Shop volunteer volunteer roles in borehamwood, england

Branch Trustee (General Role) RSPCA Chiltern Branch

This is an exciting opportunity to be a hands-on trustee at branch level, helping to promote kindness and prevent animal cruelty, reach out to more supporters, and influence how we do things. With your support and expertise, we will achieve so much!

We are looking for an enthusiastic and passionate person who could devote the time to volunteer with us as one of our Trustees. As a Trustee of the Branch, you will have the chance to influence how we care for and prevent cruelty to animals and drive the implementation of key initiatives. You will serve on the governing body of the charity and be instrumental in the running of the Branch and setting out both the short and long terms aims.

As a minimum, trustees would normally be expected to attend a monthly committee meeting lasting some 2 to 3 hours. However, the commitment may vary depending on whether the trustee takes on additional duties.

About our Branch

The RSPCA Chiltern Branch focuses on rescuing and fostering animals, primarily cats, and offering financial support to pet owners needing help with vet bills. Our dedicated team includes 6 volunteer trustees, 1 animal coordinator, and a full-time shop manager, and we run a successful charity shop in Buckingham.

We are seeking to recruit new trustees, including a Treasurer, Secretary, General Trustee, and Animal Fosterer. We welcome proactive individuals aged 18 to 99 from all social and cultural backgrounds who have common sense, a love for animals, and a willingness to contribute.

Most of our work is done remotely via calls and Google Meetings (monthly or bi-monthly), so you do not need to live in Buckinghamshire or Hertfordshire. However, if you are local, you may enjoy assisting with shop donations or meeting for a coffee. Our branch is a unique, friendly, and supportive environment, offering opportunities for self-learning through the RSPCA website and a variety of unusual and rewarding tasks.

Primary responsibilities of the Branch Trustee

•  Appreciate and support the aims and policies of the RSPCA.
•  Work in conjunction with fellow trustees and branch officers and jointly act in making decisions for the best interest of the branch and the RSPCA.
•  Work with national RSPCA staff to ensure that the branch meets all minimum animal welfare standards (MAWS).
•  In conjunction with your fellow trustees and Branch Support Specialist write, adopt, monitor, and review a development plan setting out the short and long term aims of your branch.
• Actively participate in branch committee meetings and to attend the branch annual general meeting and regional conference.
•  Be aware of the outcome of regional board meetings and support local initiatives.
•  Actively promote and advertise the society in an ongoing programme to recruit new branch trustees and volunteers and welcome new members.
•  In conjunction with your fellow trustees, ensure the proper management and control of all activities and decisions relating to any premises held or staff employed by the branch if applicable.

What we are looking for in a volunteer:

•  We are looking for people from all social and cultural backgrounds, with experience and skills in any of the following areas:
•  Marketing communication including social media, PR, website;
•  Fundraising including corporate fundraising, trust fund and grant applications;
•   Local community and supporter relationships;
•  Hands-on experience in growing charities; and/or
•   Are or have been part of the groups and communities we would like to attract.
• Alongside the relevant experience, we are looking for someone who is committed to the RSPCA’s charitable objectives and shares our passion for animal welfare. You would be creative, innovative, bring a fresh perspective, and can put ideas into action.

What we can offer you as a volunteer Branch Trustee

•  We will provide you with a comprehensive trustee training course which will provide you will everything  you need to carry out the role.
•  Ongoing support is also provided by local and national RSPCA staff in addition to any additional  training provided by the relevant branch.
•  The platform to utilise your skills and experience to oversee the charity and make decisions that have a direct impact on local animal welfare.
•  The opportunity to gain new skills and develop existing ones, whilst making a real difference to the  lives of animals.
•  A way to expand your professional and personal network through working with like-minded people.

We would be delighted to receive a short video introduction explaining why you would like to become a Trustee and what you feel you could offer RSPCA Chiltern – though this is entirely optional. Our voluntary roles involve an informal interview and a trial period. We will kindly request contact details for two referees, and depending on the position, you may be asked to sign an agreement and complete specific training before commencing your role.

