Citizens Advice Plymouth depends on its volunteers to deliver face to face and telephone information, advice, advocacy and preventative education to the clients who need us.

We helped over 11,000 people across the city last year, dealing with nearly 78,000 enquiries and helping our client’s access over a £1 million of income. We also deliver national projects such as our Utility advice projects.

We are looking for a design volunteer who would like to use their skills in graphic design and broaden their experience while making a difference to people from Plymouth community and nationally. If you’re creative with a passion for a good design and enjoy working in an environment where no two days are the same, then we want to hear from you.

Reporting to the Research and Campaigns Manager, you will be responsible for producing high quality internal and external materials that drive the charity’s key messages, increasing awareness of our work and advocacy activities. 

  What will you do?

• Complete an introduction to Citizens Advice Plymouth
• Work as part of a Research, Campaigns and Communications team and other related departments within Citizens Advice Plymouth to produce designs for print and social media.
• Create compelling visuals based on briefs.
• Prepare rough drafts of materials based on an agreed brief and produce design products for posts on various platforms.
• Ensure final graphic designs are visually appealing and in accordance with Citizens Advice standards.
• Keep an eye on, and report, problems which are common or unfair, and write a short report on these issues for our Research & Campaigns work.

  What’s in it for you?

• Make a real difference to people’s lives.
• Learn about a range of issues affecting our clients, such as benefits, debt, income maximisation, housing, employment, consumer, immigration and friends & family matters
• Build on valuable skills such as communication, listening and problem solving, and increase your employability.
• Work with a range of different people, independently and in a team.
• Have a positive impact in your community.
• Receive reimbursement for reasonable travel expenses.

  What do you need to have?

• Demonstrate commitment to the Citizens Advice aims, principles and policies.
• Be friendly, approachable and respectful of views and cultures that are different to your own.
• Have excellent listening skills.
• Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication.
• Have excellent IT skills, proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, After Affects, Canvas)
• Be able to act sensitively around emotive topics.
• Willingness to undertake training in order to improve your own skills and knowledge.
• Ability to work as part of a team.

  How much time do you need to give?

We ask for 8 hours per week minimum, which can be over one day or spread over two days, for at least 12 months. All training and volunteering is completed within our Cobourg House office. Our training plan is tailored to each role, and you will need to attend the office on a fixed day each week to complete your training. Your volunteering time after this will be determined in consideration of your availability and our service coverage.

  Valuing inclusion

Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds, and we particularly welcome applications from people with physical or mental health conditions, LGBT+ and non-binary people, and people from Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.