Volunteer management volunteer volunteer roles

Location: Exeter (hybrid options available)
Hours: Flexible
Term: Three-year periods
Type: Voluntary

Help shape the future of specialist education for young people with vision impairment and complex needs.
At InFocus, we believe everyone deserves to live life to the full, with choice, control, and meaningful opportunities. We support young people who face significant barriers due to vision impairment combined with additional disabilities, helping each individual follow their own pathway towards independence and fulfilment.

We’re now looking for a Volunteer Trustee with strong experience in special education to help guide and strengthen our specialist FE College.

What the role involves

In addition to the standard responsibilities of a trustee, you will:

• Focus on the delivery and development of post-16 education for learners with vision impairment and complex needs

• Scrutinise the quality of teaching and learning

• Provide constructive challenge and professional insight as part of our Education Advisory Committee

• Work closely with our College Principal to champion high-quality, person-centred education

This opportunity would suit someone with experience as:

• A senior leader within a SEND provision

• A headteacher or principal

• A SEND improvement partner

• An Ofsted inspector

Our Board meets seven times a year, with optional invitations to events and celebrations. Trustees are encouraged to attend in person, though online attendance is possible where needed. Travel expenses are covered, and overnight accommodation can be arranged for trustees living outside Devon.

Short on time? Advisory Member roles available

If you’d like to share your expertise without taking on full trustee responsibilities, consider joining us as an Advisory Member. Advisory Members sit on committees and offer specialist knowledge without the full governance role. 

We have an opportunity for a volunteer based in our Salisbury office to support our busy supporter care/membership team. You will help the team to ensure our members and supporters receive the highest standards of care and an excellent experience.

What you will be doing

This dynamic opportunity could involve anything from answering supporter queries and letter stuffing, to updating supporter records, filing and researching.

Location – This role is based at Plantlife Head Office in Salisbury, Wiltshire, so we are looking for a volunteer who is based in or around Salisbury. Ideally, we would prefer someone who lives in close proximity to our office.

Time commitment – We are looking for someone who can volunteer one day per week with us in our Salisbury office, aiming to give 5 hours or more (Wednesday or Thursday).

Gain hands-on office experience while playing a meaningful role in supporting families and young people across Westminster and surrounding boroughs. Join Unfold and help us bring volunteers on board who go on to change lives.

About Unfold

Unfold is led by the people it serves and gets them where they want to be. For 35 years, Unfold has been providing support to vulnerable families who are at risk of social exclusion, offering mentoring to women with children and young people in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and the neighbouring boroughs. We’re a bold, agile and growing organisation, with a friendly, energetic and welcoming team.  As an established local charity (previously known as Westminster Befriend a Family), we’re powered by volunteers who support young people and families to identify and achieve goals that matter to them.   

About the Role

You’ll support our volunteer onboarding process — a key part of ensuring the right people are ready to mentor and support our communities.

You’ll be supported to:

• Send follow-up emails after mentoring training
• Manage references (request, track, and confirm receipt) in line with GDPR
• Set up volunteer profiles on our training platform
• Send DBS application invites and track progress to completion
• Keep the Volunteer Experience & Engagement Lead updated, flagging any issues
• Provide occasional admin support to the wider team

You’ll build practical admin, communication and organisation, skills and see how a charity operates behind the scenes.

The Commitment

• Minimum 6 months
• Around 7.5 hours per week (flexible across 1–2 days, Monday–Friday)
• Based at our modern Victoria office

About You

Experience isn't essential, but you do need to be reliable and proactive.

You’ll likely have:

• Good organisational skills
• Clear written and verbal communication
• Confidence using Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel)
• Willingness to learn new systems (e.g. CRM)
• Committed to working as a team to achieve Unfold’s aims.

What You’ll Gain

• Real-world admin experience in a supportive, professional environment
• Training and ongoing support from our Volunteer Experience & Engagement Lead
• Insight into the charity sector and mentoring programmes
• Opportunity to attend mentoring training
• A reference to support future roles
• Travel expenses + £5 lunch contribution + free hot drinks
• Access to volunteer socials and community events

Important Information

This role is subject to:

• Enhanced DBS check (paid for by Unfold)
• Two references

Tools With A Mission, a Christian charity, is looking for a volunteer Van Coordinator to help organise and support the smooth running of our van collections across Northern England.

Our vans play a vital role in collecting and transporting donated tools from the public, which are refurbished and sent overseas to support livelihoods and transform communities.

This is a voluntary position, ideal for an organised and reliable individual who wants to make a meaningful contribution to a charity making a global impact.