If you are passionate about improving animal welfare, we would love to hear from you.

Our focus as an organisation supporting refugees are three-fold:

Frontline evacuations, where conflicts are at their their most precarious

Emergency humanitarian aid deliveries in the most hard-to-reach areas in Ukraine, Syria and Turkey, as well as Greece and France.

 Self-reliance projects such as an education centre in Jordan, or upskilling adult refugees into work abroad and in the UK via our "Vintage Emporium" charity shops.

You will gain invaluable experience as a senior marketeer, working directly with the Managing Director, spanning traditional and digital channels in disaster relief in an agile organisation that punches well above its weight, committing to saving the lives of people who otherwise wouldn't be saved. We are small - your voice will be heard and your creativity welcomed!

Your focus will be on marketing our AID SHOP, a groundbreaking humanitarian aid delivery system that allows the general public to turn their empathy for new crises (Gaza, Turkey & Syria earthquake etc) into effective immediate action.

When disaster strikes, or the season changes - survival items for escalating conflicts or disasters are changed and added to our website. You will communicate these updates via email campaigns and social media posts, the items are then 'purchased' by our supporters, with the shopping lists collated internally by you, then sent to our partners or volunteers on the ground who can purchase the physical items and deliver the survival items to vulnerable people in the most precarious and volatile regions, sometimes within minutes! 

We also save greatly shipping and storage costs, and there is next to zero chance for unforseen delays at customs.

It is the most efficient way we know of giving in a crises - and is very efffective when marketed right (following either our set formulas, or bringing your own to experiment with). The best part? People know exactly where their money is going, so are justifiably much more generous!

So we need a volunteer (you!) to manage our marketing and communication efforts, ideally 2 days per week to:

*Post on social media (1 x reel / story per week, using a template to communicate the most needed survivial item of the week available for purchase in our "aid shop". 1 x Faceboo photo or video post)

*Update website as required

*Write 1 x compelling press release per week

*Update marketing / fundraising collateral

*Assist charity shops with creating leaflets and posters ad-hoc

*Organising our photos & videos by devising a tagging system 

Requirements:

*Please note - if you only have experience in one of the areas needed (e.g. you have worked in copywriting and press roles, but not social media) then please still contact us, as the role can be shared!

2 years' experience in marketing and press roles preferred

Experieince using Canva

An adaptable and compelling copywriter essential

Impeccable grammar 

Good attention to detail 

Creative, flexible, adaptable

Some knowledge of refugee topics would be very useful but not essential

In return, you’ll work as part of a fun, flexible team of people with shared motivations and interests, and have full visibilty of the fruits of your actions, directly impacting and saving lives within hours of marketing to our database. 

Please apply via the prompts here on CharityJobs by 28th February - we are actively interviewing so we may close the opportunity earlier.

We can't wait to hear from you!

Trustee Role ( Branch Treasurer) RSPCA Chiltern Branch

Are you passionate about animal welfare? We are looking for an enthusiastic person who understands charity finance to support us in our mission to prevent cruelty, promote kindness and alleviate the suffering of animals.

We are looking for someone to volunteer as a Branch Treasurer for our Chiltern Branch. This role would play a vital role in supporting the Branch affairs so that it is governed and managed effectively, whilst continually having animal welfare at the forefront of our minds.

About our Branch

At RSPCA Chiltern Branch, our primary mission is to rescue and foster animals—predominantly cats—and provide financial support to pet owners in need of veterinary care. We are supported by a dedicated team of six volunteer trustees, an animal coordinator, and a full-time shop manager. Our successful charity shop in Buckingham helps funds our vital work.

We are seeking to recruit the next generation of trustees, including someone to take on the important role of Branch Treasurer. We welcome applications from people of all social and cultural backgrounds, aged 18 to 99. Our trustees play a key role in shaping our work and are passionate about improving animal welfare.

