Volunteer roles for the International Development sector

Do you want to make a real difference?

At Oxfam, we're not just selling pre-loved items and unique finds – we're working together to build a radically better world. With your help, we will turn pre-loved treasures into resources that empower communities worldwide.

Here's why Oxfam is the perfect opportunity for you:

Be a Second-hand Superhero: In our high street shops, Ecommerce Hubs and Online Shop, people like you help create exciting and inspiring collections – retail therapy with a purpose!

Increase Your Skills: If you have a particular interest, you can build on it to gain valuable retail experience to add to your CV, such as merchandising, customer service, and teamwork.

Find Your Community: Meet like-minded people who share your passion for a fairer world.

Flexibility: We know life gets busy. That's why we offer flexible volunteering options. A few hours a week is all it takes to make a big difference.

Oxfam isn't just another charity shop. We're a movement of passionate individuals working to create a fairer world, and we’d love you to be a part of it!

What happens next?

After you apply, the manager will ask you to come in for an initial chat. This is not an interview, just a chance to get an idea of what you'd like to do help out. From there, you can meet the rest of the volunteer team and get involved with whatever area of the shop takes your interest!

Do you want to make a real difference?

At Oxfam, we're not just selling pre-loved items and unique finds – we're working together to build a radically better world. With your help, we will turn pre-loved treasures into resources that empower communities worldwide.

We’re seeking friendly, reliable individuals aged 18 or over who want to make a difference in their community. No prior experience is needed, as we provide full training. If you’re open to learning, enjoy working with others, and have a passion for helping people, you’ll fit right in!

You have the time to become a volunteer in your community; you might be looking for work experience, the opportunity to meet new people, or keep active.

By volunteering with us in one of our amazing retail spaces you will be raising essential funds for Oxfam – all whilst learning new skills and meeting some incredible people.

What you will be doing

• Undertaking shop related tasks agreed with the Manager, for example:
• Chatting to customers, giving great service on the till.
• Selecting, sorting, and pricing donated stock.
• Visual merchandising: creating eye-catching window and in-store displays.
• Accepting donations from members of the public, speaking to the donors and asking them a few questions..
• Following clear instructions to label donations in order to maximise income.
• This role may include occasionally lifting boxes. We prioritise a safe working environment and provide comprehensive health and safety training to all volunteers.

The skills you need

• We ask that you are reliable and on time for your volunteering
• Full training and support is given for this role - no prior experience is required
• Happy to be part of a team and collaborate effectively with others
• Happy to speak with other people, and follow instructions to complete a task

What's in it for you

• Some lunch and travel costs paid (speak to the Manager first to understand what is covered)
• Access to training and development
• Grow your confidence and meet new people
• Flexible volunteering schedules that fit your lifestyle
• Free confidential support by the Retail Trust
• Possible references for future employers

This role is hybrid based in Birmingham Third Space (687 Stratford Road, B11 4DX)

Volunteers are an integral part of Human Appeal’s success. They are the ones that create real change for those most in need. This is your chance to meet new people, gain new skills and experience and have fun whilst being part of a great cause.​ We are looking for a engagement intern to assist the fundraising and engagement team in developing events, project management and admin support..

Main tasks:

• Administrative tasks such as collating data, contacting signups for pledges, various challenges, deployments and events. 
• Assist with administrational tasks relating to fundraising 
• Create content for social media
• Contact guests who have booked for events
• Research venues, catering and other fundraising related tasks for upcoming events 
• May be asked to go to occasional events dependent on location ​

Skills and Abilities​:

• A good understanding of humanitarian relief
• Effective written and oral communication skills 
• Good content creating and social media skills
• Problem solving skills 
• Ability to prioritise your workload 

Benefits of volunteering with us​:

• Experience of volunteering in an international charity
• Great experience for gaining employment
• Experience of operating within the outreach division of a large organisation
• Excellent training opportunities
• Opportunity to develop knowledge and skills within community engagement and outreach​
• Offer to provide references after 3 months of volunteering
• Support in developing your CV (should you want it)
• Opportunities to take part in Human Appeal events

Learning & Development​:

To enable you to take part in this opportunity Human Appeal will provide:

1. This is an unpaid position but we will pay for your “out of pocket” expenses in line with Human Appeal’s volunteer expenses policy
2. A detailed induction and training, providing all the information and skills needed 
3. A dedicated member of staff to provide ongoing support and supervision
4. A volunteer handbook that outlines all of the policies and procedures you will need to be aware of whilst volunteering

Could you use your voice to help tell stories that really matter?

