Finchley Road Shop Volunteers

ST. JOHN’S HOSPICE
Finchley Road Shop Volunteers


Background
St John’s Hospice provides free care and support for people living with a long term illness in Central and North West London. We meet the needs of patients through our inpatient unit, day centre, Hospice at Home team and community care services. To run all these services each year the Hospice must raise over £5 million – with £1.8 million

The Hospice Shop is a vital source of income for the Hospice with thousands of pounds raised from the sale of items each month. The shop accepts donations from the public of clothes, shoes, accessories, books, DVD’s and household items. It can even take damaged or old items for re-cycling.

The shop is open 10am – 6pm Monday to Saturday. There is 1 shop manager and every other staff member is a volunteer.


MAIN DUTIES
The role of the volunteer is to support the manager in the successful running of the Hospice Shop.

Volunteers play a vital role in ensuring supporters are cared for when donating items, customers receive excellent service and the shop generates maximum revenue for the Hospice.

Key Responsibilities:

o Welcoming customers into the shop in a friendly and polite manner o Accepting donations from the public
o Sorting donations and deciding which items can be sold and which can be recycled o Steaming and hanging clothes ready for display o Pricing items in accordance with quality, brand and season
o Answering telephone enquiries in a timely, polite and professional manner o Operating the till and completing sales o Assisting customers and up selling items o Rotating stock and re-stocking the shop floor o Co-ordinating sales and re-pricing items
o Ensuring the shop floor, displays and stock room remain clean and tidy












ST. JOHN’S HOSPICE
Finchley Road Shop Volunteers

Person Specification
The following skills are essential:

o Be able to initiate conversation with customers o Be able to create a welcoming atmosphere o Possess strong interpersonal and communication skills o Have a friendly demeanor and confident appearance o Be presentable regarding dress code (casual smart) o Be able to cope in a busy environment o Enjoy meeting and dealing with a variety of people o Be self motivated and enthusiastic o Be able to work effectively in a team
o Be able to offer specific skills and abilities such as customer service, fashion knowledge o Practical ability to work in a shop o Ability to recognise the importance of establishing a good rapport with staff o Ability to maintain regular clear communication with the Community & Volunteering team.

OTHER INFORMATION
Confidentiality
The post holder must maintain the confidentiality of information about patients, staff and other health service business in accordance with the draft Code of Confidentiality and the Data Protection Act (1998).

Health and Safety
Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed on them under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), to ensure that the agreed safety procedures are carried out to maintain a safe environment for employees and visitors.

Commitment
Ideally we would like Shop Volunteers to work 1 shift a week for a minimum of 1 year.
This is to ensure that the time and resources invested into volunteers have a positive and sustained impact on our beneficiaries and support the needs of our organisations. Equally we want our volunteers to have a fulfilling experience and get the most out of their time volunteering with us.

There are two main shifts to choose from as a shop volunteer:
Morning, 10am – 2pm
Afternoon, 2pm – 6pm


If you would like any further information please do not hesitate to contact: Danielle Green, Community Volunteer Executive volunteers@hje.org.uk