The Volunteer Centre is committed to ongoing introspection on how we can best collaborate with LSE students to achieve our mission of inspiring and empowering students to volunteer about causes that they are passionate about. As a part of this, we are developing a new vacancy board on our website that will highlight volunteering opportunities that meet criteria that go above and beyond to be flexible and impactful for LSE students. You can read more about the Vacancy Board here: 

What is the Flexibility and Impact Vacancy Board and why are we developing it?

The Flexibility and Impact Vacancy Board is a space to signpost volunteering opportunities that speak to the needs of students who face great inaccessibility to volunteering. This is because some LSE students face structural inequalities and barriers that prevent them from volunteering, including not having enough time due to paid work or caretaking commitments, language barriers, not being able to afford to volunteer, etc. As a result, the vacancy board will serve as a designated space on our website where students who are experiencing these kinds of systemic barriers can easily find volunteering opportunities from our charity partners who are similarly committed to eradicating barriers.

Our goal is not to be a gatekeeper of volunteering, nor define what impact looks like for both a charity partner and student. Rather, we hope to develop a process where impact is clearly articulated and prioritised in role descriptions, and where volunteering opportunities are flexible, inclusive and accessible when possible. We hope that this board sparks ongoing conversation surrounding best practice in volunteer recruitment of students.

How are we doing this?

First, we are reviewing our service standards, which serve as criteria all organisations must meet to advertise voluntary opportunities on CareerHub and with the LSE Volunteer Centre. Criteria includes having a health and safety policy, risk assessment, and training provided. Most notably, our service standards will be revised to include measures surrounding accessibility accommodations, meaning that our charity partners should fulfill this criterion regardless of whether they would like to be considered for the Flexibility and Impact Vacancy Board.

Second, we ask that organisations interested in their opportunities being considered for the Flexibility and Impact Vacancy Board fill out our CareerHub form, demonstrating their commitment to flexibility, impact, and accessibility by meeting at least three of the guidelines articulated below. Once charities fill this form out satisfactorily, we will automatically add their volunteering opportunities to the board and students will know that they are one of our known Flexibility and Impact partners.

Please note that we will also use our discretion to add opportunities to the Board on an ad hoc basis if we believe it fulfills the criteria (i.e. the description clearly signposts to this). However, an organisation should fill out the form if they would like their volunteering opportunities to be considered for the Board on an ongoing basis.

Overall, we welcome ongoing conversation with charities and students regarding how we can make this process transformative for the better.

Criteria for Flexibility and Impact Vacancy Board

*Charities must articulate how they fulfill at least four of these criteria to be considered as a trusted Flexibility and Impact partner in addition to fulfilling our service standards

• Roles are collaborative with students in terms of defining their commitment and delivery
• Roles requires specific knowledge or makes use of a social science degree
• Roles develop professional and/or personal competencies and skills, including problem solving, critical thinking, communication, teamwork, project management, responsibility, etc.
• Roles include elements of reflection, for emotional fulfillment or on development of professional competencies
• Roles have emotional support and forms of mentorship included by a member of the organisation
• Roles clearly define the impact associated with the opportunity, which can include metrics of numbers, audience scope, mental health and wellbeing impact, etc. This impact can be on the volunteer or on the contribution the roles have to society.

Have questions about our new Vacancy Board? Or, do you have a suggestion on how we can make volunteering more accessible and inclusive for LSE students? Send us an email at volunteer@lse.ac.uk!