While we cover a wide area across Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, trustees do not need to live locally, as most of our work is conducted remotely through calls and regular Google Meetings. However, if you are nearby, there are opportunities to assist with occasional tasks, such as delivering donations or meeting for a friendly coffee.

If you are passionate about improving animal welfare, we would love to hear from you.

As a minimum, trustees would normally be expected to attend a monthly committee meeting lasting some 2 to 3 hours.

Primary responsibilities of the Branch Treasurer

•  Implement and maintain sound financial systems.
•  Take a lead role in ensuring the committee set annual financial budgets and plan the branch income and expenditure.
•  Provide a written financial report for every branch meeting.
•  Liaise with auditors/independent examiners regarding the production of the annual branch accounts and the treasurer’s report.
•  Maintain control of all bank accounts as authorised by the committee.
•  Execute and operate branch committee financial decisions and act as branch co-signatory.
•  Maintain control over all branch paying-in books and receipt books and to ensure their correct use.
•  In the absence of a branch box secretary, to assume responsibility for the branch network of collection boxes.
•  Arrange payment of the annual branch contribution to the appropriate RSPCA fund.
•  Coordinate financial control of all branch fundraising activities.
•  Make quarterly VAT returns to headquarters promptly.
•  Ensure the production, monitoring and annual review of the branch’s financial risk management strategy in accordance with the charity commission’s requirements.
•  Liaise with branch officers, branch support specialist and Branch finance co-ordinator on Financial  affairs as necessary and alert them immediately to any possible difficulties or irregularities.
•  Ensure the retention and safekeeping of all branch financial documentation for the appropriate time as set by the charity commission.

What we are looking for in a volunteer

•  We are particularly looking for someone who has knowledge and experience in finance, who may already understand charity finance.
• As a trustee, you would be able to dedicate the time to attend monthly committee meetings, which last approximately 3 hours.
•  In between meetings, there will be additional volunteer duties such as; providing financial reports at committee meetings, monitoring the budget which has been set by the trustees for the year, processing payments, querying invoices, doing VAT returns, and processing Gift Aid claims.

What we can offer you as a volunteer Branch Treasurer

•  We will provide you with a comprehensive trustee training course which will provide you will everything you need to carry out the role.
•  Ongoing support is also provided by local and national RSPCA staff in addition to any additional training provided by the relevant branch.
•  The platform to utilise your skills and experience to oversee the charity and make decisions that have a direct impact on local animal welfare.
• The opportunity to gain new skills and develop existing ones, whilst making a real difference to the lives of animals.
•  A way to expand your professional and personal network through working with like-minded people.

We hope you are interested in volunteering for our branch. 

Our voluntary roles are subject to an informal interview and trial period. We will ask you to provide contact details for two referees, and dependent on the position, you may need to sign an agreement and undergo specific training before starting the role.

Our ambassadors are a network of volunteers, based across England – organising fundraising activities, representing the charity in their local area and helping to engage people with the work of the charity.

Ways to get involved
As an ambassador you can get involved by:
•  Inspiring family, friends, colleagues and your networks to support the charity
•  Attending cheque presentations in your local area and thanking our donors face-to-face
•  Setting up a fundraising group with friends, family or colleagues
•  Getting people involved in our latest fundraising appeals and campaigns
•  Promoting sign-ups to our UK and overseas challenge events to friends, family and your networks 
•  Making introductions to your contacts who may support the charity
•  Placing, emptying and banking coin collection tins in cafes, restaurants, shops and your community

What we ask of you
This role would suit you if you:
•  Are looking for a long term volunteering role
•  You would like to get involved with various volunteering opportunities
•  Enjoy fundraising and would like to connect with like minded people

What we offer in return
We are committed to supporting our volunteers and offer the following:
•  A monthly e-newsletter giving you ways to get involved
•  Bi-annual meetings and the opportunity to meet other members of the team
•  Resources to help you fund raise 
•  Ongoing support from the ICC UK team
•  Regular updates about the children and the difference you are making
•  Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses

Shelter Bucket Collection – Slough Tesco Extra

Role summary

Through their ‘Taste and Tesco’ scheme, the UK’s biggest supermarket offer charities across the UK opportunities to apply for fundraising collections outside their stores. Following a successful application, this bucket collection will take outside the Slough Wellington Tesco Extra, Slough. Volunteers will be required to stand with buckets and card machines asking the public for donations.

