SSAFA - The Armed Forces Charity
Charity registered in Scotland SC038056
SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity is a trusted source of support for serving personnel, veterans and their families in their time of need. Our teams of trained volunteers and employees provide practical, emotional and financial assistance to the Armed Forces community enabling them to thrive.
Current opportunities
Could you look after the finances for the local SSAFA service in your area? You don’t need a military background, just some good I.T and finance skills. If so, this could be the role for you. One of the key ways we help people is by tapping into various sources of funding on their behalf. Monitoring and reconciling this flow of funding into and out of SSAFA accounts is important to ensure clients receive timely support and we are able to account for all charitable funds in our care.
What would you be doing?
• Maintaining and reconciling local bank accounts and recording transactions
• Supporting divisions to manage their local finances.
• Making and recording all authorised payments
• Preparing year end accounts and financial statements including arranging an independent review
• Working with the branch secretary, advise on a local fundraising programme to cover branch running costs.
• Identify and manage the return of any surplus monies from grants as appropriate.
• Providing reports to the branch committee and to SSAFA’s Central Office
• Maintaining accurate records using our on-line finance management system
• Being a positive ambassador for SSAFA remembering that anyone you meet could be a potential client, volunteer, or fundraiser.
• Volunteering within the standards and values of SSAFA including observing our policies such as the Volunteering policy and data protection policy (these will be covered in your training and local induction.)
Caseworkers visit clients to work out what type of help they need. Next, they find the right sources of support and arrange for clients to access it. This might be funds for special equipment for someone with a disability, adaptions to a property so an older client can remain at home or funds for a rental deposit. Caseworkers also sign-post clients onto specialist local services for advice on benefits, housing, mental health, debt, finding work etc.
The essential part of the role is interacting with clients, so you may be visiting clients or doing this virtually. As part of your local branch you might have access to an office, but many volunteers are based at home.
What does this role involve?
• Contacting clients and arranging to meet them at a mutually convenient time either face-to-face or remotely
• Liaising with clients and completing a form to assess their circumstances
• Sign-posting clients onto local services providing specialist advice
• Applying on the client’s behalf to military and non-military sources of charitable funding
• Arranging for the purchase of goods and services
• Keeping in touch with the client so they know how their case is progressing
• Keeping in touch with your branch so they know your availability
• Keeping up to date with training and SSAFA news so that you are best able to support clients
• Being a positive ambassador for SSAFA remembering that anyone you meet could be a potential client, volunteer or fundraiser
• Volunteering within the standards and values of SSAFA including observing our policies such as the
Volunteering policy and data protection policy (these will be covered in your training and local induction.)
What can you gain from this volunteering role?
• Support people in your community with a military background
• Use your skills, knowledge and life experience to benefit others
• Support and friendship from your local SSAFA branch and the wider SSAFA community
• Experience, training and skills that you can highlight on your CV and in job interviews
• Better physical and mental health – studies show that volunteers live longer and experience lower levels of stress and depression!
Minimum Age: 18
Is a criminal record check required? Yes
Could you help SSAFA reach more supporters and raise greater awareness of our services through the magic of social media and digital marketing? You don’t need a military background, just some basic digital skills, the ability to get on with a wide range of people and good written English. If you have I.T or digital marketing experience, that would be great but not essential. We’d love you to get in touch to find out more.
The SSAFA Mentoring service provides long-term, one-to-one, face-to-face support during transition and for up to two years post discharge to all members of our armed forces. By supporting, guiding and signposting individuals we can ensure a successful transition is achieved. Our volunteer mentors are an integral part of the team supporting the service user into civilian life often helping them to understand and navigate their new environment.
A SSAFA Mentor is an individual who commits the time to build a professional relationship with a service leaver or their family through a challenging period of time. Providing support and guidance along the way. Mentoring is natural skill that we all have, the ability to listen and empathise as well as question and challenge in an environment that sees rewards at different levels.
Leaving the Armed Forces can a difficult and stressful time for serving personnel: to ensure the SSAFA mentoring team can continue to offer face to face mentors to those in transition it is important to encourage and recruit new mentors to the team.
Mentors provide weekly meetings within a 50 mile radius of their home address and will:
Assist the client to establish realistic goals and work towards achieving them.
Act as a sounding board when the client wants to discuss decisions and ideas.
Challenge opportunities, problems, personal strengths and weaknesses.
Signpost to other organisations and sources of knowledge.
Seek opportunities to help the client practice and develop key skills for the future.
Pass on know-how and essential thinking patterns and attitudes.
Generate workable solutions together in a mutually respectful way.
Motivate, advise and support whilst empowering the service leaver to make their own decisions and take responsibility for their own actions and development.
Maintain regular contact with your Regional Mentoring Coordinator and provide accurate meeting records after every meeting via a secure email system.
What can you gain from this volunteering role?
Support people in your community with a military background using your patience, time and life experience
Support and friendship from the Mentoring team and fellow mentors
Experience, training and skills that you can highlight on your CV and in job interviews
Better physical and mental health – studies show that volunteers live longer and experience lower levels of stress and depression!
Key role responsibilities
Meet with their client for an hour each week for a period of up to but not limited to12 months.
Support the client and SSAFA ensure they receive any necessary support from SSAFA or external organisations.
Complete (mandatory) accurate records of all contact made with the client, by using the SSAFA Email system
Maintain regular contact with their Regional Mentoring Coordinator
Agree to any supervision deemed necessary.
Attend mandatory Network/Refresher training every three years
Uphold the aims and values of SSAFA and comply with all current policies; confidentiality, impartiality and equal opportunities.
To be reliable and fulfil any time commitment made to a client
DBS Check will be required.
IT literacy.