Volunteer with Us

Sunday Assembly London’s Board plays an instrumental role in ensuring the charity is sustainable, taking the lead in decision-making and strategic direction of the organisation, as laid out in our governing document. 

What will you be doing?

Sunday Assembly is seeking volunteer Trustee Board members with drive and enthusiasm to assist in the delivery of its charitable aims. You will attend and contribute to our monthly Board meetings. 

You will be able to apply your individual strengths on the Board as well as learn new skills, defining a specialist role, projects and activities where you will take the lead and focus your time.

Main Responsibilities   

Our board members are responsible for overseeing the operations of the charity in accordance with their obligations as trustees. They are required to review Board papers and play a key role in decision-making. For all Board members, this includes:

• Ensuring the effective running of the charity, ensuring it fulfils its purpose
• Maintaining oversight and control over financial matters
• Monitoring the delivery of community events and activities 
• Ensuring the effective management of our volunteering community 
• Strategic decision-making affecting the future development of the charity
• Facilitating the charity’s decision-making process
• Ensuring that Sunday Assembly complies with its Memorandum and Articles of Association
• Maintaining the registers of directors and trustees of the charity as well as filing other necessary information with bodies such as the Charity Commission
• Working with the Treasurer and other members of the Board to produce and submit an Annual report and accounts to bodies such as the Charity Commission

To achieve this, we request a minimum commitment of 8 hours a month. This includes attending meetings and assisting with the effective administration of charity business and, where possible, attending our events.

What are we looking for?

Essential

• Organised and the ability to organise others
• Enthusiasm to play an active role on the Board and in fulfilling Sunday Assembly’s purpose 
• Ability to be a key point of contact for the Board
• Strong communication skills
• Desire to engage with issues affecting the community

Desirable / Nice to have

• Knowledge of Charity law / Governance / Trustee obligations
• Professional experience such as:
  • Agenda setting, minute taking and meeting organisation
  • Fundraising
  • Communications
  • Volunteer-led organisations
  • Project Management
  • Technology and Data
  • People and Culture
• Experience of being a charitable trustee/in a position of responsibility.
• Safeguarding experience. 

What’s in it for you?

Being a charitable trustee is a position of responsibility within an organisation and a great way to build managerial-level experience as well as to give something back.

Becoming a trustee is also a great opportunity to gain more knowledge about volunteering in the charity sector, and will make a great addition to your CV!

Many employers offer volunteer days, which you could use if deciding to take on a Trustee role with us. 

All trustees work with the Coordination Crew and stakeholders as appropriate. We ask that you come to your role with an open mind and shape the role to optimise the expertise you bring to the Board. 

Application process

• STEP 1: Please send your CV (max 2 pages) and a covering letter to trustees@sundayassembly.com. We can arrange an initial discussion with a current Board member prior to application if requested.
• STEP 2: You will be interviewed by some of our current Board Members.
• STEP 3: You’ll be invited to our Board Meeting to meet fellow trustees, have a taste of the Board Meeting and ask questions.

To apply for this Trustee role or to ask any questions regarding this role, please contact any of our trustees – you may wish to read through the Charity Commission’s Trustee Guide too.

Thank you!

Join our comms team to help create inspiring, thought-provoking and fun content, promoting our events and building the Sunday Assembly London community.

What will you be doing?

Between them, our comms volunteers are responsible for:

• Capturing images and video at our assemblies and other events for use on promotional materials
• Posting, updating and interacting via our website and social media channels (currently Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn)
• Writing and distributing our regular newsletter and other email communications
• Managing our mailing list
• Writing and disseminating press releases
• Keeping our database of press contacts up to date
• Campaigns to help us reach out to identified target audiences (for example, students or those newly arrived in London) via social media, traditional media and in-person engagement
• Identifying opportunities beyond our own channels (website, email marketing and social media) to market Sunday Assembly London 

Communications tasks are allocated amongst the team according to skills, experience, and capacity.  

How much time will it normally take?

We expect that, on average, this role will take around 4-8 hours per month.  Although it would be great if you could attend Sunday Assembly London on a regular basis to capture content, there is a lot of flexibility as to when you complete your volunteer tasks.

What support will be available?

Don’t worry, we won’t throw you in at the deep end! You’ll start with a structured induction, during which you’ll be familiarised with our branding and tone-of-voice guidelines.

You’ll work closely with the Co-Ordination Crew Lead, the Community Engagement Lead and your fellow comms volunteers (which includes both communications professionals and those with less experience), bouncing ideas off each other.  You’ll also have access to a WhatsApp group for support and regular informal check-ins with the Co-Ordination Crew Lead.

We’ll provide access to a Canva Pro account to enable you to produce high quality graphics.  You’ll also have the opportunity to develop your skills and network with communications industry professionals by attending training workshops run by the Media Trust.