• Availability: This is a flexible opportunity, with various shifts between 10:00 - 17:00
• Suggested involvement: Whatever works for you - you choose the shift you volunteer at!
• Location: Slough Wellington Extra, Brunel Way, Wellington Street, Slough, SL1  1XW 
• Supervised by: Community and Events Assistant

This role is based within the Community Fundraising team. If you are looking to volunteer in our shops or services, please return to our homepage to find an appropriate opportunity.

Why volunteer with Shelter?

A home is a fundamental human need, as vital as education or healthcare. But in Britain today, that right is denied to millions of people whose lives are blighted by homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. The time for change is now. Together with individuals, in communities and across society, we will lead the way for a safe home for all. But we need your help to do it. Becoming a Community Fundraising Volunteer will give you the opportunity to take practical action and to meet other people who are passionate about tackling the housing emergency.

Skills and Experiences Required

• Passionate about joining the fight for home

Benefits of volunteering with us

• Join our fight against bad housing and homelessness and become a force for change!
• Contribute your time flexibly as and when it suits you
• Meet other volunteers locally
• Build your confidence and develop transferable skills

Learning & Development

To enable you to take part in this opportunity we will:

• Put you in contact with a Community & Events Assistant who will support you in the role
• Provide you with relevant policies
• Provide relevant induction, training and information
• Refund any out-of-pocket expenses in line with Shelter’s volunteer expenses policy

Next Steps:

To apply for this role, please fill in an application. We'll then be back in touch with applicants to discuss the role further.

Please note, you will be asked to declare any unspent convictions. Having a criminal record does not mean that you cannot volunteer with us. It may limit the different ways that you can get involved, but please contact us if you require more information.

Become our Trustee Tresurer and chair our Finance Committee.We need a Trustees with energy, enthusiasm and commitment to help accelerate our influcence on wildlife and nature recovery issues in the country and beyond.

With a refreshed 3-year strategy (23-26), “A Wilder Herefordshire, More Nature Everywhere” we’re working hard to recover nature at scale through deeper collaborations, working with local community organisations and networks to develop a clear plan for nature’s recovery. We are also working with neighbouring Wildlife Trusts, river partnerships and national partners such as the Woodland Trust, National Trust, and Duchy of Cornwall.

So, with lots happening, it’s an exciting if challenging time for the Trust.  Urgent action is needed to address the decline of wildlife in our beautiful county – and we need to muster all the resources and skills we can to succeed.

We are a welcoming board who support and challenge each other to do better for wildlife.

We look to recruit trustees from a range of backgrounds, life stages and skills to join us.

At this time, we wish to recruit someone to take on the role of Treasurer, and chair our Finance Committee. You would need the following skills and qualities:

· A strong commitment to wildlife conservation and the Vision of the Trust;

· Demonstrable experience of financial management;

· The skills to analyse proposals and examine their financial consequences;

· A good understanding of governance, gained either as a Trustee of another charity, a director of a company, or as a manager who has worked with Boards;

· The ability to apply clear logical thinking and creativity to developing our strategy

If you are successful, you will be welcomed and supported by a talented and committed board of trustees, a strong and experienced staff team and an active and expanding band of volunteers and by the wider Wildlife Trust movement. We hope you are inspired to apply, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Alison McLean OBE, Chair, March 2025

Join us as Dog A.I.D.'s new Honorary Secretary and you would be joining the Board at an exciting time as we have launched the charity’s Strategic Plan with a new CEO supported by a small but strong team, which we will be building further this year. As Honorary Secretary you would be using your skills and experience to support the leadership and strategic direction of our charity as we look to achieve ambitious strategic growth targets over the coming years, becoming a larger, more robust charity with increased profile and reach.

