Awareness Programme Events Administrator
What needs to get done
At the end of 2013 Prostate Cancer UK entered into 2 exciting partnerships with corporate sponsors to raise awareness of prostate cancer across the UK. One partnership lasts for 12 months and the other for 36 months.
Awareness raising is vitally important to make sure that men and their families are aware of the disease, the risk factors and symptoms and that they take appropriate action if they are at all worried. Early diagnosis of the illness significantly improves the longer term outlook for men who are found to have prostate cancer.
Awareness raising is being achieved with the help of 175 trained volunteers who deliver awareness talks to companies, sports and social clubs, in fact anywhere where people gather together. The volunteers also host information stands in venues such as shopping centres and agricultural shows. One of our partners is also recruiting volunteers from within their own staff and seeking opportunities to raise awareness among their clients.
Opportunities for delivering talks and information stands come into the charity from a variety of sources, some organisations approach us directly, some of the volunteers find opportunities themselves and we, as a central team source opportunities.
The awareness team is a small team of one coordinator and one programme manager.
Applicants would be asked to commit for a minimum of three months – applications from candidates able to commit for a longer period of time are particularly welcome.
What will I be doing?
Duties:
• Matching requests for talks and information stands with volunteers in the geographic area of the request
• Liaising with host organisations and volunteers to ensure volunteers are fully briefed on the talk they are being asked to give
• Making sure volunteers have the necessary publications and information for stands
• Responding to volunteer queries about individual events
• Assisting with reporting and evaluation of the programme
• Helping to find further opportunities for talks and stands
• Supporting the management of individual events – which may on occasions necessitate travel to the host site (all expenses will be paid by the charity)
What skills and personal qualities do I need?
• A commitment to the cause of raising awareness of prostate cancer
• Ability to work with volunteers and host organisations
• Self starter to be able to identify opportunities and then take the lead in converting the opportunity into a confirmed talk or stand
• Strong interpersonal skills, especially empathy with the volunteers who are often people directly or indirectly impacted by prostate cancer.
• Team player
• Good eye for detail
• Strong organisational skills
What skills and experiences will I gain from this role?
The intern undertaking the role will gain valuable experience in the following areas:
• Working in the charitable sector – Prostate Cancer UK is the fastest growing charity in the UK. It is an exciting and vibrant place to work and will provide a valuable insight into how a charity is structured, raises funds and delivers services
• Develop a good knowledge of prostate cancer, its symptoms, risks and treatment paths.
• Project and programme management – the Awareness Programme is being managed in accordance with PRINCE2 and Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) principles (PRINCE2 and MSP being the most widely used project and programme methodologies in the UK)
• Working with volunteers requires strong people skills and empathy to understand what motivates them to offer work long and anti social hours for no monetary reward. Volunteer management skills are a sought after by other charities
• Familiarisation with Raisers Edge (RE) – RE is the data base used by Prostate Cancer UK and is also widely used across the 3rd sector. It is, like volunteer management a sought after skill set,
• Organisational skill – the programme is moving forward at a rapid pace and the role holder will soon learn how to prioritise – juggling competing demands for time. Managing competing priorities is a skill set needed in many work settings
• Networking opportunities – there will be regular contact with corporate organisations across the UK as well as with the two partners.
Perhaps the biggest reward that the intern will gain from this placement is knowledge that their work is part of a programme of awareness raising that is making a very positive impact on the lives of men and their families, helping to win the battle against prostate cancer.
Where will I be volunteering?
The role will be based in the charities London office, in Tooley Street close to London Bridge Station. There may be a requirement for occasional travel to the charities regional centres across the UK and to host sites where talks and stands are taking place.
What time commitments are involved?
The charity supports agile working so days can be flexed to meet travel or personal circumstances. The charity supports agile working so days can be flexed to meet travel or personal circumstances. Ideally we would like someone to help on a fulltime basis for 4-5 days a week for a minimum of 3 months.
What training will be provided?
Working alongside experienced and dedicated team- training will take the form of formal courses and also on the job training.
The charity runs a number of formal training courses which the role holder will be encouraged to attend; these will include:
• Introduction to Prostate Cancer
• Speaker Training
• Evaluation training
• Raiser Edge
More informal training will be provided in project and programme management, workshop facilitation, performance reporting and use of Microsoft office products including Microsoft Excel, Word and Project.
The training plan at annex 1 provides further details
Will expenses be covered?
We pay reasonable out-of-pocket expenses including phone calls, travel and lunch while volunteering and attending training or other events in line with our expenses policy.