Position Title: VLT member
Reporting to: Volunteer Leadership Team (VLT) - Volunteer Lead
Organisation: Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees (SWR)
Location: Sevenoaks Town and surrounding areas within the district council area
Time Commitment: 2-3 hours per week
Remuneration: Voluntary Position (Expenses Reimbursed)
Background to the charity
Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees is a local charity formed in March 2017. We are a small and growing charity, whose volunteers and supporters have come together to welcome and help support the refugees who have fled the fighting and persecution in Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine, and are now resettling in our community.
Starting with just one refugee family, we have expanded our efforts over the years and are proud to have supported about 50 families as they settle and rebuild their lives in our community.
Purpose of Role:
Would you like to make a meaningful and lasting difference in the lives of refugee families as they settle into life in Britain—supporting them to achieve independence and integrate confidently into their new communities?
As a member of the SWR Voluntary Leadership Team (VLT), you will contribute to the effective delivery of core services for refugees and help support and coordinate our valued volunteers.
Our work spans general support with settling in, integration, building independence, language learning, educational guidance, and assistance in accessing suitable employment. In this role, you’ll work closely with other VLT members, with a particular focus on the general support function, collaborating with volunteer teams and ensuring they are well-informed, resourced, and confident in providing person-centred support.
This is a chance to contribute meaningfully within a growing, well-regarded charity, alongside a dedicated and compassionate team of volunteers who share your passion for helping others.
Key Responsibilities:
● Support communication between lead volunteers and central SWR services to help source equipment or assistance for families.
● Help oversee the changing needs of families, recognising that support levels will gradually reduce as independence builds.
● Collaborate with local authority support workers where families are still receiving formal assistance.
● Assist in developing and tracking Path to Independence Plans for families.
● Liaise with team leads across Education, Language, and Employment functions.
● Keep the Volunteer Lead and wider VLT informed as appropriate.
Skills & Qualities Needed
You should be:
● Compassionate, patient, and non-judgmental
● A good communicator, both in writing and in person
● Organised, with strong attention to detail
● Flexible and culturally sensitive to varying family needs
● Reasonably confident with IT tools (email, shared files, online forms, etc.)
Experience in teaching, social care, or charity work is useful, but not essential. A genuine interest in helping others and working collaboratively is most important.
Support & Training Provided
All SWR volunteers are expected to complete an induction, including mandatory safeguarding training. We also provide training on cultural awareness to help volunteers support families sensitively and effectively.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage you to highlight any specific adjustments that would enable you to participate fully in the recruitment process.

To telephone befriendees at their home for approximately 10 to 30 minutes, you will arrange the specific times of your future calls directly with them. These calls are intended to occur once a week, but individual needs will be matched with your availability.To provide a telephone conversation, a listening ear and chat about interests and hobbies, helping to alleviate loneliness and feelings of isolation. To provide companionship and human interaction at a time when this may be limited. To provide an update after each call to the Telephone Befriending support Team. This is so we can keep a track of the amount of befriending calls each volunteer is undertaking, the type of support being offered during these calls and if there is anything further required.

It is important to note telephone befriending is not counselling or therapy and other services must be sought if this is required.

Benefits

• FREE DBS.
• Discounted food.
• Store discount.
• Volunteer from home.
• Above all you will be making a positive difference in your befriendee’s life.
• As a volunteer telephone befriender, you will learn how to support others, make friends, become more confident, and practice communication skills.
• You will gain new and transferable skills. We offer support for you to increase your own job-readiness and personal development.
• Training opportunities,
• Volunteering experience
• Detailed references will be provided.

​

As a Climate Ambassador, you would be joining thousands of volunteers supporting the Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, launched in 2022.

Climate Ambassadors offer free support to nurseries, schools and colleges across England to develop and implement a climate action plan. This framework helps education settings evaluate and address key action areas – adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity, climate education and green careers, and decarbonisation.

If you have: 

• A desire to create coordinated impact in your local community, while utilising your employer’s volunteering leave (where applicable); 

• Knowledge about the sustainability and climate challenges facing the world; 

• Familiarity with education settings, or the ability to inspire senior leaders, educators and young people to set out on their sustainability journey; 

• A growth and mentorship mindset to help education communities begin or progress with their climate action plan, 

… then join the growing community of Climate Ambassadors and embed climate action where it matters most! 

You will receive training, guidance and regular communications from our regional teams to make the most of the climate action opportunities on your doorstep. You can get started by volunteering just 2 hours a year. 

How can you become a Climate Ambassador? 

1. Complete an initial interest form and your regional team will be in touch to support your registration on the STEM Learning platform; 
2. Receive induction, your DBS check and your Climate Ambassador training; 
3. Identify activities you would like to support and post about them on the STEM Learning platform, or browse activities requested by your local schools! 

Your regional team will get in touch suggesting a good match to a local setting seeking support relating to your area of interest or experience. You can also upskill through the Sustainability Leadership Programme to unlock new areas of expertise. 

