Volunteering

Why volunteer with your local Citizens Advice?

It’s great that you’re considering volunteering with Citizens Advice Carlisle & Eden.  If you’ve come to this page you’re probably wondering what we can offer you and what you’d like to do.

All sorts of people volunteer with us for many different reasons, but one thing that our volunteers tell us is that volunteering with Citizens Advice is enjoyable, rewarding, challenging and varied.

What do our volunteers do?

We are indebted to our volunteers who give their service to Citizens Advice Carlisle & Eden.  We couldn’t carry out the services we offer to people without them.  They carry out a wide range of roles to support the organisation. To download more information about the roles we are currently recruiting please use the links below:

• Telephone/Email Adviser (Word Document)
• Energy Advice Volunteer (Word Document)
• Business Support Volunteer (Word Document)

Things you should know about volunteering with us:

• We require a high level of commitment from volunteers who we depend upon to deliver our service.
• We would request a commitment of one day a week on a regular basis.
• There is also a training requirement to fulfill your role which includes a mixture of self-study, online training, observations, and face-to-face training days.
• We do interview all prospective volunteers and also have an IT assessment as part of the selection process, as IT competence is such a crucial part of our work.
• We do not accept everyone who applies to volunteer with us as we have to ensure the role is a good fit for you and for us.
• We cover volunteer travel expenses.

Skills and Qualities:

• Friendliness and approachability; be open-minded and non-judgemental.
• Commitment to the aims and principles of the Citizens Advice Service, including an understanding of discrimination.
• Excellent verbal communication skills including telephone skills.
• Good organisational, numeracy, and literacy skills.
• Ability to access relevant signposting information including electronic and written materials.
• Ability to implement administrative policies and procedures in a busy work environment.
• Good IT skills.
• Flexibility and willingness to work as part of a team.
• Awareness of the potential needs of, and demands placed on, vulnerable clients.

Volunteer with us

If you’re interested in volunteering with us, please email volunteer-recruitment@ca-ce.org.uk, confirming the role that you’re interested in and your preferred daytime telephone number.

Join our Board of Trustees

If you live in the city of Carlisle and surrounding area or Penrith and Eden Valley, you may wish to consider joining Citizens Advice Carlisle and Eden (CACE) as a Trustee. 

CACE is an independent, not-for-profit charity covering a wide geographical area both rural and urban. We recognise the challenges our diverse local communities face and aim to ensure that our team of volunteers and paid staff deliver free, independent, confidential and impartial advice and support on a wide range of issues including benefits, housing, work, family, debt and money; giving them the knowledge and confidence to find their way forward. 

What are we looking for?

We need a range of skills, and your background is less important than your commitment to our aims and principles. You will need the ability to communicate well, work effectively as a team member and exercise sound judgement. 

We want to develop a Board of Trustees that reflects our local community. We would particularly like to recruit people with direct experience or knowledge of the issues and challenges our clients face including financial insecurity, debt, housing and benefit issues. We are also keen to receive applications from people with knowledge and experience in the following areas: 

• Research and campaigning 
• Partnership working 
• Marketing, public relations and media 
• Fundraising 
• Financial management 
• IT and cyber security 

We are particularly keen to achieve a more diverse Board and welcome applications from all sections of the community. 

Your experience, values and a fresh perspective are what is important to us, so please consider applying even if this will be your first Trustee role. We will provide the training and support to help you develop. 

Further information

The Board of Trustees meets once a quarter in the evenings, and you may also wish to get involved in some of our sub-committees or take on lead roles. Board meetings are generally held face to face in Carlisle or Penrith with some other meetings online using MS Teams. Typically, you’ll need to give around 4-6 hours per month of your time. We can discuss any additional support required to meet your individual needs and circumstances. 

Full induction and training will be provided, and reasonable expenses are reimbursed. 

For more information and details of how to apply please e-mail volunteer-recruitment@ca-ce.org.uk