Applications are now being accepted for our Fundraising Volunteers for PASDO’s Community Meals Support Programme in the UK.
This programme is suitable for individuals who want to make a real difference and contribute to increasing the number of meals available for distribution to people in need.
Preferred location of volunteers: United Kingdom, UK. If you live outside the UK but wish to participate, kindly send us a message but do not apply to this role.
Assignment category: Fundraising and Outreach.
Length of assignment: Short term (3 weeks) or long term (one year).
Mode of engagement: Remote, work from your location.
Working hours: Flexible. You can work evenings, weekends, full-time, part-time, etc.
BACKGROUND
PASDO is a leading charity engaging in social impact initiatives in the United Kingdom (UK).
Its Community Meals Support Programme distributes meals to help people who are hungry and in need.
Volunteers play a crucial role in expanding the reach of this programme.
By participating, you will help increase the number of meals available for distribution, enabling PASDO to enhance its impact.
DESCRIPTION OF VOLUNTEERING ASSIGNMENT
Your role in PASDO’s Community Meals Support Programme focuses on two main tasks.
First is to reach out to individuals, businesses, and organisations around your community to appeal to them to donate meals in support of people who are hungry and in need.
Second is to invite three or more others, if you can, to participate in the programme as well. This second task is optional but will increase your overall impact and will be reflected in your recognition (see sample certificate wording in the Skills and Development section below for better understanding).
You can participate in this programme in one of two ways (or even both), depending on your availability and how deeply you wish to engage.
Option 1: Short-Term Duration (Three Weeks)
You may choose to participate for a short period lasting three weeks.
If you select this option, you are expected to complete all your outreach and fundraising activities within the three-week period.
With this option:
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You will focus primarily on asking for one-off donations from donors, since all activities must be completed within three weeks.
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You will set your own target of the total number of meals you wish to raise within this period, which has to be a bold, ambitious and high-enough target that will challenge you and move you to work hard and stretch your limits before you can reach it, not something you know you can easily achieve. This could be 500 meals, 1,000 meals, 5,000 meals, or more, but it entirely depends on you.
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At the end of the three weeks, your performance will be assessed and you may be eligible to be issued a Certificate of Volunteering, which we issue to volunteers who perform satisfactorily.
Kindly note that, because you are expected to intentionally set a high target, not achieving the target 100 percent does not count against you. We are more interested in seeing that you put in the best possible effort.
Option 2: Long-Term Duration (One Year)
You may also choose to participate for a longer time lasting one year.
This option is suitable if you want to have longer work history, build a stronger working relationship with PASDO and contribute more substantially to helping those in need.
With this option:
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You are encouraged to set a much higher target, such as 10,000 meals, 15,000 meals, or more, depending on what you consider very high and challenging to achieve.
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In addition to seeking for one-off donations, you could strongly focus on asking donors to commit to donating meals every month, for example 10 meals, 15 meals, 25 meals, or 100 meals per month.
- At the end of one year, your performance will be assessed and you may be eligible to be issued a Certificate of Volunteering, which we issue to volunteers who perform satisfactorily. Kindly note that, because you are expected to intentionally set a high target, not achieving the target 100 percent does not count against you. We are more interested in seeing that you put in the best possible effort.
You also become eligible to receive recommendation letters that can be used for various purposes, which PASDO issues to volunteers who have worked satisfactorily for a minimum of one year.
SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT
You are expected to use the opportunity of participating in this programme and working hard to meet the high target you set for yourself, to develop or demonstrate the use of various skills, which may include but not limited to:
- Communication and interpersonal engagement
- Persuasion and fundraising strategy
- Planning, organisation, and goal setting
- Development of materials
- Problem-solving and project management
You should keep records of what activities you engaged in and what skills you used, as our Volunteering Certificates usually mention skills used. Sample certificate wording could be:
This certificate is issued to [Your name] in recognition of their efforts and good use of a combination of skills, including communication, persuasion, project planning, organisation, and problem-solving skills, which enabled them to directly raise 1,000 meals from donors to support PASDO’s Community Meals Support Programme.
[Your name] also demonstrated sound judgment – which enabled them to identify other high-quality volunteers, as well as effective leadership, guidance and team-playing skills, which enabled them to recruit and guide the volunteers to further raise 3,000 meals towards the programme.
Kindly note that the second part only applies if you invited other persons to participate as volunteers.
