raise the digital competence of kids, empowering them with human skills, and promoting a healthy relationship between individuals and the digital world.

COMMUNITY MANAGER

• Help us build a strong community of open-minded parents worldwide; engage with users, potential partners, and stakeholders across various platforms; build and maintain relationships with individuals and organizations aligned with Moi Panda's values and goals; organize online/offline events for interested parties and current users; and collect feedback from current and potential users about the product and service.
• Volunteer 4-6 hours per week for 3-5 months