Volunteering Coordinator

Please note we will accept applications for this role up until 21 September 2026.

Job Summary 
This role is a new position that will directly support the management of our volunteers, the projects they work within and how they engage with people experiencing homelessness. Volunteers are integral to our projects year-round and contribute to our strategic goals around community power and solidarity. Our projects range from Christmas events, engagement projects, prevention initiatives and supporting fundraising campaigns. 

This post-holder will be instrumental in the recruitment, onboarding, welfare and on-going support of our volunteers, some of whom also use our services. The Volunteering Coordinator will be passionate about people and enjoy working closely within our project teams to ensure volunteers have the best possible experience. 

Key responsibilities 
As this is a new role for Caring in Bristol, certain elements will evolve as the position embeds into the team. However, the key focusses will be to: 

Recruitment of volunteers 

• Promote volunteering opportunities across the city 

• Target potential volunteers who support our mission and values, have appropriate skillsets, and represent groups who are representative of the clients we support and align with our strategic Equality, Diversity and Inclusion goals 

• Through a variety of promotional tools create and distribute volunteer recruitment assets for Caring in Bristol marketing channels to spread CiB volunteering opportunities 

• Attend volunteering recruitment events and engage with prospective volunteers 

• Work with Income Generation colleagues to build a base of engaged and informed volunteers to support fundraising events and activities in the community 

• Develop and deliver the volunteer application process 

• Conduct reference and DBS checks for new volunteers where required 

Volunteer Retention 

• Update and develop our volunteer induction programme with project staff embedding the values of the charity as well as an understanding of homelessness in our city 

• Provide pastoral guidance to volunteers, to ensure they feel heard and supported 

• Get to know our regular volunteers and work alongside them to understand the best way to motivate and engage them in their roles 

• Attend the projects on a regular basis 

• Work with CiB Safeguarding Leads to uphold the safety and safeguarding of volunteers and our service users in the development and management of volunteering in the organisation 

• Escalate volunteer complaints or disciplinary issues to project managers and senior management as appropriate 

• Manage communication with our volunteer groups, including curating a regular newsletter to keep volunteers informed about our work 

Administration - Volunteer Management & Development 

• Working alongside our Corporate and Community Coordinator, manage opportunities for groups of corporate volunteers within the organisation 

• Update volunteer-facing documentation and policies including the Code of Conduct, ensuring they are implemented consistently across Caring in Bristol volunteering  

• Become the organisation's administrator/key user for the volunteer management database. 

• Provide administrative support to ensure volunteers receive any out-of-pocket expenses  

• Support Caring at Christmas volunteer allocations and project-specific communication 

• Work as part of the Caring at Christmas on-site management rota 

• Manage the central volunteer email inbox, consulting with project teams where necessary to ensure queries are managed in an appropriate and timely fashion 

Personal Specification 

We are looking for someone with excellent administrative skills and a real people's person. We wish you to meet most of these criteria. However, we don’t expect you to meet every point and welcome applicants with transferrable skills and the ability to apply themselves in a new context. 

Essential  

• Experience of managing and motivating a team of volunteers 

• Demonstrable knowledge of the motivations for volunteering and the different needs or requirements that volunteers may have  

• Interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport quickly and maintain effective working relationships with a range of different stakeholders including people with lived experience of homelessness 

• Confidence and ability delivering briefings and/or short training sessions to groups either online or in-person 

• Persuasive written communication, able to produce copy for news and marketing pieces as well as clear and concise email responses to a very active inbox 

• Strong IT skills including the Microsoft Office suite, including Excel, and experience of using content management systems and databases 

• Confident speaking in public and experience delivering training to groups in person out in the community. 

• Experience handling difficult conversations and managing group discussions in a safe and respectful environment. 

• Solid organisational skills including consistency, accuracy, and an eye for detail. 

• A passion for harnessing community power to tackle homelessness 

Desirable  

• Experience of recruitment or marketing opportunities in the charity sector 

• Clear understanding of the legalities around volunteer management and health & safety 

• Experience of working in partnership with other groups and organisations in innovative ways to achieve social impact. 

• Knowledge and experience of the homelessness sector and/or housing issues in Bristol, which could include lived experience