Volunteer Resources

No matter which volunteering role you choose, a team member will make sure you are introduced to the right people and have the tools you need to feel confident as you get started. 

A Bridges staff member will be in touch with you in the first month to check how things are going. But we are available for you to call us before then if you have any questions or concerns. 

We host dinners  three times a year for volunteers during the first year you are with us. This is a great opportunity to meet other volunteers and Bridges staff, as well as feedback and hear about what other volunteers are doing in the charity.

After each time you volunteer, you are invited to submit a short report on the Volunteero App, sharing updates about your time volunteering. We read and follow up on these updates when needed. 

We will together review your time as a volunteer, after 6 and 12 months, to make sure we have set opportunities to discuss your volunteer experience, wellbeing and development.  

We are available for you to contact via email and phone if you have any questions during your time volunteering with us.

How we work is as important to us as what we do. We require all of our volunteers to act in a way that reflects our values:

We Value People

We believe that all people have intrinsic and equal value, and that everyone deserves justice, peace and opportunity. We don’t view people as projects or statistics and we seek to keep relationships at the centre of our work.

We Celebrate Difference

We celebrate the richness of diversity in human cultures, traditions and faiths and we look to build on common ground and similarities while not minimising or ignoring differences. We recognise that people’s identities are multi-layered and that simple labels are often problematic.

We Practise Hospitality

We believe that everyone deserves to be welcomed and included, and that nobody should be isolated or lonely. We recognise that people coming together around food or other shared experiences can be transformational for our communities.

We Act With Integrity

We recognise that people will have different motivations for getting involved in this work. We create safe, open spaces, without hidden agenda, where people can discuss their experiences and beliefs, learn from and build trust with one another.

We Are Reflective

We seek to learn from what is happening around us and from our mistakes. We are flexible, adapting to opportunities and needs as they arise, innovating to find creative solutions, and continually reviewing the language and terminology we use. 

Volunteero is a volunteer management app we use to: 

1. Keep your volunteer data safe and secure in a single location
2. Assign you volunteering opportunities and keep track of their progress
3. Receive mini reports and updates from you as a volunteer

There are a few steps to take when signing up to become a volunteer.

1. Complete the sign up form
2. We confirm you references with the details you’ve shared
3. Register for a basic DBS (we’ll show you the process and pay the cost)
4. Attend two training sessions
5. Start volunteering