Before choosing to volunteer for Leeds Hospitals Charity we expect you might have questions:

What volunteering opportunities are there?

We often have a variety of volunteering roles on offer at Leeds Hospitals Charity. Some are based on hospital sites and others out in the community.

Volunteering Opportunities

If you don’t see a role for you but are still interested in volunteering, please follow this link to receive email alerts that will keep you up to date with brand new volunteer roles that become available:

New role alerts

How old do I have to be to volunteer for Leeds Hospitals Charity?

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old to volunteer on hospital sites and in our shops. We are able to support volunteers who are younger into some of our fundraising and events opportunities, we’d encourage you to get in touch and have a chat with us about what is available. 

How much time do I have to give?

If you volunteer in one of our regular roles, such as in our hospitals or shops, we may ask for you to be able to commit weekly, fortnightly or monthly where this is possible.

However, if you sign up for a more flexible role like an Events Volunteer, we’ll let you know of upcoming events, and you can fit volunteering around your availability.

We’d encourage you to send us an email or give us a call if you’d like to discuss your availability and which roles may be suitable for you.

Email: [email protected] 

Phone: 0113 539 7020

What skills or experience do I need?

Depending on the volunteering role, different skills and experience might come in handy. In all our role profiles we outline what skills are useful for the role, but if you are interested in developing those skills then the role could still be right for you!

Most importantly, we are looking for positive, friendly people to represent the charity and perform the role to the best of their ability.

How do you keep volunteers safe and what support will I receive?

We have a range of policies and procedures to keep volunteers safe and to support you in your role. Our Volunteer Involvement Policy contains an overview of everything we have in place.

Download the Volunteer Involvement Policy

What do you expect from me as a volunteer?

As a volunteer we hope that you will enjoy your experience with us, and most importantly have fun! To understand more about what we expect from volunteers, we ask you to read and adhere to the information in the following documents:

Download the Volunteer Agreement
Download the Volunteer Code of Conduct
Download the Volunteer Handbook

Do you cover expenses?

We will reimburse volunteers for reasonable expenses (e.g. travel and food/drink), as we believe that no volunteer should be out of pocket through volunteering. Conditions apply and all receipts must be retained as proof.

You can download our Volunteer Expenses Policy here

Do you offer corporate volunteering opportunities?

Yes, we do! We have a dedicated Corporate Fundraising team who facilitate all our corporate partnerships, and the opportunity to volunteer with the charity is something we offer.

Previous corporate volunteering groups have helped us with our Christmas gift wrapping and have given green spaces on our hospital grounds some much needed TLC! Get in touch with the Corporate Fundraising team to find out more.

Corporate Fundraising

What training opportunities do you offer?

Volunteers in all roles are asked to complete mandatory training, and depending on your role there may be more training involved. We want all our volunteers to feel comfortable and prepared for their role, and role-specific training will be offered where appropriate.

We are also committed to offering additional optional training opportunities for volunteers to support with ongoing skills development.

What are the benefits of volunteering?

There are so many benefits of volunteering! Volunteering can give you the opportunity to learn new skills that can support the development of your CV and help you gain employment, it can help you grow your confidence and self-esteem, and enable you to meet lots of wonderful new people.

We hope you’ll get involved in many fun experiences – all whilst helping to support your local hospitals charity.

Will I need to have a DBS check?

Some roles do require volunteers to undergo a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check, this is organised by Leeds Hospitals Charity.

Having a criminal record does not necessarily mean that you can’t volunteer for Leeds Hospitals Charity, but some convictions may require a discussion so we can find the right volunteering role for you.

Please read our Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

Do I have to provide references?

For roles in our hospitals and shops we will ask you to provide at least one reference. The criteria for what type of reference and how many you need to provide will depend on the role, so we’d encourage you to look at our opportunities page for this information.
In some of our fundraising roles you will not be asked to provide references.

We will support you with providing references if you struggle with the criteria.

Can I volunteer in the hospital?

We have a growing number of opportunities for volunteers in our hospitals. Volunteers support us by running our popular trolley service and welcoming patients and visitors into our hospitals. We also have opportunities for pianists to provide comfort by playing the beautiful pianos situated in our Bexley and Clarendon Wings.

Phone: 0113 206 5888 Email: [email protected]

What happens when I submit an application?

Once you have submitted an application, you will be given login details to access our Volunteer Portal to track the progress of your application.

Not all roles follow the same application process, but usually the next steps are that you will be invited to an informal interview. After this you will be invited to complete training, whilst we complete your references and DBS (where applicable) checks.

Once these stages are complete you will be ready to start in your role, where an induction will take place and any specific training that is required by your role.

We’ve done our best to answer the most common questions that people ask, however, if you don’t find the question you were looking for – please get in touch with our Volunteering Team who will be happy to help.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 0113 539 7020

Proud to be recognised for Excellence in Volunteering and Inclusive Volunteering by Voluntary Action Leeds

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