South Lincolnshire Citizens Advice answers question about volunteering and improving CV in 2025

Every month, South Lincolnshire Citizens Advice answers your questions.

This month the question is: I have some spare time in the New Year and would like to volunteer somewhere. I need something a bit flexible as I have other commitments around my college course. I’m keen to do something that I know will make a real difference and support the community and enable me to add experience to my CV. Are there any roles at Citizens Advice South Lincolnshire that can match what I’m looking for?

And the answer?

Yes, there is. We have a variety of roles available to volunteers at Citizens Advice South Lincolnshire from client-facing positions to administrators. However, based on your question, the most appropriate role for you might be as a fundraiser. Fundraising is a very flexible role within the charity and can help with a range of things from event planning, organisation and set up and can be fit around any other educational commitments that you may have.

You will work as part of a passionate, dedicated and fun team that helps stage events large and small to help raise much needed funds for CASL, raise awareness of us in the community and perhaps most significantly of all ensure all attendees or people who interact with us have a good time and positive experience. Funds raised will go towards help towards sustaining our services and ensuring that people in crisis are able to be supported in finding a way forward with the problems they face.

This type of role will provide great project and events management experience to your CV as well as a whole host of other transferable skills that will be invaluable for you as you move forward.

Over the past year, events CASL have put on include:

Quizzes

A ‘Superhero and Princess’ themed family disco

A parachute jump

A Ceilidh night

We’ve also had stalls at a number of community events that we’ve attended. However, our fundraising isn’t just limited to events and community engagement. We want to explore possible new funding streams including corporate fundraising, legacies and wills and any other possibilities. We have a strong e-fundraising presence with easyfundraising and are also keen to look into similar initiatives.

While these may not all be of interest, being a fundraising volunteer will enable you to make the best of your time by becoming a champion in a specific area of fundraising and offering support where you can.

You mention that you were in college, depending on what you are studying, your time and activity with CASL may even be able to help with your college work by forming the basis of an assignment or practical report.

If you have friends who are also looking to gain experience and you feel would benefit from being a fundraising volunteer, please talk to them about it. Or taking it one step further, if you know anyone who might be able to help please spread the word. At CASL, we welcome volunteers from all backgrounds and with a variety of experiences. Each individual volunteer can bring something to the table to help us grow and move forward as a local charity.

If you are interested in becoming a fundraising volunteer, please email: fundraising@citizensadvicesouthlincs.org.uk We can then take things forward from there. We hope that you will be able to join our fantastic team.

If you are reading this and need advice, you can also call Adviceline on 0808 278 7996 to speak to a trained adviser. We are here to help you find a way forward with the problems that you face. Our services are closed for Christmas until January 2, 2025. Self-help is available during this time at www.citizensadvice.org.uk