Volunteer Roles

Volunteers are the backbone and unsung hero's of OCD-UK, providing an invaluable service to the OCD community.

Volunteering can be a truly rewarding experience for our volunteers. As well as receiving full training many of our volunteers feel that they have gained from the experience and often use those skills gained to further their own careers or even the treatment of their own OCD.

Take a look at this list of volunteer roles - if you have a skill that you think would benefit OCD-UK we want to hear from you!

- Collection Box Placement Volunteers
- Volunteer with Written Press or Television Media Experience
- Conference Manager
- Press Release Writers
- Proof Readers
- Collection Box Co-ordinator
- Email Support Volunteers
- Fundraising / Grant Writing
- Graphic Designer - Quark or Adobe In-Design
- Marketing, Media and PR
- Media Liaison
- Payroll
- Social Events Planner
- Social Events Planner Co-ordinator
- Telephone Information / Support Line Volunteers
- Telephone Message Retriever and Transcriber
- Telephone Support Group Facilitator
- Website Designer

For more information about any of these roles, or to apply or ask further questions about any of the roles, please scroll down. Application details are at the bottom of the page.

 

Volunteer with Written Press or Television Media Experience

Raising awareness of OCD is one of the key aims of OCD-UK. We have regular contact from the written press, freelance journalists and television media and we are looking for someone with experience of dealing with either forms of the media to support our chief executive in the dealings and negotiations with the media, and possibly to help recruit and train volunteers to tell their stories.

Time wise we would be looking for a minimum of approx 1 or 2 hours per week on average on a flexible basis, so able to handle emails or calls during daytime hours, and the role would be based via telephone and email.

 

Conference Manager

We are looking for someone who has experience of organising or managing events, ideally conferences.

It is a voluntary role, although expenses can be paid. We run conferences every 2 or 3 months and the location and guest speakers are found by OCD-UK, we require someone to then take charge of working with the venue up to and on the day of the event to ensure everything runs smooth. Liasing with guest speakers so they know when and where to be on the day of the event.

You will also be required to supervise volunteers helping on the day of the event.

Press Release Writers

We require someone who can help us write press releases as and when required you will be sent the relevant information and quotes.

It is a voluntary role and is ideal for somebody with journalistic someone intending to pursue a career in journalism. A list of our previous press releases can be found on the front of our website on the left hand side.

Proof Readers

We require proof readers for both our website and written literature. We will send you documents (on Microsoft Word) at short notice and require quick proof-reading (within day or two).

Collection Box Volunteers

Raising funds for OCD-UK is vital work, and the fact of the matter is, that without funds we simply will not exist or be able to carry out our existing work, or expand further on the services that we offer. Our work is vitally important, the recent OCD-UK magazine article showing the children's awareness booklet is one such example of our work.

One way that we can bring in a steady flow of additional money over the course of a year is through the expansion of our collection box network. At the moment each box we have out and about will bring in about £50 per year, which may not sound a lot, but if you half that for example, and then assume we have 100 box's doing the same, that is £2500 per year from just 100 collection box's, that is more or less enough to run the charity for a full month.

Of course individuals may request single box's from us for their own shops or premises, but what we would like is 10 individuals to agree to take about 8-12 collection boxes from us, the idea being they then visit local shops, petrol stations, and other public places, even your own staff canteen asking if they will agree to take an OCD-UK box on their counter. This could also be quite a good exposure exercise for you too. Assuming you place all 10 box's, you would then need to visit the locations once or twice a year to empty the cash and bank it into the OCD-UK account (or you can bank yourself and then send us a cheque).

So if 10 individuals agreed to take this on as a project, that would be 100 box's placed very quickly.

It will not be easy work, you will get rejections, and we will be competing with the big charities for counter space, but we must not be complacent and only by putting in the legwork will we achieve results, and in addition to the actual fundraising work, it will also be a great way to raise awareness about the charity.

Help OCD-UK, get involved today.

 

Collection Box Co-ordinator

This role will involve managing every aspect of the OCD-UK collection boxes, from sending them out to volunteers, checking the volunteer as emptied them every few month's and sent the money to OCD-UK, re-sending collection box seals and keeping an updated and accurate log of all box locations, and amounts banked to OCD-UK by each box owner.

Collection boxes are a very valuable asset in the OCD-UK fundraising effort and the importance of this project should not be under estimated.

Requirements: You will be working from home and need access to a PC and telephone. You will need access to Microsoft Office for log keeping and report writing. Because of the sensitive data and nature of the role we will be unable to accept volunteers for this role who use public terminals (internet cafe/public work PC).

Volunteers do not need to have OCD for this role, but will need to have very good organisational and record keeping skills. You will also need to have easy access to a post office and be prepared to travel (walk or drive) to the post office when posting collection boxes to new volunteers.

Because this role involves financial aspect, each volunteer will be required to complete a volunteer application form which includes a CRB (criminal records bureau) check and provide a suitable referee.

We will be able to pay expenses for postage and telephone call costs, but we will not be able to reimburse internet/broadband or PC or petrol costs.

 

Email Support Volunteers

This role will involve logging into the OCD-UK email software and responding to emails submitted to the charity.