As a Media Volunteer with Christian Aid, you’ll help bring powerful, real-life stories to life—sharing how supporters across the UK are creating change and challenging poverty. Whether it’s capturing moments from local events or shaping stories for media, you’ll play a key role in helping more people see the impact and feel inspired to act. 

This is a flexible, creative role where you can grow your skills while making a genuine difference. You’ll work alongside a supportive team, building confidence in writing, storytelling and media engagement—turning everyday experiences into stories that reach new audiences and spark action. If you enjoy connecting with people and want to use creativity for good, this could be a great fit. 

We're looking for volunteers in England, Scotland and Wales (where Welsh language skills would be a bonus).

Love fashion? Know your brands? Know your retro from your vintage? We are looking for people that love clothes and accessories to help us select, research, prepare, photograph and list our stock for sale on Oxfam’s bespoke online shop. No previous experience is necessary, we will provide full training.

During these uncertain times Oxfam’s work to tackle global poverty is more vital (and more challenging) than ever before. Can you use your fashion knowledge to help us raise money to support and empower some of the world’s most vulnerable communities?

What you can do at the shop:

You can get involved with any of the following:

· Selecting the best stock from the amazing donations we receive

· Researching rare and valuable stock

· Preparation and presentation of stock

· Photography and editing

· Creating accurate and engaging online listings

· Creating engaging content for the shop's social media platforms

· Upcycling items, or creating new items from waste textiles

What we can offer:

Oxfam's core values are empowerment, inclusiveness and accountability, and we stand by these in all aspects of our work. We provide a safe, friendly and supportive environment and we have a range of tasks to suit all potential volunteers. When you volunteer with us you will have the opportunity to develop your skills (and enhance your CV) and bring your own ideas into the shop. You will be warmly welcomed and you will feel a sense of ownership over the work you do. We will provide full training, giving you the benefit of our experience. We provide references for our volunteers, and we believe nobody should be out of pocket to volunteer with us, so if you live outside the Cotham area we can help with reasonable travel costs.

What our team have to say about working at the shop:

“Oxfam has given me my first relevant volunteering experience – I’ve learnt about a range of different items as well as how an organisation works – and it gives me a chance each week to switch my focus away from uni work!”

“You come across lots of interesting items, but it can be a thrill when you find something rare or out of the ordinary”

“I’ve been here for four years and I love it – very friendly team, very varied – dealing with high end clothing, antiquarian books, household items and much more – it’s great to find new homes for unwanted goods”

What we ask for:

· Enthusiasm for selling stuff online!

· A willingness to learn and to work within Oxfam's core values

· A commitment of a 3 hour shift per week for at least 3 months

· A commitment to abide by all shop health and safety processes

What your help will enable us to do:

Every pound raised in these incredibly challenging times supports Oxfam’s aim of ending extreme poverty. This income is vital to empower people to help themselves out of poverty, and, crucially, it allows us to act immediately when a disaster happens - saving lives and providing essential resources to help rebuild communities.

Can you help us raise as much as we can to continue our work this year? We won't live with poverty. If you feel the same way we would love to work with you!

Overview

The Volunteer Finance & HR Administrator will provide administrative support to the Finance & HR Department. The role offers an opportunity to gain practical experience within a busy charity environment while supporting a range of finance, Gift Aid and HR activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with finance administration, including filing, data entry and record keeping.
• Support the administration of Traid’s Gift Aid scheme.
• Maintain accurate records and databases.
• Carry out routine data checks and data cleansing activities.
• Assist with HR administration and personnel records.
• Support the preparation of correspondence and documentation.
• Help maintain records in accordance with HMRC, GDPR and organisational policies.
• Provide general support to the Finance & HR Department as required.

Qualifications & Skills

• Good attention to detail and accuracy.
• Good organisational and administrative skills.
• Basic IT skills, including Microsoft Office.
• Ability to handle confidential information appropriately.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Reliable and able to work independently once trained.
• Previous administration or data entry experience (desirable).
• Experience of volunteering or working within a charity (desirable).
• An interest in finance, HR or charity administration (desirable).
• Knowledge of Microsoft Excel (desirable).

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for next stages.

A growing women’s empowerment social enterprise in Uganda is seeking a volunteer accountant to strengthen budgeting, cashflow forecasting and financial systems.

The organisation supports over 300 women artisans, including single mothers, widows and teenage mothers, through vocational training and income generating opportunities linked to handmade crafts.