Please note: STEM Learning UK host Climate Ambassador profiles on their website, which requires you to register as a STEM Ambassador. Your profile will be processed as a Climate Ambassador upon selecting ‘Climate’ as your area of interest during registration.

Organisation overview
Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees is a local charity formed in March 2017. We are a small but growing charity, whose volunteers and supporters have come together to welcome and help support the refugees who have fled the fighting and persecution in Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine, and are now resettling in our community.
Starting with just one refugee family, we have expanded our efforts over the years and are proud to have supported about 70 families as they settle and rebuild their lives in our community. Currently we support 150 refugees and have over 100 volunteers, of whom 75 provide the service to the refugees. We are completely funded by donations and fundraising.

The role:
To lead SWR’s operational team (‘the VLT’) that helps refugees move from crisis to confidence and citizenship—ensuring every family is supported and nothing important is missed. The team also supports those volunteers assisting the refugees along their path to independence. The VLT is a friendly group of able and energetic people who specialise in different areas of refugee and volunteer support.

What we are looking for:
The VLT is a friendly group of able and energetic people who specialise in different areas of refugee and volunteer support. They need someone who is good at leading teams, who can orchestrate their activities and make sure that nothing important is missed. This also involves being good at working with people and working calmly and methodically through the issues which arise.

What you’ll actually be doing:
● Leading the team. Your role is all about supporting and motivating the team around you, helping it to focus on key issues and, as refugee needs change, adjusting the team and building it to address the emerging needs of our refugee community.
● Operational oversight: This is the operational heart of the role. You ensure, with the team, that issues are tracked and resolved.
● Support to the leads: You’ll support our specialist leads (which are principally, family, data, housing, employment and language).They are likely to be far more expert in their subject areas but you’re their support and sounding board.
● The board liaison: You’ll be the voice of the VLT working with the board Chair. As the VLT Chair you are an important voice in setting operational norms and priorities.
● Liaison with other agencies at the operational level such as the Refugee Council.
Is this for you?
● You can deal with people: You have empathy and good judgement to handle difficult situations for volunteers who care deeply, sorting out problems with them while keeping focused on professional outcomes.
● You’re naturally organized: You can separate out the important from the less important, the urgent and the non-urgent in juggling resources. You can spot the issue that others may have forgotten.
● You have the capacity: This role may take 7 hours per week, often less but on occasion more.

The handover:
Our current chair is stepping down in August 2026. We’d love a successor to start "shadowing" the Volunteer Leadership Team and the chair’s role within it in the late spring or early summer to see how the operational system works to benefit the refugees and meet some of the volunteers who make the services happen.

Why this role matters
Without an effective Chair, small problems can become bigger problems for both the families we support and the volunteers assisting them. You will be the person ensuring operationally that SWR remains a reliable and compassionate support to the refugees, and an excellent place to be a volunteer in. When a refugee or a volunteer reaches out, they are supported by a system that works and people that care.

What will you get:
You will get deep satisfaction and enjoyment from working closely with a deeply dedicated and fun VLT team, as well as the hugely dedicated trustees and wider volunteer membership. You, and your team can see life-changing success stories first-hand, and help shape the future of a lean and highly effective local charity.

Key Responsibilities

Recruitment & Onboarding

• Create volunteer role descriptions to define responsibilities and expectations.
• Contact and interview prospective volunteers through emails, calls, and online meetings.
• Conduct onboarding sessions including essential training and orientation.

Operational Management

• Assign volunteers to roles based on skills, availability, and organisational needs.
• Manage volunteer time-off requests and breaks.
• Resolve internal conflicts through mediation and clear communication.

Support & Compliance

• Serve as primary contact for volunteer/staff queries and concerns.
• Monitor health/wellbeing through regular check-ins and welfare assessments.
• Ensure mission alignment by screening applicants against organisational values.

Feedback & Development

• Collect regular feedback via surveys, interviews, and informal discussions.
• Analyse feedback to improve volunteer experiences and processes.
• Maintain records of volunteer performance, attendance, and contributions.

What are we looking for?

• Exceptional interpersonal skills for conflict resolution and relationship management.
• Organisational proficiency to manage rotas, records, and multiple priorities
• Communication expertise in written descriptions and verbal briefings
• Empathetic leadership to support diverse volunteer needs
• Experience in coordination, support, communication, or other relevant areas.
• Lived experience of AuDHD (desired)

What difference will you make?

Volunteers are at the heart of our organisation. The role of Volunteer Coordinator is to ensure effective recruitment, onboarding, and support for volunteers whilst maintaining alignment with our mission and values. 

Make a real difference in your community while building valuable experience.

We’re looking for a friendly, reliable volunteer to join our team in Malton and support our day-to-day office work. This is a great opportunity to get involved with a local charity, meet new people, and contribute to meaningful work.