APPLICATION PROCESS/ WHAT TO EXPECT
1. Create a Connected Fundraiser Profile on WhyDonate.
WhyDonate is a fundraising website that can be used to accept donations from donors in a way that allows you to connect your donation profile to PASDO’s, so that all donations coming through your efforts can be transparently tracked and are sent to PASDO.
To create your Connected profile on WhyDonate,
– Visit the fundraising page of the person who referred you to participate in this programme (or click this link if you were not referred by anyone)
– Click on Connect Fundraiser button, enter your information and confirm your email address,
– When redirected to the fundraising details page, enter a descriptive Title for the fundraiser (you could use something like “Meals Support for the Needy” or whatever you prefer),
– Use the “Motivation” section to explain to potential donors what you are doing and why your are.
Kindly use one of the sample templates below and adjust necessary information to suit you.
see sample templates
Short-term volunteering (Template 1):
A simple meal can make a real difference to someone facing hardship.
I’m fundraising to help provide meals for people in need, with a goal of raising 1,500 meals within the next three weeks.
All donations go directly to PASDO, the charity responsible for the meals distribution.
If you are able, please consider contributing the maximum number of meals you can to help make the greatest possible impact.
Each meal is set at £5, so multiply how many meals you wish to donate by 5 to get the exact amount.
Short-term volunteering (Template 2):
Access to food is a basic necessity, yet many people struggle to afford regular meals.
I’m fundraising to help provide meals for people who are poor, hungry, and in need.
My aim is to help fund 500 meals within the next three weeks.
Please consider donating as many meals as you comfortably can to help reach the maximum number of people in need.
All donations go directly to PASDO, the charity responsible for the food distribution.
Note: Each meal is set at £5, so donations of 10 meals (£50), 50 meals (£250), or even more can make a meaningful difference.
Long-term volunteering (Template):
It is unfair that some people cannot afford regular meals and are forced to go hungry.
I’m fundraising to help provide meals for people in need, with an ambitious goal of supporting 10,000 meals within the next year.
Each meal costs an average of £5. You can help by committing to monthly support, for example by providing 10 meals, 25 meals, or even 100 meals each month, or as many meals as you comfortably can.
All donations go directly to PASDO, the charity responsible for the food distribution.
If you would prefer to make a one-off donation instead, you are still very welcome to do so.
Your support helps ensure that more people can access regular meals.
– You may skip add images and videos if you want your page to use the default image on our fundraising page.
– In the Link section, add a unique username that will enable you get a unique sharable weblink for your donation profile.
– Set a target amount based on the number of meals you want to help raise (e.g. £1,000 for 200 meals, £5,000 for 1000 meals, £10,000 for 5,000 meals, etc.), and
– Set an end date, which could be three weeks or one year.
– Click on the Save button to save your settings and be redirected to your fundraising page.
– You can copy the link to this page for use in your application form and to share to potential donors.
– Also take note of some settings here, including Show List Of Donations (it should remain turned on) and Allow Connected Fundraisers (which any volunteer you invite to participate in this programme should connect to, instead of ours)
2. Submit your application
Complete the form (accessible via the button below) and supply the following information:
- Your full name and email address
- Your phone number (helpful for direct engagement, but not mandatory)
- The weblink to the WhyDonate profile you created.
- Your target (highest number of meals you are challenging yourself to raise)
- Preferred duration of engagement (3 weeks or one year)
3. Application review and approval
PASDO will review your submission and grant approval if you have set up your WhyDonate profile properly and also set a meals target that is ambitious enough.
4. Draw up a long list of potential donors and recruits
Once approved, your next action should be to draw up a long list of potential donors (and volunteers) including family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and local businesses. Identify people most likely to donate or participate as volunteers.
5. Direct outreach
Begin contacting potential donors and recruits via face-to-face meetings or phone calls.
These direct interactions are the most effective ways we recommend to achieve results.
6. Share your WhyDonate link and assist donors
Once someone agrees to donate, send them your WhyDonate profile link. Assist donors who may need your support to complete their donation on the WhyDonate website, while encouraging them to donate the highest number of meals they can afford.
7. Track your progress
Each meal is set £5. So, you can track the number of meals you have raised by dividing the total donation amount by 5.
For example:
£500 = 100 meals
£5,000 = 1,000 meals
Your profile on WhyDonate will allow you to see your results in real time.
8. Completion
All outreach, donations, and volunteer recruitment should be completed within the duration you opted for.
When you complete your assignment, use the task completion form to report on your work and final results to enable us assess your work. Do this within one week of completing your task if you enrolled for short term or 2 weeks if you signed up for long term.
APPLY NOW
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