As international sales opportunities grow, the organisation wants to ensure its finance processes remain practical, sustainable and fit for purpose.

The volunteer will work with the Founder and Managing Director to review internal processes and controls, support effective use of Zoho Books, review the chart of accounts, improve budgeting and cashflow forecasting, develop simple management reporting tools and support audit preparation.

This would suit a hands on volunteer comfortable working closely with a small local team.

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Accounting for International Development, AfID, matches experienced accountants with charities, NGOs and social enterprises around the world. Our volunteers provide practical finance support, helping partners strengthen systems, reporting, controls and confidence.

A conservation NGO in Indonesia is seeking a volunteer accountant to strengthen donor reporting, financial systems and accounting processes.

The organisation works with fishing communities, women and young people to support community based natural resource management, sustainable livelihoods and biodiversity conservation.

The finance team currently relies heavily on Excel and is planning to move to a more structured accounting platform.

The volunteer will work with the team to review budgeting and donor reporting templates, support the transition from Excel, improve reporting consistency, strengthen financial systems and controls, and provide practical mentoring.

This would suit a collaborative volunteer with experience in donor reporting, Excel, accounting systems and small NGO finance.

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Accounting for International Development, AfID, matches experienced accountants with charities, NGOs and social enterprises around the world. Our volunteers provide practical finance support, helping partners strengthen systems, reporting, controls and confidence.

Two small community based organisations in Malawi are seeking practical finance support to strengthen day to day financial management, reporting and controls.

Both organisations work across vocational training, youth development and livelihoods support, with small local teams and simple finance systems.

The volunteer will work closely with staff to improve budgeting, cashflow management, financial reporting, record keeping, controls and procedures.

This is a very practical grassroots placement, focused on helping local teams build confidence, consistency and simple sustainable systems.

It would suit a collaborative and adaptable volunteer who is comfortable working hands on with small organisations and providing patient, practical mentoring.

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Accounting for International Development, AfID, matches experienced accountants with charities, NGOs and social enterprises around the world. Our volunteers provide practical finance support, helping partners strengthen systems, reporting, controls and confidence.

An international child protection NGO headquartered in Cambodia is seeking a volunteer accountant to review and strengthen accounting systems, software and financial management processes.

The organisation works across Southeast Asia, supporting vulnerable children, young people and communities through programmes focused on child protection, education, livelihoods and social inclusion.

The volunteer will work alongside the finance team to assess current systems and support practical improvements across financial management and reporting.

Key areas of support may include accounting systems, software options, financial reporting consistency, internal controls and practical systems improvements across country programmes.

This would suit a volunteer with strong systems and financial management experience, ideally with experience of complex organisations or multi programme environments.

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Accounting for International Development, AfID, matches experienced accountants with charities, NGOs and social enterprises around the world. Our volunteers provide practical finance support, helping partners strengthen systems, reporting, controls and confidence.

A women led grassroots charity in southern India is seeking a volunteer accountant to strengthen accounting systems, reporting, budgeting and finance team confidence.

The organisation works with women, children and marginalised communities through programmes focused on empowerment, health advocacy, childcare, education and residential care for children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Much of the organisation’s accounting remains manual and paper based, and financial reports are generally prepared only when requested by donors.

The volunteer will review current finance processes, assess use of accounting software, support budgeting and cashflow tools, introduce simple monthly management accounts, improve donor reporting and provide mentoring to the local finance team.

This would suit a supportive, hands on volunteer who enjoys working closely with smaller grassroots organisations.

Free accommodation, weekday breakfast and lunch, and airport transfers from Madurai Airport can be arranged.

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Accounting for International Development, AfID, matches experienced accountants with charities, NGOs and social enterprises around the world. Our volunteers provide practical finance support, helping partners strengthen systems, reporting, controls and confidence.

A growing NGO in Malawi, working across education, livelihoods, health and environmental sustainability, is seeking a volunteer accountant to strengthen its finance systems.

The organisation has grown significantly and now manages multiple donor funded projects, with annual income of over £1 million. QuickBooks has been introduced, but is not yet fully embedded, and many processes remain manual.

The volunteer will work with the Finance and Administration Manager, wider finance team and senior leadership to review current systems, identify priorities and support practical improvements.

Key areas of support may include QuickBooks, budgeting, forecasting, cashflow, donor reporting, management accounts, internal controls, expenditure verification, audit readiness and mentoring.

This would suit a collaborative and adaptable finance professional who can balance a broad systems review with practical, hands on support.

