Community and Volunteering Co-ordinator

As our Community and Volunteering Co-ordinator, you will be willing to embrace an environment at our homelessness day centre that is full of compassion and support, but can also be reactive and busy. You could be someone in the sector looking for your next step or someone more experienced looking for a change.

The Role

This is an impactful and engaging time to join the charity as we build on our strategy following our successful 30th Anniversary year. Your role as Community and Volunteering Co-ordinator will be pivotal in these developments.

Our supporters and volunteers are from diverse backgrounds, range in age, and include individuals (including our service users who also volunteer), community groups and corporate teams. Their contributions are essential for the running of our community centre that supports people who are marginalised and experiencing homelessness.

You will be supporting, stewarding and administrating the charity's amazing volunteers and supporters. This requires sustaining and building strong relationships with those who contribute generously in various ways-whether through time, money, practically or professionally. These partnerships are crucial for the charity's long-term sustainability.

Your excellent stewardship of volunteers and support to our drop-in service, is pivotal in not only supporting our vital volunteering programme, but also our fundraising, as there is regularly a correlation between the positive experience of volunteers at Ace of Clubs, who may also become individual, community and corporate donors.

The external communications of the charity are also key in not only recruiting new volunteers, but also conveying our work to the public - including our guests, volunteers, supporters, dignitaries etc. In addition to the public facing aspect of the role, strong administration and communications is also vital, in terms of logging enquiries, thanking, invitations, newsletters, online comms and social media etc.

You will also be required to support our drop-in service users/guests alongside our volunteers during our busy lunchtime service as and when this is required (we require two Support Workers on duty). Your lunchtime support will be needed for a minimum of 2 days a week, but more shifts will be required when our other Support Workers take annual leave or are absent. You will also take an active role in our Service Involvement programme, encouraging our guests to also volunteer and input to our service.

Ace of Clubs is a community-based charity providing transformative support for people experiencing homelessness or marginalisation. We provide for their immediate needs including safety, food, warmth, clothing, laundry, showers, IT suite and access to casework and healthcare, all onsite.

Ace of Clubs is a place where those who are feeling isolated or marginalised can find acceptance, a sense of belonging and renewed purpose.

About You
You need strong administrative, writing, and Microsoft Office skills. Additionally, you have a positive mindset and can adapt to a wide range of individuals, from those who use our services to our supporters, volunteers and corporate partners.

While experience working for a charity is not necessarily required, empathy and understanding for individuals experiencing homelessness is essential.

You could be someone looking for an opportunity to grow and develop your career within the charity sector, or someone with extensive experience seeking a more philanthropic and fulfilling role.

Most importantly, you are willing to embrace an environment that is full of compassion and support, but can also be reactive and busy.

It is an incredibly varied role where you need to wear a number of different hats, from supporting a client, onboarding a volunteer, to updating our comms and social media. You need to be someone who enjoys conversing with people, multi-tasking and is solutions focussed - whilst also being quick and efficient at completing administrative and communications tasks. At Ace of Clubs we are a small team and therefore we all have many tasks and responsibilities within our different roles. You will need to be efficient with your time management and boundary setting, knowing when to carve out time and step back from the day to day activity, to complete your desk based tasks too.

Key Responsibilities

Volunteers (Community, Corporate, and Client Volunteers)

• Volunteer recruitment and marketing by posting ads on local volunteer platforms, websites, and creating posters.
• Volunteer onboarding, including starter forms, DBS checks, reference verification and training requirements.
• Coordinating volunteer roles. This includes scheduling daily tasks, briefing volunteers, responding to queries and arranging meetings.
• Supervising during the lunchtime session at Ace of Clubs, supporting volunteers, and working with case workers to address needs from our clients.
• Exploring opportunities for volunteers and corporate groups to use their professional skills to benefit the charity (e.g., pro-bono support, academic research, digital skills etc.).
• Logging volunteer information in the database and monitoring their contributions.
• Monitoring and ensuring relevant training and supervision is happening with volunteers, including regular Volunteer Meetings.
• Conduct volunteer surveys and other feedback and support opportunities for volunteers.
• Seeking internal and external opportunities to recognise volunteer contributions (i.e. engagement activities, local volunteer awards etc.)
• Proactively supporting our client involvement programme - co-ordinating opportunities for our guests to volunteer and give feedback on our services.

Community Supporters and Communications

Proactively engaging in stewardship at Ace of Clubs with volunteers and supporters, engaging the public in our work and building on relationships.

Giving presentations or providing updates about the charity.

• Supporting and coordinating charity-organised events
• Producing and updating communications (photos, social media, posters, newsletters, website etc.)

To undertake other administrative tasks from time to time that are within the scope of the role.

Support Work

During busier times, you will also be required to support our Case Workers with day-to-day support work for our guests

Supporting guests with day to day needs and general wellbeing support.

Overseeing the guests and ensuring their needs are met and the day centre is running smoothly.

Line Management and Day-to-Day
You will report directly to the Director, but will work closely with the team. As a small charity, roles can be varied and collaborative, with everyone pitching in to help where needed. Due to the high demands on the team, prioritising tasks is essential, but you will be supported in doing so.

Hours and time off in lieu

We are advertising this role as a fulltime role at 37.5 hours per week (9am - 4.30pm). We are open to discussing some flexibility in working hours. However, the core hours for volunteering at our service is from 9.15 - 3pm, so these hours are key for the requirements of the role.

Occasionally, events or activities may take place outside regular working hours (evenings or weekends) and you are required to work these. While this is hard to predict, we do not expect it to occur more than around six times per year, and time off in lieu will be provided.

Employee Benefits

- 33 days holiday

- Complimentary daily hot lunch and tea/coffee provided on site

- Full induction training programme, supported by Bright HR

- Employee assistance programme

- Contributory NEST pension

- Opportunity for a Blue Light Discount card

Note: This service at Ace of Clubs runs 5 days a week, Monday - Friday all through the year including all bank holidays (including Christmas Day) and these are working days for all staff. Annual leave would need to be agreed in order to take off one of these bank holidays and agreement of this is subject to there being enough staff working on these days for the safe and smooth running of the service.

Person Specification: Skills, Competencies, Personal Attributes

Essential Skills and Competencies

Strong English speaking and writing skills with attention to detail

Efficient administrator with strong Microsoft Office skills

Strong interpersonal and presentation skills to adapt to a wide range of people

Strong organisational and time management skills including boundary setting.

Some experience in communications with an eye for language and visuals (i.e. in publications, social media, e-newsletters etc.)

Essential Personal Attributes

Cross-cultural sensitivity, empathy for the homelessness cause and adaptability towards the people we support.

Ability to work on own initiative.

Able to clearly and confidently explain procedures and boundaries to volunteers and service users.

Calm and responsive in a busy environment and able to respond professionally to challenging behaviour and conflict amongst our service user group.

Able to form positive relationships with colleagues, volunteers, service users and members of the public.

Stamina and resilience, solutions focussed and a team player, adept at multi-tasking, prioritising and boundary setting.

Desirable

Good level of educational and academic achievement
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