Dog A.I.D. empowers physically disabled people by coaching them to train their own pet dog to become an accredited Assistance Dog. By focusing on the existing pet/owner bond, outcomes for our clients include:

 · increased independence and self-confidence

· improved mental well-being

· reduction in social isolation

· reduced reliance on family members and/or carers.

· increased opportunities, with many of our clients being able to return to work or education, supported by their accredited Assistance Dog.

We are looking for an active and well-organised Secretary who can provide support for our governance functions. You will be required to attend and minute online quarterly Board meetings and other ad-hoc meetings and strategic discussions.

We’re looking for a new fundraising volunteer and/or director! Are you passionate about securing funds for grassroot organisations?

This opportunity involves overseeing Fuel Poverty Action’s fundraising plans and strategy, reaching out to donors and promoting our vital campaigns through grant bids to help end fuel poverty in the UK. 

This role would require an average of 16-20 hrs per month and can be done remotely. We are also open to you joining FPA’s board of directors, subject to capacity and experience. 

This offers a chance to directly contribute to tackling fuel poverty and ensuring access to affordable energy for all whilst strategizing and learning alongside great activists. If you're eager to contribute, we’d love to hear from you!

Tasks:

• Organise and manage our fundraising planning and pipeline

• Reach out to potential donors and help build relationships

• Lead on grant applications

• Work closely with the team to develop new fundraising strategies

• Contribute ideas and experience to FPA campaigns

Closing date for applications:  April 20th 2025

Who are Open Briefing 

People and communities around the world have the solutions to social injustice, authoritarianism, and the climate crisis. But repressive governments, corrupt corporations, and armed groups use violence and oppression to try and silence them.

By building resistance and resilience among those challenging unaccountable power, Open Briefing supports a shared vision for a world where communities and ecosystems can thrive.

Our dual approach allows us to work at every level of civil society, from the grassroots to the global. As a mission-driven nonprofit, we join forces with grassroots activists, community groups, and social movements at risk. Working together, we strengthen their physical security, digital resilience, and collective wellbeing.

As a social impact consultancy, we provide professional support and advisory services to global nonprofits and foundations seeking to bolster their risk management, data protection, and staff care.

"To describe Open Briefing as a caring partner would be an understatement. They have consistently been at the forefront, providing invaluable support whenever we have faced security threats. Open Briefing has stood by us, offering bespoke services that have enabled us to carry out our mandate with confidence and timeliness. Their support has given us the peace of mind necessary to operate fearlessly and effectively." 

Phyllis Omido, executive director of the Center for Justice Governance & Environmental Action, Kenya and Winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize 

Protecting people at risk 

The need for our work has never been greater. At least 300 human rights defenders and 91 journalists were killed in 2024. Many others were arrested, kidnapped, or forced into hiding. 

Last year, we worked with those around the world fighting for human rights and social justice, protecting the environment and defending their communities, exposing corruption and reporting the truth, and advocating for women’s rights and reproductive justice. We supported organisations and activists at risk in 100 countries across every inhabited continent, underscoring the global scale of the challenges we face.  

The number of requests for our support increased by 20% on the previous year to 575 in 2024. This represents 11 new cases every week. In response, our international team provided over 6,000 hours of direct support, a 32% increase on 2023. Roughly a third of the cases that we worked on were with individual defenders or informal collectives and 33% of all cases involved those defending their land and rivers or demanding climate action. We also trained 1,014 defenders in 112 workshops.

“I came out of my work with Open Briefing stronger. I know that because of the work I do, the security risks I face won’t go away, but I’m not as fearful. I used to doubt and question myself, but now I know what to do. I know how to manage the risks we face.” 

Director, women-led human rights organisation, West Africa 

Our efforts delivered measurable impact. We reduced perceived risk by 15% and achieved a remarkable 25% improvement in individuals' stated capacity to manage those risks - significantly enhancing the safety and resilience of those we served. An inspiring 84% approval rating from clients and grassroots partners underscores the meaningful difference we made, reaffirming the effectiveness and importance of our work in this complex and challenging field. 