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Accounting for International Development (AfID) matches experienced accountants with charities, NGOs and social enterprises around the world. Our volunteers provide practical finance support, helping partners strengthen systems, reporting, controls and confidence.

The Gender and Development Network (GADN) brings together expert NGOs, consultants, academics and individuals committed to working on gender, development and women’s rights issues.

GADN is currently advertising for two Membership Communications Volunteers to support our Secretariat. These roles would be suitable for those with a passion for international development and women’s rights and an interest in communications and membership admin.

Each role is for half a day - one day per fortnight for at least six months (hybrid working, but mostly work from home). Key tasks include processing membership enquiries and compiling engaging and informative content for our weekly membership newsletter.

If you are committed to women’s rights and gender equality, want to develop your skills in communications and membership admin while contributing to work toward gender justice in international development, this could be the volunteer role for you. 

How to Apply

Please review the attached JD and then send a CV and cover letter outlining your relevant experience to our recruitment email with ‘Volunteer Application’ in the subject line.   

When preparing your application, do reflect on how your experiences, abilities and interests align with the skills and experience criteria listed in the job description where you can. Please keep cover letters limited to one page.

The closing date for applications is 9am, Monday 13 July 2026. Assessments will be held on Thursday 23 July 2026 and interviews held on Monday 27 July 2026.  

Unfortunately, due to limited capacity, we are unable to respond to candidates not shortlisted for interview.   

As we continue working to decolonise our practice and build an anti-racist organisation, we actively welcome applications from Black women and Women of Colour who we recognise are under-represented in the UK international development sector. If you share our core commitments, we would love to hear from you!

Can you help the Bristol Oxfam Online Shop raise money to support and empower some of the world’s most vulnerable communities?

We are looking for people with an eye for detail to help us research, prepare, photograph, describe and dispatch our homewares on Oxfam’s bespoke online shop. Our specialist online shop sells an eclectic range of clothing, accessories, books, music, film and homewares, sourced from our generous donors at Oxfam shops across the area.

We have had some very interesting homewares donations over the years, from antique postal scales to vintage bears and Wedgwood tea sets. If you know your homewares and can help us identify, price, list and photograph our stock your help will be invaluable! You will receive full training and support from our friendly and knowledgeable team.

What you can do at the shop:

We believe in empowering our volunteers so, depending on your interests and what you would like to get out of the role, you can get involved with any of the following aspects of running the online shop (and more!):

· Researching rare and valuable stock

· Selection, preparation and presentation of stock

· Photography and editing

· Creating accurate and engaging online listings

· Creating engaging content for the shop's social media platforms

· Packaging and dispatching items

What we can offer:

Oxfam's core values are empowerment, inclusiveness and accountability, and we stand by these in all aspects of our work. We provide a safe, friendly and supportive environment and we have a range of tasks to suit all potential volunteers. When you volunteer with us you will have the opportunity to develop your skills (and enhance your CV) and bring your own ideas into the shop. You will be warmly welcomed and you will feel a sense of ownership over the work you do. We will provide full training, giving you the benefit of our experience. We provide references for our volunteers, and we believe nobody should be out of pocket to volunteer with us, so if you live outside the Cotham area we can help with reasonable travel costs. Our shop only sells online and we are not open to the public, so if are interested in gaining ecommerce experience but would value a quieter, relaxed working environment, you will love it here!

What our team have to say about working at the shop:

“Oxfam has given me my first relevant volunteering experience – I’ve learnt about a range of different items as well as how an organisation works – and it gives me a chance each week to switch my focus away from uni work!”

“You come across lots of interesting items, but it can be a thrill when you find something rare or out of the ordinary”

“I’ve been here for four years and I love it – very friendly team, very varied – dealing with high end clothing, antiquarian books, household items and much more – it’s great to find new homes for unwanted goods”

What we ask for:

· Enthusiasm for selling stuff online!

· A willingness to learn and to work within Oxfam's core values

· A commitment of a 3 hour shift per week for at least 3 months

· A commitment to abide by all shop health and safety processes

What your help will enable us to do:

Every pound raised in these incredibly challenging times supports Oxfam’s aim of ending extreme poverty. This income is vital to empower people to help themselves out of poverty, and, crucially, it allows us to act immediately when a disaster happens - saving lives and providing essential resources to help rebuild communities.

Can you help us raise as much as we can to continue our work this year? We won't live with poverty. If you feel the same way we would love to work with you!