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JOIN OUR TEAM AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

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 the shire. Joining our team needs to be a two-way process – we want everyone who gives us hours of their time to be able to work to the very best of their ability (and beyond) in an environment that they enjoy turning up to each day, at the same time as feeling that they have achieved their sense of social responsibility and made a real difference to other people’s lives.
In a similar way to recruiting employees, volunteers will be asked to come for an interview which will be a two way process – do you like what you see and do we feel that you are suited to Somebody Cares? We will also ask for references and ask you to sign a Volunteer Agreement form.


Listed below are details of all the areas we require help.


VOLUNTEER AREAS

Megastore Shop

At the Megastore we are always looking for people to 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 job, the volunteer needs to have a good customer-facing demeanour and be able to work as part of a dynamic team.

Click here to visit Our Shops Page

Warehouse Sorting

Somebody Cares now has a multitude of warehouses across the City (but mainly in the Tullos area) which are stacked full of donated goods – in bags and boxes. These could be full of all types of hidden gems, and the items need to be sorted to determine if they are to be used for giving to our “Clients”, selling to our “Customers” or putting online for better returns.  Volunteers for this position need to enjoy having a “rummage” and have an eye for good quality second hand items.

Click here to visit Our Charity HQ Page

Delivery Driving

We have a dedicated team of employees who are drivers and van assistants but can always use help from men (or even ladies) 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.


Donations

Donated goods are typically dropped off at the Megastore on Hazledene Road, or at one of our warehouses on Greenwell Road. Volunteers working here will accept goods direct from the donors and move them into the relevant areas of the warehouses for onward sorting. This role is very much customer facing and applicants will need to be able to accept donated goods with thanks, but also be able to reject items in a firm but tactful manner. The people in this role are sometimes the only point of contact a donor will have with Somebody Cares and needs to give the right impression of the Charity.


Pat Testing

Many of our donated goods are small electrical items. We cannot donate or sell such items until we are certain that they actually function when plugged in and are electrically safe. The role of the Pat Tester is to ensure conformance, and label items once they have been pat tested. Training for this role can be given to the successful applicants.


Food Bank

Our foodbank provides nutrient rich weekly food parcels, individually prepared to the client’s specific tastes and dietary requirements.  Receiving a food parcel which allows clients to request items they specifically need removes a huge amount of pressure from their shoulders, helps to alleviate financial burdens and improve mental health.  Sometimes the simplest of things such as having cereal and milk available for the children or a “play piece” for them to take to school makes the biggest difference to the mental wellbeing of the parent and removes the stigma of being the odd one out from the child.  Likewise knowing that because a food parcel is arriving from Somebody Cares, an OAP or someone on Universal Credits can relax in the knowledge that they will have money left to pay for their gas and electricity bills. Our foodbank also delivers daily trays of food to the local hostels, provide breakfast and snacks to local schools for vulnerable children and deliver care packages to key workers throughout our city.


Food Bank Drivers

We hand out in excess of 50 food parcels per days, many of which need to be delivered to clients. We ask our Food Bank drivers to drop off up to 8 parcels in a day, across the City, using their own vehicles. This is a vital service as, but the very nature of their needs, most of our recipients are without transport or the ability to get a bus to our Food Bank on Greenwell Road.


Administration

There are many opportunities for administrative duties in Somebody Cares, from answering the phones to clients, customers and donors and noting their requests, to interrogating databases and presenting the data, or creating spreadsheets for the team to work from, or providing IT support, and many more aspects we may not even know we need. If applying for this generic volunteer area then please specify what type of administrative skills you think you can provide.


Sales – Warehouse Monthly Saturday Sales

Our monthly sales are renowned throughout Aberdeen. They are located at Craigshaw Park, Tullos, and run from 10am to 12pm. We have a two-storey building with a fully stocked sales floor, and around 600 customers coming through the doors during the time period. We are always looking for volunteers who are prepared to sell the items (in a crazy sales environment) or maybe provide security services as required.


Marketing / Social Media

Somebody Cares has several Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts which need to be continually updated otherwise they get stale. Similarly, the website should always be kept current. We “get by” using the skillset and available time we have, but are always keen to better market ourselves and keep our “brand” constantly on trend.

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