Publicity & Fundraising Team Member

Who we are:

• Every 10 seconds Samaritans respond to a call for help.
• Suicide is the main cause of death in young people under the age of 35.
• Over 200 teenagers are lost to suicide every year
• Can you help us change that number?

The Samaritans is a national mental health charity providing wide-spread emotional support through phone calls and emails. Our ultimate vision is that fewer people die by suicide and the Samaritans are there for anyone who needs someone at a difficult time. 

Our volunteers are ordinary people who give their time freely to be there for our callers at times of need. We are all passionate about providing caller support, and also work hard to increase awareness of the Samaritans in our local communities. To do this, volunteers give talks, work in schools, prisons, workplaces and other organisations, work with the media, and work in partnership with various organisations such as Network Rail.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for someone who is: 

• IT literate due to the digital nature of the role
• Personable with good communication skills
• Available to meet face-to-face in the Manchester and Salford branch at least once per month

What would you be doing as a volunteer?

The Publicity and Fundraising team is responsible for raising awareness of the support the Samaritans provide (publicity) and raising money so they can continue to provide that support (fundraising). As a Publicity & Fundraising (P&F) Team Member, you have the opportunity to help us not only keep the lights on in the branch but also make vital improvements that have a hand in reaching more people so fewer lives are lost to suicide.

Your responsibilities would include: 

• Supporting the success of P&F-owned events by promoting our activity on social media, being an active participant at events and helping with bucket collections
• Regularly producing and scheduling posts for the branch’s social media account that promote key Samaritans messages, upcoming events activities, awareness days and more
• Researching, applying for and winning bids that directly fund the maintenance of the branch, the training of listening volunteers and various other projects
• Publishing news stories, end-of-quarter newsletters and other long-form content for the branch’s dedicated webpage to improve SEO and raise awareness of the Samaritans on a local and national level
• Encourage participation from existing Samaritans volunteers and foster a sense of community in the branch by issuing motivational internal comms as needed
• Producing content that places the Samaritans in the media
• Supporting the P&F Deputy Director and Branch Directors as new opportunities emerge