Thrive Volunteer Community Organiser
Role
Purpose of role
Reports to
Main duties and
responsibilities
Hours / location
Skills/attributes
requirement
Volunteer Community Organisers
To bring about change in our communities and challenge local
people to be responsible for their own issues.
Saul Alinsky, who invented Community Organising, said that
“Action is the oxygen of an Organisation”. Volunteer
Community Organisers are the leaders who make this happen.
The organisers must choose issues which are:
1. Winnable
2. Specific (they have to identify exactly what it is they need
to change)
3. Short-term
4. Immediate (in the hearts and minds of the people we’re
talking about)
5. Targeted (there has to be somebody who is able to help
make the change we need)
The main quality we’re looking to develop is leadership. If a
leader can bring lots of people to a meeting and organise other
people collaboratively they will achieve what they need to
achieve.
Thrive Community Organiser and Leadership Council
 gather data - collecting case studies from project
beneficiaries
 research issues
 identify issues to be addressed and co-ordinate an
approach to take action
 arrange planning meetings with groups of project
beneficiaries
 telephone contacts on the Thrive mailing list and other
contacts as and when required for action meetings
 arrange and facilitate meetings with households and
those who are being held to account
 organise actions, including telephone campaigns, big
action meetings and other events
 attend THRIVE's Leadership Council meetings to offer
suggestions on work priorities and campaign planning
 attend Leadership / Community Organising training
events
 attend monthly volunteer meetings to feedback progress
update
As and when required and to suit – with a minimum of 2 hours
per week
 have a commitment to the aims and objectives of
THRIVE
 be willing to give the equivalent of one day a month to
effectively carry out their duties as a volunteer
Benefits
Notes
community organiser
 show a commitment to personal development and attend
appropriate training sessions
 be reliable and have good organisational skills
 with support, demonstrate an ability to bring people
together and facilitate meetings
 work collaboratively in a team of other organisers and
recognise the importance of hearing other people’s
voices in the group
 able to evidence leadership skills and encourage others
to take action
 be supportive of others
 confident and outgoing
 able to problem solve
 evidence good interpersonal skills with an ability to deal
with potential interpersonal conflict in a calm, assertive
manner
Volunteers will find their involvement rewarding as it offers an
excellent opportunity for personal development, to obtain new
skills and experiences as well as a chance to put something
back into the community.
Out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed when receipts are
provided. Lunch expenses will be covered if volunteer works
over 4 hours in any one day.