I fled into exile after being arrested and torture by police and people close to me were murdered. Open Briefing helped me when no other organisation could. I had lost hope, but their support saved my life.” Investigative journalist, Rwanda

The wider impact of our work was captured in an external impact evaluation commissioned by a donor last year, which concluded that: “The different issues around which the activists had sought support from Open Briefing were profound, serious, and challenging. The scale of the risks is such that it would not be possible for them to operate without this kind of support. The nature of the support that Open Briefing has provided is therefore highly important, and has allowed activism to continue in contexts where it might not otherwise be able to.” 

Becoming fundable and findable 

With demand for our support up by 66% in the past two years, we need to ensure that we have the funding and resources to direct our support wherever we are needed most. 

We are proud to have built long standing partnerships with a small community of foundations who have been crucial to our success so far. But we can’t meet the current surge in demand for our support without growing this community. We need more people to know about the threats facing grassroots activists, human rights defenders, and indigenous communities around the world. We need more people to understand why physical security, digital resilience, and collective wellbeing is vital in helping them continue their work. We need more people to know about Open Briefing. 

“Open Briefing's expertise has been revolutionary for our organization. They have helped us develop the tools we need to better safeguard our team and respond to safety and security risks. All of this was done in a way designed for our organisation and considering our own limitations. Doing this kind of security work should be inherent to any organisation like ours that works in vulnerable communities and sensitive areas; however, it's not always within reach.” Dylan Terrell, Founder and Executive Director, Caminos de Agua, Mexico 

In May 2026, Open Briefing will come to the end of our current strategy cycle and will be looking ahead to where we need to scale our work and strengthen our impact. We need to make sure that we have the funding and resources to protect even more people, effect systemic change, and ensure the eyes of the world are on the perpetrators of attacks and reprisals. 

This means we need to be findable and fundable. To date, Open Briefing has largely operated behind the scenes, building a solid reputation as a trusted ally and critical friend to grassroots activists, movements, and foundations across the globe. 

Going forward, we must build our profile and widen our support base. We need to pursue innovative and creative approaches to communicating who we are and the human stories behind our work. We need to reach new audiences in order to engage and influence a wider network of donors, allies, and philanthropists across the globe. And crucially, we need to translate this work into new donations and unrestricted funding.

Key to this will be the formation of our first Development Board. We are looking to achieve a step change in our fundraising, help us build our audience, develop exciting communications and support us in ways we haven’t even thought of yet! 

Could this be you? 

• Are you passionate about bringing your skills, expertise, and networks to a dynamic global non-profit? 
• Are you excited about collaborating with us to help protect people and communities on the frontlines of the fight against social injustice, authoritarianism, and the climate crisis? 
• Do you have bold ideas for how Open Briefing could be more findable and fundable? Can you help us translate your ideas and our ambitions into creative, impactful strategies that could lead to new funding and resources for our security and wellbeing work? 
• Are you disinterested in ‘talking-shop Boards? Are you looking for an opportunity to use your skills, creativity, voice and connections in a way that will directly power our fundraising and communications work - making introductions to your network, brainstorming around key challenges, and executing dynamic profile-raising events and campaigns?  

We are looking for 3 - 5 people to join a dynamic, passionate and action-orientated Development Board. Previous experience as a Trustee or on a non-profit Board is not required.  We are particularly interested in people with experience from the following industries: 

• Communications, design, and media
• Technology
• Venture capital
• Strategy consultancy
• Fundraising, philanthropy, events, and giving circles.

We are asking potential members to commit to an initial one-year term and to be available to meet online on a monthly basis, with engagement between as necessary. 

If this sounds like you, please tell us what makes you excited about the role and upload your CV. If you have any questions, please reach out to us.

We would love to talk! 

This role is advertised as part of TPP's Free Giving Back Services. This volunteer advertisement copy has been supplied to TPP and applicants apply direct to the organisation. Please contact the organisation directly if you have any questions about this volunteer role.