Pin Badge Box Volunteer

Amongst all community fundraising activities we lead, our pin badges are by far our greatest pride. With hundreds of designs including a myriad of birds and then UK and Ireland's most beloved insects, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, fish and plants released regularly for the last 20 years, our pin badge volunteers could be defined as some the most influential in generating crucial income for conservation and spreading our message and positivity in the lives of so many of our supporters.

Now more than ever, UK's largest environmental conservation charity renews its call to action to raise crucial funds for nature. The COVID pandemic has severely impacted our teams of volunteers, as many left during the lockdowns and many local businesses hosting our sites were forced to close. Our Northern Ireland team has now the opportunity to flourish again and raise funds to save species like puffins, corncrakes, curlews and swifts, restore habitats and rewild entire landscapes across the country, and to achieve this it needs you!

On a regular basis, in this role you will

• Connect with you local community by asking businesses and venues to host one of our pin badge boxes displayed for the public to donate.
• Visit your boxes every 3-4 weeks to collect and bank any cash donations at your local Post Office, eventually reporting your earnings on our user-friendly online platform. This is then used to order new pin badges to keep your boxes always well-stocked.

You will also have the opportunity to

• Creatively interact with your local community, your team and RSPB NI Community Fundraising Officer to identify areas to maximise income thanks to popular pin badges (one of these is Rathlin's famous Golden Hare!) and ad-hoc releases of limited editions.
• Plan bulk purchases that can be provided to youth groups, schools and ordered as wedding and funeral favours.
• Help during events organized by our Membership Recruitment team and other departments.

For this role it would be desirable to have the following skills:

• Good communication skills and an ability to liaise with your local community.
• Numeracy, record-keeping skills, and the ability to handle cash efficiently and accurately.
• Basic computer literacy.
• An ability to use your own initiative.
• Passion and enthusiasm to help give nature a home.

What will you gain from this? As volunteer fundraiser you will

• Have the opportunity to enrich your experience in the organization by joining other activities in RSPB, from practical conservation to campaigning and events.
• Learn about fundraising types, good practices and income generation of one of Europe's largest non-governmental organizations.
• Improve your communication skills as you will be able to represent RSPB to a wide audience and you will answer questions about our conservation work.
• Find an invaluable opportunity to build strong relationships with other passionate people.
• Join thank-you events and team days organized for you to share fundraising ideas and celebrating the conservation successes you will be contributing for.
• Receive the NI Community Fundraising newsletter, where you will receive all updates about your progress and income raised thanks to you.

No previous experience in fundraising is required and we will provide all the equipment and training you will need to succeed in your collection. The role offers extreme flexibility as it only requires 30 minutes a month (depending on how many boxes you mind) and the opportunity to stay close to home. This role is suitable for everyone and it is suitable for under 18s. In addition, it can be adapted to reflect the requirements of each level of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

“It is so inspiring to see the enthusiasm of all the volunteers that dedicate their time to raise funds for our conservation projects. Some of them have been doing it for many years and they are the pillar of community fundraising in RSPB. Not only they generate crucial income, but their dedication and desire to see nature thrive reverberates in the wider community at every pin badge lifted from their boxes”  Emanuele Miccolis, Community Fundraising Officer for RSPB NI