We greatly appreciate the role of volunteers in our organisation, and we like to think of them as members alongside everyone else.

We currently have three opportunities for volunteering: –

Assistant Secretary/Treasurer

Tandem Pilot

Walks Guide

We wish to support and value our trustees in a proper fashion, and have a Volunteer Policy to guide both our trustees and our volunteers.

Role Profile – Assistant Secretary/Treasurer

Job title:

Assistant Secretary and Treasurer

Job description:

To assist in the preparation of annual accounts for submission to Charity Commission NI and to Lisburn Outlook annual meeting.

To prepare financial reports for funders, including annual returns to Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council in respect of Community Support Grants.

To help prepare funding applications.

To help manage donations made on-line, e.g. via PayPal.

To assist in processing any material which is difficult for the Hon. Secretary or Hon. Treasurer to process because of its format or design, e.g. completing forms available only on paper or presented on poorly designed web sites.

Person specification:

Familiarity with simple accounting procedures.

Adept at completing forms.

Meticulous.  Attentive to detail.

Aware of the barriers faced by blind and partially sighted people.

This volunteer would be co-opted to the Lisburn Outlook Committee, and should therefore be in a position to attend monthly committee meetings, possibly in the evening.

All reasonable out of pocket expenses will be covered.

Role Profile – Tandem Pilot

Purpose and aims of the role

Enjoy keeping fit?  Tandem cycling is a great way to remain healthy and get involved with blind and partially sighted people in your local area.  The volunteer pilot rides on the front, while the blind or partially sighted person (the stoker) pedals behind.

What will I be doing?

Regularly participate in cycle rides of different lengths with local stokers.

Describe the scenery as you cycle both urban and rural routes.

What skills can I bring to this role?

Good verbal communication skills

Good organisational skills

Access NI check will be required for this post

What qualities do I need?

A good background and/or interest in cycling

Good communication skills

Readiness to take responsibility for the safety of your stoker and yourself.

When will I be needed?

This role is flexible; most cycle rides are on Saturdays and on Thursday evenings.

Location

Generally various routes in and around Lisburn, occasionally further afield.

What will I gain from the role?

Sense of satisfaction from enabling the participation in cycling of people with sight loss.

New experiences

What support will I be given?

Induction

Visual Awareness Training

Expenses – all reasonable out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed including expenses to attend training

Supervision and support

Role Profile  – Walks sighted Guide

Outlook hopes to make social, recreational and cultural events in the Lisburn area more inclusive – can you help by guiding participants with sight loss?

What will I be doing?

Acting as a sighted guide on walks (generally no more than three miles, on paved surfaces); and/or

Acting as a sighted guide at events

Providing commentary and description at different social and cultural events

What skills and qualities can I bring to this role?

Excellent communication skills

Friendly, confident and outgoing

Experience or willingness to learn sighted guiding skills

Willingness to work in an environment with guide dogs

An Access NI check will be required for this role

When will I be needed?

Currently Tuesday mornings for Walking group (if available) and on an ad hoc basis for particular events in the area.

Location

Centred on Lisburn, sometimes extending to the Greater Belfast area and occasionally beyond.

What will I gain from the role?

Awareness that you will be making a difference to the lives of blind and partially sighted adults and children in your local area

The opportunity to meet new people and to be part of a successful, outgoing and fun team wanting to make a difference in their community

What support will I be given?

Induction

Visual Awareness Training

Expenses – all reasonable out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed including expenses to attend training

Supervision and support

Volunteer Policy

Purpose of our volunteer policy

Our volunteer policy has been created to show our volunteers and potential volunteers that we have spent time and care in planning how volunteers will be welcomed by Lisburn Outlook. It also outlines that all volunteers will be treated in a fair and consistent way. It should also help our volunteers understand what support is available to them and what they can expect from us.

Our vision and mission for volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to share your enthusiasm, skills and ideas whilst having fun and meeting like-minded people. By volunteering for Lisburn Outlook you will be making a positive contribution to community development in our area. Volunteers are vital to our work.

Attracting volunteers and volunteer agreement

We have different opportunities for volunteers to get involved with. The main ones are Tandem Pilots, Sighted Guides for walks and finance and admin support.

On our website you can read through our volunteer role profiles. Then all you need to do is contact us and enquire about becoming a volunteer. Your help will be greatly appreciated and really will make a difference.

Access Ni Checks

All our volunteer roles will require an enhanced Access Ni check to inform Lisburn Outlook of any criminal convictions that a person wishing to volunteer may have.  Lisburn Outlook will cover any charges for these checks.

Expectations

We expect you to undertake necessary training, keep us informed of your availability and adhere to our policies and principles.

You are entitled to expect from us adequate training and support, a clear explanation of your role and adequate information.

Induction and training

As well as briefing you about Lisburn Outlook and about the commitment we are looking for, we will arrange or signpost you to visual awareness training for new volunteers.  We will also arrange more specific training, such as tandem piloting, where required.

You will be added to our general mailing list and be welcome to attend all our activities, including those for which your services as a volunteer may not be specifically required.

You will be considered as a member, and not “just a volunteer”.

Support

You will be assigned a “volunteer co-ordinator”.  Different activities may have different co-ordinators. Your co-ordinator will offer support and will remain your key contact throughout your volunteering with us. You should feel free to discuss any concerns or training needs with the co-ordinator, so as to ensure that we do all we can to make your volunteering experience an enjoyable and meaningful one.

Expenses

We value our volunteers and want to ensure that there are no barriers to volunteer involvement. All reasonable out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed, such as           travel, subsistence or mileage.

In order to claim expenses, an Expenses Form must be completed and submitted to your volunteer co-ordinator.  Claims should be accompanied by receipts.

Insurance, health and safety, accidents and risk assessment

Outlook volunteers are covered by our public liability and “employer liability” insurance.  A copy of the insurance policy can be provided on request. 

Our health and safety policy requires a risk assessment to be prepared for each activity.  This policy is also available on request.

Resolving problems

We hope that you will have a very enjoyable experience volunteering with us. However if your role as a volunteer does not meet with your expectations or with the commitments we have made to you, we want you to feel comfortable about letting us know.

We reserve the right to terminate your volunteer position with us if disagreement or dissatisfaction cannot be resolved.

Confidentiality

Our volunteers are expected to respect our members’ confidentiality.  No personal information such as age, contact details or personal history should be disclosed to others in any medium, including social media, except with the member’s express consent.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Lisburn Outlook is committed to embracing diversity and promoting equality and inclusion. When working with or representing Lisburn Outlook as a volunteer we expect you to support this commitment.

This Volunteer Policy will be reviewed every 12 months

April 2020