A woman and a man arrange a shelving display of shoes at our Hereford  charity shop

Volunteer in our charity shops

Our charity shops raise vital funds for sick, injured and homeless pets, and our volunteers are integral to helping us do this.

Helping out in our shops makes a real difference to vulnerable pets. You'll also get the chance to meet new people, make friends, and be part of an amazing team of volunteers.

It's also a great way of gaining experience in the retail sector and telling your community about the fantastic work that we do.

View our current roles

What to expect as a charity shop volunteer

Whether you want to be on the shop floor helping customers or in our stock room sorting through donated items, our shop might be the perfect volunteering opportunity for you. We'll also give you any guidance and training you might need.

If you’d like to help but you don’t have time to volunteer, we really appreciate any donations of clothing, accessories, books, household items, ornaments and toys.

Where is this role based?

We have more than 50 charity shops across the UK, and new roles are being added all the time. If there isn't a suitable role available at your local charity shop, keep checking the website as we regularly update it with new vacancies.

Find a role near you

What's the time commitment?

Ideally you'd volunteer for one shift a week, which is about four hours, but we can also be more flexible. The volunteer role advert will state whether we're looking for someone at a dedicated time or day each week.

As a volunteer, we pay for your expenses too.

About you

You'll need an interest in the shop and an enthusiasm for raising money through its work. You'll work well as part of a team and be able to provide a friendly, high-quality service to customers. Finally, you'll be willing to help with a range of tasks in the shop.

This role is available for those completing the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award and school or work experience. Look out for roles that include DofE or work experience in the role titles on our volunteer listings.

Retail Shop Assistant volunteer Taz poses for a photo in a charity shop.

Training

Training will be provided, and you’ll get lots of opportunities to share your skills and take on more responsibility.

Blue Cross has also partnered with Derby College to offer eligible retail volunteers chances to gain qualifications in customer service, retail and team leading. Taz has been volunteering with us since 2016 and has since completed her NVQ level one and two. Taz says:

“I’ve really enjoyed taking part and I would definitely recommend the course to others. Before, I didn’t know how to use a till and sort out money, but I know how to do this now.”

Taz, Charity Shop Volunteer