Full training will be provided to use the email support software and how OCD-UK would like emails replied. You will not need to respond to anything you feel unable to answer or from your own private email address. This role will involve ongoing feedback.

As the charity grows more emails will be submitted and we are looking to eventually have a response time of less than 2 hours.

When a sufferer first reaches out for help and advice about their OCD, is vital that they receive a prompt and accurate response, which could be a lifeline and be the difference between someone seeking medical treatment or putting it off. This is a crucial frontline support role.

This role is open time wise, and you can take 20 minutes to 2 hours per day, depending on how much time you wish to donate. You will not be expected to log in daily, but we are looking for a regular commitment.

Requirements: Because of the modern and virtual office systems that we utilise, you will be working from home so you will need access to your own PC (not a public terminal PC). Because of the sensitive data and nature of the role we will be unable to accept volunteers for this role who use public terminals (internet cafe/public work PC).

Many of the emails will involve handling the sensitive and personal information our users, therefore you will be expected to keep all information/emails confidential, even from your own close family.

Volunteers do not need to have OCD for this role, but will need to have a sound understanding of OCD and the recommended treatments for the condition and a good understanding of OCD-UK and what we offer. The applicants for this role will also need to have a good level of written English.

The volunteer will also need to be supportive of the work carried out by the charity and be totally supportive of our chief-executive, Ashley Fulwood as he carries out the charities work.

Each volunteer will be required to complete a volunteer application form which includes a CRB (criminal records bureau) check.

We will be able to pay expenses for postage and telephone call costs (for training), but we will not be able to reimburse internet/broadband or PC costs.

 

Fundraising / Grant Writing

This role is for any volunteer who may have any type of fundraising experience, or experience of successfully writing grant application bids.

You will work closely (at times convenient to yourself) with our chair and chief-executive to complete grant applications and any other fundraising work that you believe may be successful in obtaining funds for the charity.

Requirements: The volunteer for this role will need to have relevant experience and treat all information confidentially.

We will be able to pay expenses for any postage, stationary or telephone call expense.

 

Graphic Designer - Quark or Adobe In-Design

We are looking for volunteers with design experience to help us with the design of our newsletter and other publications. If you need to know more or want to get involved, simply shoot us an email, along with any samples of your previous work.

 

Marketing, Media and PR

This role involves advising the charity of the best way to market their awareness campaign to reach its target audience, advising on awareness literature / posters to maximise their full potential. You will work closely with the charities management team.

Requirements: Volunteers do not need to have OCD or an extensive knowledge of the condition for this role, but will need to have relevant marketing, media or public relations experience.

We will be able to pay expenses for postage and telephone call costs. Please get in touch if you think you may be able to help, including samples of any previous work you can submit.

 

Media Liaison

We are looking for volunteers with experience of dealing with the media (magazines, newspapers, radio, TV) to act as our media liaison. This will involve taking calls from the media (your mobile number will be listed on our media page), answering questions about OCD and the charity and then finding suitable case studies through the charity.

Volunteers do not need to have OCD, but should have a good understanding of the condition and the treatments, plus a good knowledge of the work of the charity.

The volunteer will also need to be supportive of the work carried out by the charity and be totally supportive of our chief-executive, Ashley Fulwood as he carries out the charities work.

Each volunteer will be required to complete a volunteer application form which includes a CRB (criminal records bureau) check.

We will be able to pay expenses for postage and telephone call costs but we will not be able to reimburse internet/broadband or PC costs.

 

Payroll

OCD-UK only have one paid employee, possibly two by the end of the year. This role will involve processing the payroll for that employee/s once a month. You will be passed the details of the employee salary and required to produce a wage slip and calculate PAYE and NI contributions, and then complete the appropriate paperwork to make payments to the HM Customs and Revenue at the appropriate times. You will also be required to complete the necessary year end paperwork (P14/P60 for example).

Requirements: The volunteer for this role will need to have relevant payroll experience and treat all information confidentially.

We will be able to pay expenses for any postage or telephone call expense.

 

Social Events Planner (OCD-UK members only)

This role involves planning three social events in your local city/area per year. The idea behind this is to bring members together in a social relaxed atmosphere in an attempt to take sufferers away from their usual daily OCD routine.

Events can be of your choice, as simple as a group night out at the cinema, shopping, restaurants, to day out at a theme park, to country walks.

Requirements: Volunteers do not need to have OCD or an extensive knowledge of the condition for this role, but do need to be OCD-UK member.

You must plan at least 3 events per year and each event must be planned far in advance for publication in the OCD-UK newsletter for those without internet to now about the event, and each event will only be open to OCD-UK members for safety reasons. After each event, you will need to email a report to the OCD-UK office.

Each volunteer will be required to complete a volunteer application form which includes a CRB (criminal records bureau) check.

We will be able to pay expenses for postage costs, but costs for each event will need to be paid by the attendees.

 

Social Events Planner Co-Ordinator

This role involves managing the administration side of the social events planners. You will be the chain between the social event volunteers and the charity, taking details for planned events, creating list/database of events and passing the information on to the OCD-UK office for publication in the newsletter/records.