What you’ll be doing

• Supporting with data entry and general admin tasks
• Helping staff with everyday computer use
• Keeping our digital files organised and up to date
• Being an extra pair of hands in a busy, welcoming office

What we’re looking for

• Confidence using computers and common software (e.g. databases, email, Microsoft Office)
• Good attention to detail
• A positive, can-do attitude
• Someone reliable who enjoys helping others

What you’ll gain

• Valuable admin and office experience
• The chance to support a cause that makes a real difference
• A friendly and supportive team environment
• A great addition to your CV

Zambia Orphans Aid UK (ZOA-UK) is looking for part-time volunteers to support our Digital & Communications work. The ideal candidates will have passion for all things digital and an interest in international development. We are seeking people who have good digital understanding, a flare for design and experience of creating social media content across a range of platforms.

You will possess a positive attitude together with a proactive approach to problem solving. You will be home-based and have the freedom to set your own hours, so self-motivation is essential.

Volunteers support ZOA-UK’s communications and digital activities to increase the reach, profile and influence of the charity and build our brand as a leading charity supporting orphans and vulnerable children in Africa. The volunteers will support the small team to create a cohesive and effective approach to delivering our messages to target audiences, driving supporter engagement and donations, and raising awareness of the needs of orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia. 

Range of likely duties to include:

1. Write up case studies and stories of change and ensure they and accompanying photographs and video footage are stored securely in our image and case study database

2. Help build our social media activity to achieve measurable outcomes in terms of raising awareness, and increasing numbers of supporters who convert to become donors

3. Create and schedule inspiring content for social media channels – Instagram, facebook, X, linkedin, ticktock etc

4. Create blogs, infographics and other content for our wordpress website, supporter newsletters and annual report

Supporting a values-led organisation through inclusive and effective people practices

Equality in Tourism is a not-for-profit organisation working to advance gender equality and social justice across the global tourism industry. Through research, partnerships and advocacy, we support a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable tourism sector.

Our work relies on a dedicated network of volunteers, who contribute their time and expertise in different ways. As we continue to grow, we are seeking a Senior HR & Volunteer Lead to help strengthen how we recruit, support and engage this community.

This is a key volunteer leadership role, suited to someone who can bring both strategic oversight and practical guidance to our people practices.

The Role

You will work closely with the leadership team to ensure that our internal practices reflect our commitment to equity, inclusion and fair work.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and refining our volunteer recruitment approach, ensuring it is inclusive, transparent, and genuinely reflects our values

• Developing and maintaining appropriate HR processes and policies for a small, mission-driven organisation

• Supporting effective and welcoming onboarding practices for new volunteers

• Advising on volunteer engagement, wellbeing and retention

• Providing guidance to volunteer managers to support a respectful, collaborative and inclusive working environment

• Establishing clear approaches to feedback and development for the volunteers

• Contributing to a culture that reflects Equality in Tourism’s commitment to gender equality, diversity and ethical practice

About You

We are looking for someone with senior-level experience in HR, people management or organisational development, ideally with an understanding of the not-for-profit or voluntary sector.

You will bring:

• Experience in developing or advising on inclusive HR and recruitment practices

• The ability to balance structure with flexibility in a small organisation

• Strong interpersonal and advisory skills, with a collaborative and supportive approach

• An interest in, and commitment to, gender equality, human rights and sustainable tourism

• The confidence to work both strategically and at a practical level

Why This Role Matters

Our volunteers play a central role in delivering our work. Ensuring they are supported, respected and effectively engaged is essential to our impact.

In this role, you will help to ensure that:

• Our internal practices are aligned with our external mission

• Volunteers have a positive and meaningful experience and encourage volunteer retention 

• We continue to grow in a way that is inclusive, sustainable and values-driven

What You’ll Gain

• The opportunity to contribute to an organisation working to influence positive change in global tourism policy and practice

• A meaningful leadership role within a respected, purpose-driven organisation

• The chance to apply your professional expertise in support of social impact

• Experience working with a committed, international network

Our gardens are extremely important. They welcome visitors and are where families spend time together, relax and make lasting memories. We are looking for keen gardeners with a passion to work alongside existing volunteers under the direction of staff, to maintain and enhance the gardens and grounds.

A great opportunity to play a role at an exciting stage of LRC’s growth!In 2025, the charity set-up a CRM system - after initial configuration, we now need a volunteer to help operationalise and is used optimally to achieve LRC’s goals.

In 2025, the charity set-up a CRM system using CiviPlus, a CRM system specific to the not-for-profit sector. We already have a technical volunteer who has helped with initial system configuration and can provide ongoing technical support.

The Lyme Resource Centre (LRC) is a charity with a mission to minimise risk of Lyme disease whilst enjoying the outdoors, by educating the public and healthcare professionals about ticks and Lyme disease. 

The charity has grown significantly over the past couple of years, and is now looking for volunteers to help with its next phase of evolution.