Skip to content
Skip to main content

About this free course

Download this course

Share this free course

Working in the voluntary sector
Working in the voluntary sector

Start this free course now. Just create an account and sign in. Enrol and complete the course for a free statement of participation or digital badge if available.

2.2 Volunteer role descriptions

If you have applied for a job before, you will have read a job description. This is a list of the activities, duties and responsibilities the job entails, as well as the skills and knowledge required. Not all volunteer roles will have a written job description, but it is good practice to have one so that people know what they will be expected to do in the role. In addition, the person who coordinates or manages the volunteers will know what the team should be doing.

If the role involves particular requirements that not everybody can or wants to do (such as heavy lifting, outdoor work, working directly with members or service users), then this can be made clear in the description.

Box 2 gives an example of a job description that outlines clearly all the tasks involved, the skills and experience required and who will be managing the role.

Box 2 A volunteer role description

Volunteer Retail Assistant

We are an animal conservation charity and our busy shop sells second-hand and new goods to raise funds to help endangered animals. We need an enthusiastic assistant to help sort, select and sell our goods. You’ll gain experience in a retail environment and the profits you generate will help animals around the world.

What’s in it for you?

  • Helping animals in need
  • Becoming part of a friendly and dedicated team
  • Meeting people from all walks of life and making new friends
  • Improving your retail and customer-service skills
  • Developing your knowledge and enhancing your CV

What’s involved?

  • Helping customers and answering the phone
  • Selling products and working a till
  • Restocking the shop floor
  • Promoting Gift Aid
  • Maintaining a clean and tidy shop

What skills and experience do you need?

  • Excellent people skills
  • Friendly and well-presented
  • Reliable and enthusiastic
  • Basic numeracy skills

You need to be at least 14 years of age to work in our shops.

Time commitment: Flexible to suit you but usually sessions of 3 hours.

Reporting to: Shop manager

Activity 4 Writing a role description

Timing: Allow approximately 15 minutes

Watch the following video in which Sas talks about volunteering for a charity that offers overnight accommodation during the winter months for homeless and vulnerable people. This gives you some context about the work of the charity and why Sas is drawn to this volunteer role.

Using the example in Box 2 to guide you, write some ideas for a role description for someone volunteering with this charity.

Download this video clip.Video player: volb2_sas_extra.mp4
Copy this transcript to the clipboard
Print this transcript
Show transcript|Hide transcript
 
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).
To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Comment

You might include similar points from the description in Box 2. For example, under ‘What’s in it for you?’, you might add something about ‘making a difference to people’s lives’.

In terms of ‘What’s involved?’, we don’t know from Sas’s description what activities are involved. However, given that the charity provides overnight accommodation, it is likely to include tasks such as:

  • preparing food
  • serving meals
  • interacting with guests
  • cleaning duties.

Skills and experience might be similar to the description in Box 2, such as:

  • excellent people skills
  • reliable
  • understanding about homelessness.