Volunteering Experience Lead

Location: Flexible with two days every fortnight in the Oxford Office
Department: Fundraising
Salary: £35,000 to £38,000 per annum (depending on experience) plus £2,500 car allowance
Hours: 35
Contract Type: Permanent

RABI is the farmers charity.

RABI supports farming people across England, Wales and NI with expert, one-to-one practical, financial and emotional help, all year round. From confidential advice and mental health support to direct financial assistance, their tailored services respond to the unique challenges of farming life.

At the heart of RABI's mission is a commitment to strengthening resilience; helping farming people feel valued, supported and better equipped to navigate uncertainty and change. RABI is working to close the farming wellbeing gap and build a future where farming people can thrive.

Over the past 25 years alone, RABI has delivered almost £250 Million in direct financial support to the farming community, whilst the charity's professional counselling service has provided 11,500 free sessions to farming people since 2022. RABI's wrap-around support services continue to evolve, reaching more people year on year.

RABI is on a journey to help shape a future farmers deserve.

ROLE OVERVIEW:

The Volunteering Experience Lead plays a vital role in ensuring volunteers feel connected, valued, and well-supported throughout their time with us. The post-holder will lead our efforts to recruit, retain and engage volunteers, shaping communications and initiatives that build a strong sense of belonging.

This role works across the entire volunteer journey, from attraction and onboarding to recognition and feedback. It leads on volunteer-facing communications and engagement campaigns, coordinates volunteer surveys, and helps build a growing, supportive network of volunteers. The ideal candidate will be passionate about creating a great experience, skilled at communicating with warmth and clarity, and committed to building community through volunteering.

This role involves occasional travel and overnight stays to attend events, meetings.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead targeted recruitment campaigns, working with colleagues to promote roles and attract a wide range of volunteers.
• Develop retention strategies and recognition initiatives, helping volunteers feel valued and supported throughout their time with us.
• Manage regular volunteer communications, including newsletters, updates, and storytelling that reflects the voice of volunteers.
• Coordinate annual volunteer surveys and feedback mechanisms, using data and insights to improve the volunteer experience.
• Lead the development of the volunteering portal, ensuring it meets volunteer needs and enhances user experience.
• Build and grow a connected volunteer community, supporting peer-to-peer engagement and a strong sense of belonging through in-person and digital engagement.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Maintain strong relationships with internal teams, ensuring alignment across departments.
• Take a proactive role in team meetings, agenda setting, and action tracking.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety policies and other regulatory requirements.
• Engage in continuous professional development through training and feedback.
• Represent RABI at events and outreach initiatives.
• Support team operations during absences and assist with additional tasks as needed.

PERSON SPECIFICIATION:

Essential

• Affinity, understanding and demonstration of the goals and objectives of RABI
• Experience delivering volunteer communications or engagement campaigns.
• Strong inclusive communication skills, with attention to tone and audience.
• Understanding of volunteer journey stages - from recruitment to retention.
• Experience designing and running volunteer surveys or gathering feedback.
• Confident working with data to improve engagement and inform decisions.
• Collaborative approach with experience working across teams.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple campaigns.
• Comfortable using digital tools to manage and improve communication.
• Experience using CRM systems and analysing engagement data.
• Willingness and ability to travel occasionally, including overnight stays.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the agriculture and farming sector, with an ability to tailor volunteering approaches accordingly.
• Familiarity with volunteer segmentation or audience mapping.
• Familiarity with peer networks or ambassador schemes.
• Experience using digital platforms to connect and engage dispersed or geographically remote volunteers.
• A full UK driving licence, as travel within England and Wales will be required.

This role profile is not exhaustive and is subject to review in conjunction with the post holder according to future developments at RABI.

Benefits

• Enrolment to Nest on commencement of employment and then opportunity to join RABI's group pension scheme with Standard Life where RABI make contributions equivalent to 10% of your basic salary, provided you make a personal contribution of 5%.
• Life assurance from day one.
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme.

RABI is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and aims to ensure that all employment practices secure equality of opportunity and that no prospective or current employee receives less than favourable treatment at RABI because of their sex, sexual orientation, age, race, religion, belief, ethnic origin, disability, marital, or for any other reason which cannot be shown to be justifiable. Our recruitment process strives to ensure that individuals are selected only based on their relevant skills, experience, qualifications, and abilities.

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