Donations Hub Volunteer

Donations Hub Volunteer

At Turning Tides we know that anyone’s life can spiral into homelessness. We bring together compassionate individuals and organisations to transform the lives of people in our local community and change perceptions of homelessness.

We provide a warm safe space to listen to anyone who comes to us for help. Local people experiencing homelessness are supported and empowered to become confident and find the strength and belief in themselves to create a brighter future.

Together we can make a difference and end homelessness where you live.

Location(s): Unit 1, Thesiger Close, Worthing, BN11 2EN – this is our central storage unit where items are stored before being redistributed to our projects.

A bit about the role: Working with our Donations Coordinator to sort through donated goods.

What will I be doing?

• Receiving donations of items including furniture, which may have been collected by the Volunteer Van Drivers, cataloguing items and storing appropriately.
• Sorting through donations that have been received. This could include clothing, furniture and food items.
• Once food donations have been received, they need to be checked to ensure in date.  Once checked counted and logged onto the Shopify App – training will be provided.
• Fulfilling orders from projects that come through the Shopify App and preparing for delivery by the van.
• For those with an interest, we plan to do in store promotions to increase donations. We will be looking for people to take on this additional role.

To be committed to health and safety, this includes ensuring that you are never on site alone, keeping the volunteering environment as safe as possible by keeping fire exits and gangways clear and by taking precautions when lifting and carrying items

It is Turning Tides’ hope and expectation that as a volunteer you will:

• be inclusive and welcoming.
• enthusiastic and enjoys being part of a busy team.
• communicate with staff on duty.
• ensure good reliability and completing agreed shifts.
• be flexible to the needs of the staff member on duty.
• abide by the Confidentiality, Professional Boundaries and Health and Safety Policies at all times.

Times & Commitment: Ideally weekday mornings (days to be agreed) – minimum 1 morning per week, can discuss flexibility of hours.

What Training will I receive?

Turning Tides offers volunteers training so your time volunteering is the best it can be, is as safe as possible, and of course adds value to your experience and to Turning Tides.

Every volunteer regardless of role will have their initial induction.  During this induction you be taken through a PowerPoint presentation and be issued with ‘Not Just a Volunteer’ handbook. The induction will cover Professional Boundaries, Safeguarding and Equality and Diversity and be a chance for you to ask any questions.

This role requires the following additional training and we ask that you can commit to this. (The training is in a variety of formats depending on the subject – a video to watch, a document to read or an online course).

Training : Manual Handling, H&S site specific induction

The health and safety of our volunteers and supporters are always our top priority. As the situation with COVID-19 evolves, we will ensure any volunteering you carry out is within current Government guidelines. We will support you in this so guidelines are met.

We need to ensure you are eligible to volunteer in the UK.  To do this we will ask to see documentation that proves your right to volunteer in the UK at your induction.  If you are unable to provide this documentation you will be unable to volunteer. If you have the right to work in the UK on a permanent basis you are also normally allowed to volunteer. If in doubt, please contact the Home Office.

All of Turning Tides’ roles require two character references. These references do not need to be employment references, however, we cannot accept references from family members.