What should I be able to do?

• Create visual and written content that is engaging and inspiring, which shows attention to detail, and which fits our branding
• Be confident in using a range of social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
• Have experience of creating graphics using Canva (or be willing to learn)
• Have experience of using WordPress to maintain a website (or be willing to learn)
• Have a strategic approach to communications
• Show initiative in coming up with fresh ideas and implementing them
• Enjoy working as part of a team with a variety of skills and abilities

Do I have to be a well-established member of the Sunday Assembly London community?

Our community is always open to newcomers and our volunteering is no exception. The team welcomes interest from anyone who’s friendly, open-minded and keen to learn.

What will I learn? 

You will be able to gain:

• Experience of creating fun and engaging content across a variety of different platforms
• Experience of running strategic marketing campaigns
• Opportunities to gain leadership experience by leading on specific communications projects
• Access to highly regarded industry training run by the Media Trust
• An understanding of how small volunteer-led charities are run 
• New friends within the Sunday Assembly London community

How do I apply for this role? 

Email Gwawr, our Co-Ordination Crew Lead, at gwawr@sundayassembly.com, or speak to Gwawr at one of our assemblies, and we’ll arrange a chat. 

Are you a cheerful people person, and a natural community-builder? We’re looking for a Front of House Lead to support our team of volunteers as they welcome attendees to Sunday Assembly London.

Front of House Lead is the ideal role for a gregarious person who wants to give their time to a community and build their experience of events organisation, fundraising, and community management. It is a great way to get involved in Sunday Assembly London behind the scenes. It’s all about making sure everyone feels safe and welcome!  

What will you be doing?

Assemblies take place twice a month, on Sundays, and front of house volunteers do a range of different things to make sure everything runs smoothly on the day. We ask front of house volunteers to arrive at 10am, and the event finishes at 1pm.

You’ll also join regular meetings with the Coordination Crew to plan upcoming Assemblies, and contact the volunteers to ensure everyone is prepared for each event. It is roughly 8 hours of volunteering a month.

What difference will you make?

It’s vital that new attendees and regulars alike feel looked after at our events, so that we can keep building a community worth being a part of!

You’ll be able to develop and support a team of volunteers, and help to make decisions about how the Assembly is run.

About the role

As part of the tech team, you will liaise with the Music Lead and other team members to make sure each event is as spectacular as possible! Volunteers are responsible for running the sound and stage tech at Sunday Assembly events, via a sound mixing desk and lighting controller provided on site at Backyard Comedy Club. We usually have a speaker and a live band, and sometimes other forms of performance . 

For this role, volunteers:

1. Set up equipment and run sound checks before the event.
2. Keep an eye on everything and troubleshoot during as needed.
3. Ensure equipment is safely packed up and stored afterwards.

This is a great chance to gain more familiarity with live stage tech, work closely with brilliant musicians, and be involved in Sunday Assembly London behind the scenes.

What you will be doing?

• Getting to know the specific set up of Backyard Comedy Club and our event set up.
• When on the rota to volunteer, attending the Assembly to set up, run, and pack away the sound and lighting equipment.
• Helping to ensure that all the equipment our band, singers and technicians need is stored safely and kept in working order.
• Reporting to the Music Lead to update them on any broken or missing equipment
• Telling them any other brilliant thoughts you have to make our events better!

What support is available?

This role is supported by the Music Lead, who will ensure you receive training and support as needed. You will be introduced to the set up of Backyard Comedy Club’s mixing desk and lighting by the team lead and current members of the team. There are written set up guides, as our time in the venue itself is limited to our booked Assembly slots. More hands-on training can also be arranged. All equipment is provided, though you may wish to bring your own laptop or tablet. Band members and other volunteers will also be there and happy to help you out on the day!

If you would like to make suggestions or raise concerns, please also talk to the Music Lead. We also have a lovely Volunteer Handbook – please take a look! 

How much time will it normally take?

To get started we’ll arrange an ‘onboarding’ meeting to talk through the role and set up, which can be remote or in person. The commitment is roughly 3½ hours for each Assembly you volunteer at: arrive at Backyard Comedy Club with the band to begin set up at roughly 9.30am, and help to pack down equipment in order to leave the hall by 1pm at the latest. If you’d like additional training or support, we can plan that too!

What should I be able to do?

Ideally, you already have at least basic experience of sound mixing and lighting at live events, and how to operate and store the equipment.

We are happy to support you if you’re keen to learn!

What will I learn?

You will gain experience of running the sound and lighting at a regular, live music and speaking event, with a variety of different instruments, plus get to know a lovely group of other volunteers. 

How do I apply for this role? 

Send an email to our Music Lead, Rob, at music@sundayassembly.com, to arrange an informal chat!