Cornwall Hospice Care is a 24/7 Cornish healthcare charity that provides specialist support for people with terminal illnesses. Our clinical teams support in and out patients and their families at Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in St Austell, St Julia’s Hospice in Hayle and in Cornwall’s hospitals, care homes and in the community.
Most patients come into our units because they are having a difficult time with particular symptoms or because of the overall impact of their illness. Volunteers are integral to the care offered at the hospice. They bring a breadth of experience, skill and ability to all areas of hospice care.
So what is the Donation Centre Volunteer role?
The opportunities as a Donation Centre Volunteer in our warehouse are varied, interesting and rewarding and no two days are the same. You can learn how find those hidden gems and identify higher value brands or antiques that can be sent to our boutiques and retro stores or saved to be sold through our online shop. Volunteers help to load and unload the vans, move seasonal goods for storage and assist with moving items ready for distribution to our stores.
They also help process and prepare our donated stock; separating items that are for recycling from saleable goods. You may be taking in donations at the drop off point and greeting and thanking our generous supporters.
Donation Centre Volunteer key responsibilities:
- Sorting and preparing donated goods to sell or recycle.
- Lifting and moving items according to Health and Safety guidelines
- Selecting stock for redistribution or recycling
- Helping drivers load and off-load stock
- Providing excellent customer service
- Encouraging customers to Gift Aid and processing it accordingly
Volunteer Commitment:
As a Donation Centre Volunteer you can volunteer in most of our Donation Centres from Mondays to Saturdays 10.00am – 4.00pm.
We encourage you to volunteer for either a morning or an afternoon shift, however, you can do as many or as little hours as you like, we are flexible to suit you.
Volunteers will be asked to attend meetings or training where appropriate.
Volunteer skills and qualities
- You don’t need to have any previous experience as we will provide free training for your role.
- If you are able to be reliable and adaptable and possess a good sense of humour with a willingness to help that’s all we need. However, we would love to hear from you if you have a keen eye for detail or are methodical by nature and enjoy finding treasure!
- The tasks of the Donation Centre Volunteer role may require the volunteer to stand or walk about for periods of time and lift items such as boxes and full bags.
Induction and training
To find out if you like volunteering with us you can come in for a taster session that’ll last for one to two hours. Come in and have a go at sorting donations or preparing for deliveries alongside another member of the team who will show you the ropes.
All our volunteers receive an induction, which includes a welcome tour of the Donation Centre, a brief on health and safety procedures and an introduction to the team. You may also be shown some of the equipment you will be using, including the Personal Protective Equipment that will be necessary for you to wear.
As a volunteer you’ll be asked to complete some mandatory training modules which are relevant to the role, this will be explained by your Donation Centre Manager on your first day.
What will you gain?
- A rewarding experience in a dynamic warehouse environment.
- Develop customer service skills, and an understanding of logistics and warehouse operations.
- A big confidence boost.
- Have lots of laughs with people who will become your friends.
- Knowing that you are helping your community.
- An understanding of a very special Cornish charity.
Volunteers will also be to attend a first conversation with a member of the team prior to coming in for a shadowing session.
