Student volunteering

Volunteering roles

If you wish to look at active roles that are seeking 18-25 year olds, follow this link 

Research

In February 2025, we launched a piece of research into student volunteering in Greater Manchester, bringing together VCSE organisations, universities and colleges, and student volunteers. The session sparked valuable cross-sector conversations and confirmed a strong appetite to make student volunteering more inclusive, visible, and impactful across the city region.

The research explores the motivations and barriers for students, alongside organisational challenges and practical recommendations. What stood out in the room were the stories: students keen to contribute but feeling unsure how to connect; organisations open to working with students but needing clearer pathways and support; and a shared recognition that small, intentional changes – like flexible opportunities and targeted recognition – can unlock real value.

Download The Current Climate of Student Volunteering in Greater Manchester Impact Research Project: Business Report By Anushka Swannell, Volunteer Development Worker

Download Student Volunteering Research Tool Kit


Get involved or share your ideas, we'd love to hear from you. You can get in touch by emailing: info@volunteercentremanchester.co.uk 

Volunteering Opportunities

Displaying 1 - 24 of 120
Grassroots Political Campaigner
Summary: Do you care about those living in poverty around the world? Do you want to use your voice to make a real difference? Do you want to be a political campaigner who delivers results?

Join our network of volunteer campaigners to use your voices and influence political decisions that will bring an end to poverty!
Area of Interest: Campaigning & Advocacy
Events Volunteer Christmas Carols Concert
Summary: Europia is preparing a beautiful Central and Eastern European–themed Christmas Carols celebration at Manchester Cathedral, and we are looking for dedicated volunteers to support the event and its logistics.
This is a donation-based community event, and all contributions are reinvested directly into the services and support Europia provides to European, Ukraine and Roma communities across Greater Manchester.
Area of Interest: Arts Culture & Music, Events
Volunteer Graphic Designer
Summary: In this role with Bolton Lads and Girls Club, you will:
• Be confident using Canva to create high-quality, engaging, branded designs.
• Use our brand guidelines to develop a range of templates across the organisation, including posters, flyers, social media graphics and website content.
• Refresh and improve existing designs, ensuring they are on-brand and aligned with best practice.
• Help to create resources / templates that are easy for colleagues to adapt, use and maintain consistently.
• Have an understanding of social media platforms and create content tailored to what works best on each channel.
Area of Interest: Children Young People & Families, Digital and Tech, Marketing & Social Media
Squirrels Section Team Member (Volunteer/Helper) 4-6yo
Summary: Bringing the ‘Wow!’ to our youngest Scouts (4-6yo), in a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment, the Section Teams make it happen for our Squirrels
Area of Interest: Children Young People & Families, Finance & Fundraising
Marketing Assistant
Summary: Community Revival are looking for volunteers who can support them to plan a marketing strategy, identify sources of marketing to help to raise their profile and use mediums to send information to potential customers and partners.
Area of Interest: Administration, Campaigning & Advocacy, Marketing & Social Media
Careers Advice and Guidance Assistant
Summary: Community Revival are looking for volunteers to support helping people progress in their careers, education, and personal development.

Volunteers will support with the resource preparation and administration for learning activities and provide high quality learning support.
Area of Interest: Advice & Employment, Education & Literacy, Mentoring
Parent Champion
Summary: Could you support parents/carers, by providing information, advice and guidance, enabling them to access family support networks or groups in the local community and/or gathering and collating feedback? You would be providing information, advice and support to individual families, to enable them to achieve the desired outcomes within their support plan. This will include supporting parents/carers to access family support networks/groups within their local community, such as toddler groups, health groups. You would also Collate and evaluate feedback from children, young people and parents, and signpost families to other local support services - both targeted and universal (where appropriate).
Area of Interest: Children Young People & Families, Disability, Mentoring
Retail Volunteer (Manchester, Didsbury)
Summary: Work on the till processing sales and returns
Prepare stock, including sorting, steaming and pricing
Create stylish window displays
Replenish stock on the shop floor
Stock-take and other administrative tasks
Area of Interest: Children Young People & Families, Finance & Fundraising, Retail, Student Volunteers (18+), Young Volunteers (under 18)
Dementia Home Visit Volunteer
Summary: Together at Home is our 1:1 befriending service for people who are unable to attend our groups. It's a little more laid back and relaxed compared to our groups, so if you'd enjoy offering support and creative activities to somebody living at home, and you're able to commit to a 1.5 hour visit every week or fortnight - this could be the role for you.
Area of Interest: Befriending, Health & Social Care, Older People
Retail Volunteer (Flixton)
Summary: Barnardos are looking for volunteers to help in their charity shop. You would:
Work on the till processing sales and returns
Prepare stock, including sorting, steaming and pricing
Create stylish window displays
Replenish stock on the shop floor
Stock-take and other administrative tasks
Area of Interest: Children Young People & Families, Finance & Fundraising, Retail, Student Volunteers (18+), Young Volunteers (under 18)
Volunteer Music Director
Summary: We are seeking a passionate and skilled music professional or music student to lead rehearsals, guide vocal development, support song selection and arrangements, and prepare the choir for performances and recordings. This is an opportunity to use your musical talents to make a meaningful difference by bringing people from diverse backgrounds together through music, fostering friendships, and helping us challenge loneliness and social isolation. Retired professionals and individuals with relevant musical experience are encouraged to apply.

