Volunteering at UKC

The UKC is 100% managed by people with HIV infection, most of our staff (and that includes volunteers) are HIV positive too. However, our equal opportunities policy is clear that we will always employ the best people for the job. That means that paid or voluntary positions are open to anyone who has the right skills and / or commitment.

The UKC are accredited as "Investors in People". This means that we are committed to providing our staff (and that includes volunteers) with the tools and the knowledge needed to do their jobs. Within the funds we have available for personal development, we either train people in house or send them on external training courses to further lifelong learning.

So what can volunteers do?
Volunteers run the organisation, help keep it going, undertake much of the work, help raise the funds, talk about what we do, talk about HIV, listen to people who need advice or other help.

We do not under estimate the skills that people with HIV can bring to us and we are impressed by the number of people who volunteered with us who have moved on to professional employment.

Volunteer positions exist in a whole range of areas : if there's anything that interests you, and you want to give your time and energy, why not apply by emailing us - click on the category you are interested in below. Here are just some ideas of volunteer positions available:

Positive Advice	volunteer Peer Advisors deal with telephone advice on issues affecting other people with HIV infection, they also undertake casework with clients to help resolve their problems.
Positive Nation	volunteer writers don't even need to come anywhere near our office, in fact we particularly need contributors from outside London volunteer proof readers help us ensure the magazine is printed with a minimum of mistakes volunteer administrators help keep our photo library and other filing systems up to scratch, also help with distribution of the magazine and volunteers help the paid staff to stuff the envelopes too!
Positive Futures	volunteers can help support our adult guidance team, benefits advisor, placement service, and the team manager volunteers can also help support the core team who administer the whole of the Positive Futures project across the partner charities
Positive Admin	volunteers can help with basic day to admin, from making sure the milk man is paid through a whole raft of office tasks and building reception and maintenance issues
Positive Fund Raising	volunteers can help with our Community Fund Raising team, either in the office, around pubs and clubs, or at other fund raising events we get involved in
Positive Board Members	volunteers take responsiblity for managing the organisation which is a registered charity and limited company, they are the trustees and directors; they lead on policy issues and on representing the organisation. A role description is available here - the major criteria is that you must be HIV positive, live in the UK and are open about your status. If you are interested in applying, please email a two page letter that outlines your experience and your vision for the future of a national patient organisation
Positively anything else we haven't thought of yet	we don't know all the answers, so this one is up to you if you have an idea of something that needs doing

So if you have time and skills to offer, click on one of the categories and send us an email explaining what you think you can offer, when - what days, and how often. Tell us a bit about yourself, where you live, and a phone number so we can call you back and discuss it further. All details will be kept confidential.

Q & A:

Welcome to Volunteering at UKC