Bracknell

National Blood Service Volunteers

Being a volunteer for the National Blood Service doesn't just include giving blood. You can come and help us out in other ways too.

Why not visit the collection and help raise awareness of the importance of giving blood in the public arena.

Or be a volunteer. Anything from putting up posters to asking people in the street to donate.

Every area has different requirements for volunteers but in general here's what we're looking for:

Local Organiser Volunteers

Poster Contact Volunteers

Centre Based Volunteers

Student Rep Volunteers

Local Organiser Volunteers

If you're interested in being a Local Organiser Volunteer, you'll be responsible for helping organise and promote the blood donor sessions in your area.

You'll also be the day-to-day National Blood Service representative in your area.

We will need you to:

• act as a local contact, should there be any problems
• keep the NBS up to date with any local events or developments
• try to encourage new donors and get existing ones to attend their sessions
• distribute posters and leaflets with all the details about when and where the local sessions will be
• recruit your own friends or volunteers to help out if things get exceptionally busy
• help at the session, with brochures and leaflets in one hand and a cup of tea in the other.

And what you'll get from us is

• all the leaflets and posters you'll need, ready-printed with all the appropriate local information
• your travel expenses
• your posting costs paid.

So, if any of that interests you and you'd like to help us by becoming a Local Organiser Volunteer, please fill in the online form or call us on 0845 7 711 711.

Poster Contact Volunteers

You'll never guess what we want Poster Contact Volunteers to do.

And if you haven't, it goes something like this:

• put posters or banners up in your local area just before a blood donor session
• and then make sure that they're removed after the session.

We'll print and send you all the appropriate posters prior to the session.

If you think you'd like to help in this capacity, then please either fill in the online form or call us on 0845 7 711 711.

Centre Based Volunteers

Perhaps you'd be more interested in helping out at one of our centres up and down the country. There are plenty of opportunities for volunteers and you can choose from any or all of the following options.

Recruiter

This is probably our most effective way of enrolling new donors - just by tackling people in the street or at their place of work.

Plus those who do it seem to find it very motivating and rewarding.

There'll always be a member of staff accompanying you to show you how to recruit.

We do it by two different methods.

By appeals:

We get our intrepid volunteers to visit interested offices to recruit donors for a company donor session.

This usually involves visiting the company a week beforehand during office hours to drum up a little business amongst the employees who might be willing to give blood. In return we'll provide you with:

• everything you need to recruit with
• travel expenses

By campaigns:

Every now and then we have a specific recruitment campaign and that's when we need some loyal volunteers. That's when we're likely to pack you off to a town centre or to a show and get you to approach passers-by about becoming a blood donor.

This method works extremely well.

Last December, for example, we spent a week at the Lakeside Shopping Centre outside Marks and Spencer and managed to enrol 3,000 new donors (as well as get the Christmas shopping done).

You can expect to be provided with:

• everything you need to recruit with
• travel expenses

Office worker

This involves doing your bit to help the centre's team organise donor sessions.

You'll be helping by:

• sending out posters
• ringing round companies
• writing to companies
• giving people appointment times
• answering any queries from donors

In return you can expect:

• everything you need to do the job
• travel expenses

There's a whole range of duties, but it'll help if you have PC skills. So, if the thought of all that administration gets you going, then there's an online form eager to have you fill in your details, or you can call us on 0845 7 711 711.

Student Rep Volunteers

A Student Rep Volunteer is responsible for helping promote and organise a blood donor session at his or her University or College. And for being the day-to-day NBS representative on campus.

Apart from doing whatever it is students like doing, you'll need to:

• act as the local contact in the event of any problems
• encourage new donors to come and give blood
• distribute posters, leaflets and put session details in your student magazines
• perhaps get your own group of friends or volunteers to help out if things get overly busy
• attend the Freshers Fairs and, before the actual session try, to get as many new donors as possible.

And what you'll get from us is:

• all the necessary posters and leaflets
• travel expenses

If you're one of those conscientious community-minded student types and would like to help out as a Student Rep Volunteer, then either call us on 0845 7 711 711 or fill in the online form.