Volunteer Services Partner
Job Description
Job summary
At East Anglias Childrens Hospices (EACH) , volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. Their compassion, energy and commitment help us provide vital care and support to children, young people and families across our region.
We are looking for a proactive and people centred Volunteer Services Partner to be the bridge between potential volunteers and the vital work EACH does.
This is an ideal role for someone who thrives in a peoplecentred environment, enjoys variety and takes pride in delivering highquality administration support.
As one of three Volunteer Services Partners, covering EACH volunteering across East Anglia, you will play a key role in shaping the volunteer experience connecting passionate individuals with impactful and varied opportunities at EACH.
You will lead and administer the volunteer recruitment cycle across Suffolk, ensuring a diverse and inclusive workforce while providing essential support to the EACH colleagues who manage them.
Are you:
- An organised administrator with strong IT skills and are experienced using databases, digital tools and Microsoft Office?
- Skilled at prioritising, managing a varied workload and working both independently and collaboratively?
- An effective and empathetic communicator who builds positive relationships and supports volunteers, colleagues and partners with professionalism, sensitivity and sound judgement?
Main duties of the job
What youll do:
- Recruitment & Onboarding: Manage the full volunteer lifecyclefrom initial enquiry to DBS checks, and training. Administer the recruitment of volunteers across EACHs hospices, Help at Home service, retail stores and fundraising teams.
- Community & Partnership building: develop strong links with community organisations, colleges, job centres and local groups to champion the benefits of volunteering with EACH.
- Supporting Volunteer Supervisors: work closely with managers and supervisors (including Shop Managers) to offer guidance, best practice support and tools to help them manage their volunteer teams effectively.
- Engagement & Communications: Contribute content for volunteer newsletters, our intranet and support appreciation events that recognise and celebrate our volunteers' incredible contribution.
- Data & Administration Maintain accurate records on our volunteer database (Cascade) and manage the central volunteer services inbox in collaboration with your fellow Volunteer Services Partners.
About us
Comprehensive range of benefits:
- Free onsite parking & subsidised meals at our hospices
- Pool car provided when working in the community
- Employee health cash plan & wellbeing support schemes
- NHS pension - continuation if already contributing
- Enhanced Annual leave Entitlement - 27 days + 8 UK Bank Holidays
- Additional holiday purchase scheme
- AVIVA pension package up to 7% Employer Contribution including Life Assurance
- Free eye tests & cycle to work scheme
East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH) supports families and cares for children and young people with life threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.
At EACH we believe in fostering a workplace where every individual feels valued and respected. We are committed to building a culture of inclusion where differences are embraced. We are actively seeking talent from all walks of life, recognising that diversity drives innovation, creativity and success.
Join us on a journey to create a more inclusive workplace, where everyone has equal opportunities to grow, contribute and succeed. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds to apply for opportunities at EACH and adjustments will be made to facilitate the application and selection process.
Job responsibilities
Job Summary:
Coordinating and administrating the full volunteer recruitment and onboarding cycle, ensuring timely compliance checks, accurate data management, and effective placement of volunteers into suitable roles across Suffolk. Supporting EACH volunteer supervisors with guidance, tools, bestpractice advice, and help with sensitive or complex situations. Promoting diversity and inclusion throughout all volunteer processes.
Working with the wider Volunteer Services team to create communications, coordinate recognition initiative and events, and develop relationships with key external stakeholders to strengthen engagement and partnerships. Developing internal content, maintaining communication links with volunteers and supervisors to support retention.
Responsibilities:
Recruitment and Onboarding
Manage the full recruitment cycle of volunteers arranging onboarding and training, and overseeing the timely completion of DBS, health, and compliance checks, ensuring a safe and well-prepared volunteer workforce.
Act as the first point of contact, turning initial enquiries into meaningful placements through proactive follow up and engaging communication.
Post volunteer vacancies across internal and external platforms; build partnerships with organisations like Job Centres and local community groups to ensure our volunteer base is diverse and inclusive.
Evaluate volunteer skills to place individuals where they are needed most and where their skills and experiences are most appropriate.
Partner with the Marketing and Communications team to deliver social media and press campaigns that highlight the rewards of volunteering.
Forge new strategic links with third party organisations that help build strong awareness in the local areas and build diversity-focused partnerships.
Support with the creation of new volunteer roles by working in partnership with internal teams and stakeholders to identify business needs, develop clear and inclusive role descriptions, and ensure appropriate induction, training, and ongoing support are in place.
Systems and data
Maintain the volunteer database (Cascade), with high data inputting accuracy, ensuring data integrity and generating reports that help manage volunteer data trends and compliance checks.
Manage the shared volunteer services inbox, manage other digital files and general administrative tasks (data entry, spreadsheets, and archiving).
Support for volunteer supervisors
Providing the tools, 1:1 support, and best practices Volunteer Supervisiors need to effectively manage their volunteer teams.
Facilitate induction sessions for new staff members who will be managing volunteers to ensure they are ready to welcome and supervise new volunteers.
Offer sensitive and informed guidance on complex situations involving volunteers, including matters relating to conduct, wellbeing, or role suitability, ensuring appropriate resolution and safeguarding.
Volunteer engagement and Communication
Contribute to regular and engaging content for the volunteer newsletter and Volunteer Zone to keep the volunteer audience informed and inspired.
Produce regular and engaging content the volunteering staff intranet to keep the community updated.
Support key appreciation projects, such as the Volunteers appreciation events and co-ordinate Long Service awards for volunteers.
Develop feedback loops to ensure volunteers feel heard, valued, and connected to the EACH values and mission in order to build volunteer retention.
The role may also be required to support the "Help at Home" service by assisting with the recruitment and co-ordination of volunteers who support families with practical support in or around their home.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience providing administrative support and managing a varied workload effectively
- Experience working with spreadsheets to manage data, organise and present information
- Experience managing a varied workload and balancing competing priorities.
Desirable
- Experience of presenting data to key stakeholders
- Experience of working within a palliative care setting or working with children and young people.
- Experience supporting, coordinating or supervising volunteers or staff, in person and/or remotely
- Experience of using databases in particular HRIS or Iris Cascade
- Experience coordinating events or activities
- Experience contributing to the development of administrative systems and processes
Qualifications
Essential
- Familiarity with administrative systems and processes
- Proficient in using Microsoft Office applications, particularly Outlook, Excel and Word, at an intermediate level
Desirable
- ILM Award/Certificate in Management of Volunteers ...
