VOLUNTEER
Make a Difference – Join Our Team Today
We operate with a team of over 100 volunteers who are a vital part of the day to day running of Somebody Cares. Some volunteer to make a difference, some volunteer to make friends, others to build confidence or combat loneliness.
Whether a volunteer comes to help once a month or several times a week, they are part of the Somebody Cares family and the lifeblood of our operation.
We strive to give our volunteers opportunities to develop, grow and gain vital skills to improve their wellbeing and where appropriate gain meaningful employment. Any recruitment we do looks for people who have the right attitude and approach - charitable minded, hard-working team players who are willing to go the extra mile to help us achieve our aims of supporting all those who need our help in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Somebody Cares needs volunteers with many different skills, below are examples of some of our volunteer opportunities. Is there something you feel you could help with?
If you would like to volunteer your time, either as an individual or a corporate group, we would be delighted to hear from you. volunteer@somebodycaresscotland.org
GROUP VOLUNTEERING
We are keen to welcome groups who would like to donate their time for one off sessions. Each session starts with the opportunity for a tour of our facilities so you can see first-hand the difference your volunteer hours make to those we help.
Sessions include sorting donations of clothing, kitchen equipment and linen. Displaying items of furniture and accessories on the client floors, helping us prepare for our monthly sales and maintaining our busy food bank.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Retail Stores
Volunteers help us sort donated goods, put items out on the shop floor to make them look desirable or work at our tills selling the items. Whatever the role, we are looking for volunteers to have a good customer-facing demeanour, a creative flare for display and to be able to work as part of a dynamic team.
Monthly Saturday Sale
Our monthly sales are renowned throughout Aberdeen. They are located at Craigshaw Business Park, West Tullos, and run on the first Saturday of each month from 10am to 12pm. We require volunteers mid-week to help us stack shelves in preparation for the sales and also on the sale day once a month to help us sell the goods and run the sale.
Food Bank Drivers
Our foodbank drivers arrive between 12pm and 1pm, Monday – Friday and help us deliver the food parcels across the city. With so many families not having access to transport in these challenging times, a delivery is sometimes the difference between feeding the family or going without. This is a role in high demand during the cost of living crisis and we are keen to speak to anyone who feels they could help out asap.
Administration
There are many opportunities for administrative duties in Somebody Cares, from answering the phones, data processing, creating google docs or spreadsheets for the team to work from, or providing IT support and advice. If applying for this generic volunteer area, then please specify what type of administrative skills you think you can provide.
Marketing / Social Media / Graphic Design
Somebody Cares has several Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts which need to be continually updated to keep our followers involved and interested. We are always interested to hear from volunteers who can help us raise the profile of the organisation and encourage participation in fundraising events or promotions. Equally important is presenting our promotions in a slick format, so we are always interested to hear from Graphic Designers or those with an artistic flare.
Gardening and Tradesmen
Our Charity HQ has grounds which need to be tended to in the summer months. We are always keen to hear from budding gardeners who can cut grass, tend to shrubbery, and keep weeds under control. We also from time to time require the help and advice of tradesmen such as plumbers, electricians, and joiners.
Delivery Driving
We have a dedicated team of employees who are drivers and van assistants but can always use help from volunteers who are willing to help pick up furniture items from donors or deliver such items to clients. Anyone applying for these positions needs to be physical fit and have experience in furniture removal and manual handling.