Scotland Volunteer Information Guide

Fertility Network Scotland

Volunteer Information Guide
and

Volunteer Roles

Welcome

This guide has been produced to help ensure that your experience of volunteering with Fertility Network Scotland
will be an enjoyable and rewarding one.

Many of our activities depend on our volunteers and we would not be able to function in the same way without the
commitment of these special people dedicating their time, energy, understanding and knowledge.

Fertility Network Scotland acknowledges that volunteers play an integral part in ensuring service users feel more
empowered, less isolated and supported through their journey. Everyone involved with the charity is supported in a
way that helps us to continue achieving those standards.

Whatever your reason for volunteering, your efforts will have a direct impact on someone affected by fertility
problems or to help prevent someone being affected in the future by fertility problems and for that we cannot thank
you enough.

Through volunteering with the charity, we hope we can challenge and meet your expectations of volunteering. Our aim is
...to offer support and information throughout the UK to everyone with fertility related issues who needs us.

Our Mission

Fertility Network Scotland aims to continue being the leading charity across the UK in the provision of a
comprehensive support network for those facing fertility challenges at all stages of their journey,
providing authoritative information as well as practical and emotional support.

Our Vision

Around 1 in 6 couples today have trouble conceiving, which equates to 3.5 million people in the UK.
The prospect of facing any kind of fertility problem is very distressing to live with and many people believe

that no one else really understands.

We aim to ensure everyone can access the support they need, to be able to make some sense of how they feel, and
hopefully ease that loneliness and isolation on both an emotional and practical level through a variety of ways.

Volunteering The benefits of volunteering

What is volunteering? ➢ Gaining new skills and knowledge
➢ Become part of a team
Volunteering is the commitment of time and energy, for ➢ Making new and lasting relationships
the benefit of society, communities, individuals outside ➢ Sharing experiences with others
the immediate family, or other causes.

Voluntary activities are undertaken of a person’s
own free will, without payment, except for the
reimbursement of pre agreed out-of-pocket
expenses.

Becoming a volunteer can help with gaining new
skills and knowledge that can be transferrable into
your personal and professional life.

What you can expect from us

Fertility Network Scotland is committed to ensuring volunteers:

✓ Feel valued and respected
✓ Receive adequate support from volunteer coordinators and Fertility Network Scotland

employees
✓ Receive any out-of-pocket expenses agreed in advance, paid in accordance with

charity policy
✓ May have the opportunity to change role

Mutual Expectations

As a charity we are committed to making sure that all volunteers are confident and happy in
their role by:

✓ Valuing and respecting our volunteers
✓ Providing relevant support including regular contact with your volunteer coordinator
✓ Providing safe systems for working
✓ Providing a defined description and explanation of volunteer roles and agreed time

commitment

Commitment from Volunteers
would include:

✓ Agreeing to be confidential and respect the trust put in you as a volunteer as well as any
information you are given by any service user you may work with

✓ To be reliable and commit to any agreed responsibilities within your role
✓ To respect and abide by charity policies
✓ To participate in relevant training
✓ To follow the charity Health and Safety procedures
✓ *To declare any conflict of interest, which may result in you stopping volunteering

Please be comfortable with our policies and ensure you are committed to upholding them before you start
your volunteer role

*Conflict of interest can be a multiple of things such as; setting up or running your own business where clients would be those going through a fertility journey

Volunteering Roles

Becoming a volunteer with us can help service users in multiple ways including helping them to feel
less isolated and lonely through a variety of services we provide.
Our volunteering roles are those of:

✓ Peer Support Volunteer - volunteers must have completed their fertility journey.
✓ Student Ambassador - volunteers must be registered on a course at a higher education institution.
✓ Fundraiser

The next few pages have an overview of the roles available (this may be dependent on need and location)
and see which role is more suited to you, your skill set and your knowledge.

Peer Support Volunteer

After completing the Fertility Network Volunteer training, as a Fertility Group Volunteer you would:

✓ Be the contact or one of the contacts for the geographical / online Fertility Group
✓ Accept member requests after they have answered the relevant joining questions
✓ Welcome new members to the group
✓ Inspire engagement with all members
✓ Share relevant Fertility Network Scotland news from FNS Page
✓ Post regularly within your group to grow engagement
✓ Manage your groups Fertility Network Scotland email account
✓ Where appropriate facilitate a monthly or bi-monthly zoom call
✓ Monthly catch ups with your Fertility Network Coordinator on group activity
✓ Remove any posts made by a member that may be of a sensitive material or promotional
✓ Promote Fertility Network Scotland fundraising

Student Ambassador Volunteer

After completing the Fertility Network Student Ambassador training, you would:

✓ Assist and promote Freshers events for Fertility Network Scotland
✓ Have an opportunity to represent and promote Fertility Network Scotland within your educational establishment
✓ Disperse online promotions with relevant groups, clubs and organisations in your educational facility
✓ Place posters within the grounds of your educational facility, student union and clubs advertising events or educational

information
✓ Share Fertility Network Scotland relevant posts with social media
✓ Assist and promote Freshers events and competitions for Fertility Network Scotland
✓ Contact and support from your local Fertility Network Coordinator via monthly catch ups
✓ Promote Fertility Network Scotland Fundraising events, online and in person
✓ Inform your co-ordinator of any events approaching that would support the aims of Fertility Network Scotland
Benefits to you

Learn about the work of Fertility Network Scotland and the devastating impact it has on people
Add your volunteering experience to your CV
Your coordinator will also be able to provide you with a reference from a health-related charity
to support you on your career path

Fundraisers

Fertility Network Scotland have a company Just Giving page which we are happy for you to
promote as your good cause.
Links can be found on our website or below:

Just Giving

We rely on donations and fundraising to allow us to maintain the support we offer those
experiencing a fertility journey.
We have some promotional images that you can use to promote your fundraising event/page.

If your story is of interest to the media (local publications like to pick up on local events) you may be asked for the
background and some pictures too.

Please inform Fertility Network Scotland of your fundraising activities, and we will endeavour to add it to our website and
promote on our social media

The Next Step

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for expressing an interest in
becoming a volunteer for Fertility Network Scotland.

We look forward to welcoming you to our network of volunteers.

Contact: Hannah Tramaseur
Position: Volunteer Coordinator
Email: [email protected]