Position: Voluntary (unpaid) | Location: Manchester, Greater Manchester
Area of Interest: Administration, Arts Culture & Music
Community Fundraising Group Volunteer
Summary: Join our fabulous fundraising team and become the friendly face of Deafblind UK in your local community, organising and promoting events and activities. Whatever your background, if you want to make a difference then we want to hear from you!
Area of Interest: Disability, Events, Finance & Fundraising, Older People
Retail Volunteer (Bolton Breightmet)
Summary: Work on the till processing sales and returns
Prepare stock, including sorting, steaming and pricing
Create stylish window displays
Replenish stock on the shop floor
Stock-take and other administrative tasks
Area of Interest: Children Young People & Families, Finance & Fundraising, Retail, Student Volunteers (18+), Young Volunteers (under 18)
Community Fundraising Group Leader
Summary: We're looking for an enthusiastic Volunteer Fundraising Team Leader to help grow and support a volunteer fundraising team in Machester while working alongside other Team Leaders across the UK to share ideas, inspire success and maximise our impact.
Area of Interest: Campaigning & Advocacy, Events, Finance & Fundraising, Virtual Volunteering
Trustee
Summary: Chorlton Good Neighbours (CGN) is a well-established charity supporting older people in Chorlton and Whalley Range since 1967, offering a wide range of social activities, practical support and befriending services. Based at Wilbraham St Ninian’s Church, it is supported by a small staff team, activity facilitators and over 100 volunteers. Trustees play an active role in overseeing the charity, supporting its management, shaping its future direction and ensuring good governance. The Board meets monthly, with additional training and development opportunities.
Area of Interest: Befriending, Trusteeship & Coordination
Volunteers Activity Leader in Eccles
Summary: Our mission is to support and inspire girls and young women. As an Activity Leader, you will create spaces where girls feel safe and valued, so that they can build strong foundations that will prepare them for life’s challenges.

GFS Activity Leaders are people who want help deliver fun and inspiring sessions to girls and young women, with the opportunity to lead on certain tasks.
Area of Interest: Children Young People & Families, Education & Literacy, Gender-based, Health & Social Care
Messy Church Volunteer
Summary: Messy Church Volunteers Wanted! Do you enjoy welcoming families, getting creative, and sharing God’s love in simple ways?

Messy Church is fun, friendly, lively—and a bit messy!
Area of Interest: Arts Culture & Music, Children Young People & Families, Race Ethnicity & Religion
Community Store Volunteer
Summary: Join The A World UK as a Community Store Volunteer and help make a difference! We're looking for friendly, enthusiastic volunteers to support the day-to-day running of our community stores. Tasks include sorting donations, preparing and replenishing stock, greeting customers and keeping the store clean and welcoming. No previous experience or qualifications are needed, as full training and support are provided by our friendly team.
Area of Interest: Older People, Retail, Student Volunteers (18+)
Retail Volunteer (Ashton Under Lyne, Mossley Road)
Summary: Barnardos are looking for volunteers to help in their charity shop. You would:
Work on the till processing sales and returns
Prepare stock, including sorting, steaming and pricing
Create stylish window displays
Replenish stock on the shop floor
Stock-take and other administrative tasks
Area of Interest: Children Young People & Families, Finance & Fundraising, Retail, Student Volunteers (18+), Young Volunteers (under 18)
Coram Beanstalk Reading Helper (Primary School) Atherton
Summary: Support children with reading for pleasure on a 1-1 basis. You must be available on a consistent afternoon weekly throughout the school year.
Area of Interest: Children Young People & Families, Education & Literacy
Finance Trustee
Summary: Finance Trustee - MileShyClub is a preventative health charity helping people who feel intimidated by exercise to become more active through welcoming running, walking, mental health and Restore groups. Our guiding principle is simple: no one gets left behind.
Area of Interest: Disability, Finance & Fundraising, Mental Health, Migrants & Refugees, Sports & Movement
Activities Volunteer - Tameside
Summary: Creative Support are looking for a creative volunteer to help staff set up and run activity sessions for the people we support at our dementia day centre in Ashton-under-Lyne.
Area of Interest: Befriending, Disability, Health & Social Care, Mental Health, Older People
Volunteer Speaker
Summary: Do you enjoy public speaking and presenting? Can you inspire others passion for transforming lives? If so The Leprosy Mission would love to hear from you!
Area of Interest: Campaigning & Advocacy, Disability, Finance & Fundraising, Race Ethnicity & Religion, Sports & Movement
Oxfam Shop Volunteers - Withington!
Summary: This opportunity with Oxfam involves supporting the shop in a number of activities - this might involve customer service or visual merchandising on the shop floor - or sorting, researching, and pricing stock donations, adding gift aid to donations, helping out with new content on our online shop, picking/packing/shipping online sales, financial admin/banking, social media, and even helping with volunteer recruitment - there's something for everyone!
Area of Interest: Administration, Retail