Requirements: Volunteers do not need to have OCD or an extensive knowledge of the condition for this role, but will need to have very good organisational and record keeping skills.

We will be able to pay expenses for postage and telephone call costs, but we will not be able to reimburse internet/broadband or PC costs.

 

Telephone Information / Support Line Volunteers

This role will involve logging into the OCD-UK telephone system and taking calls from members of the public, often needing someone to talk to about OCD. There will also be a level of message taking for the OCD-UK office. All calls will then need to be logged into the call logging software.

Full training will be provided to use the telephone system and call logging software and how OCD-UK would like you to response to calls.

When a sufferer first reaches out for help and advice about their OCD, is vital that they have somewhere to turn to and receive a prompt and accurate response, although much of this role will be listening to the caller. This role could be a lifeline and be the difference between someone seeking medical treatment or putting it off. This is a crucial frontline support role.

This role is open time wise, and is whatever you can afford time wise, some people will log in a hour a day, others may log in 2/3 hours one day a week. What you must take into account is that some callers will be on the phone for 30-40 minutes and you will not be able to log off until the end of the call, no matter how long it takes. You will not be expected to log in daily, but we are looking for a regular commitment.

Requirements: Because of the modern and virtual office systems that we utilise, you will be working from home so you will need access to your own PC (not a public terminal PC) and telephone. Because of the sensitive data and nature of the role we will be unable to accept volunteers for this role who use public terminals (internet cafe/public work PC).

Many of the calls will involve handling the sensitive and personal information our users, therefore you will be expected to keep all information/emails confidential, even from your own close family.

Volunteers do not need to have OCD for this role, but will need to have a sound understanding of OCD and the recommended treatments for the condition and a good understanding of OCD-UK and what we offer. The applicants for this role will also need to have a good communication skills.

The volunteer will also need to be supportive of the work carried out by the charity and be totally supportive of our chief-executive, Ashley Fulwood as he carries out the charities work.

Each volunteer will be required to complete a volunteer application form which includes a CRB (criminal records bureau) check.

We will be able to pay expenses for postage and telephone call costs (for training), but we will not be able to reimburse internet/broadband or PC costs.

All calls will be incoming to the OCD-UK software and you will not have to pass any personal information or make outgoing calls. User will be of the belief you are office based so your home phone number is never divulged.

 

Telephone Message Retriever and Transcriber

This role will involve logging into the OCD-UK telephone answering service, retrieving messages and then transcribing them into our call logging software. Full training will be provided to use both the message service and call logging software. The role will not involve any one to one individual telephone contact with the public.

This is a new role and with regular upgrades to our message system and software it is likely to change over time, so you will be at the forefront of creating procedures that will hopefully see the charity move forward over the coming years.

This role is estimated to take between 15 and 30 minutes per day, and you will be required to volunteer more or less every day (Monday to Friday).

Requirements: Because of the modern and virtual office systems that we utilise, you will be working from home so you will need access to your own PC (not a public terminal PC) and telephone. Because of the sensitive data and nature of the role we will be unable to accept volunteers for this role who use public terminals (internet cafe/public work PC).

Many of the messages are for OCD information packs and requires handling of users personal information, therefore you will be expected to keep all information/calls confidential, even from your own close family.

Volunteers do not need to have OCD or an extensive knowledge of the condition for this role, but because of the type of role the volunteer needs to have good hearing and be able to accurately transcribe details from a message.

The volunteer will also need to be supportive of the work carried out by the charity and be totally supportive of our chief-executive, Ashley Fulwood as he carries out the charities work.

Each volunteer will be required to complete a volunteer application form which includes a CRB (criminal records bureau) check.

We will be able to pay expenses for postage and telephone call costs (for accessing the OCD-UK message system), but we will not be able to reimburse internet/broadband or PC costs.

 

Telephone Support Group Facilitator

This role will involve hosting/facilitating a telephone based support group once a month.

The group is aimed at those without internet access or unable to get to a local support group and will be restricted to OCD-UK members only. Each monthly support group will last about 60-90 minutes and have a maximum of 10 participants.

You will be required to manage the monthly calls from booking, participating and providing a written report to the OCD-UK office.

Requirements: Volunteers do not need to have OCD for this role, but will need to have a sound understanding of OCD and the recommended treatments for the condition and a good understanding of OCD-UK and what we offer. The applicants for this role will also need to have very good communication skills.

Many of the calls will involve handling the sensitive and personal information our users, therefore you will be expected to keep all information/emails confidential, even from your own close family.

The volunteer will be required to complete a volunteer application form which includes a CRB (criminal records bureau) check.

We will be able to pay expenses for postage and telephone call costs (for training), but we will not be able to reimburse internet/broadband or PC costs.

 

Website Designer

We are looking for volunteers with website design experience to help maintain and/or develp new website projects. If you need to know more or want to get involved, simply shoot us an email, along with any samples of your previous work and details of which software you use.

How to apply for any of the volunteer roles

If you have any questions about any of these roles, or are interested in applying for any of the roles please contact Ashley Fulwood at ashley AT ocduk.org

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