Volunteer

What we need ...

Thank you very much for your interest in volunteering with Autism Bucks.

Autism Bucks is a small, volunteer-run charity with no office or staff team.   We currently support around 380 members across Buckinghamshire – about two-thirds are autistic adults, and the remainder are parents or carers.   Our main purpose is to create autism-friendly environments where members can meet, share experiences, listen to guest speakers, or simply enjoy social time together.

One of our regular activities is a monthly face-to-face meeting in Aylesbury, held on the 4th Wednesday of each month (usually with 20–30 people attending).   We are looking for volunteers who can:

  • Welcome members as they arrive and help newcomers who may feel especially anxious
  • Chat with members who are sitting alone, encouraging inclusion
  • Make tea, offer around snacks, and help create a friendly atmosphere
  • Assist with setting up the room beforehand and clearing up afterwards

In addition to our monthly meetings, we also organise ad hoc social events such as farm or museum visits, boat trips, bowling or go-karting.   Volunteers play an important role at these too, helping members feel supported and ensuring events run smoothly.

If this sounds like the kind of role you’d enjoy, please complete this form.   We can then arrange a short call to get to know you better and answer any questions you might have.

Thank you again for considering supporting our work – volunteers like you make a real difference to our community.

Skills, Experience & Characteristics

  • Reliable
  • Ready to give up their time without recompense
  • Empathetic, with a reasonable understanding of Autism and Autistic People
  • Willing to transport themselves to wherever their role requires them to be
  • Willing to undergo a DBS check and provide references
  • Willing to participate in an appropriate form of induction
  • Over 16, other than exceptional circumstances.

The following would be of interest but are not essential for a volunteer:

  • A background in healthcare and support, especially neurodiversity
  • Special skills or interests that could be shared with the Members.

A Volunteer should have no expectation that a voluntary role will lead to employment with the Charity.

Equal Opportunities and Diversity

Autism Bucks is committed to promoting equal opportunities. Volunteering opportunities are open to all regardless of age, race, disability, ethnic origin, gender, marital status, nationality, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity.

Autism Bucks recognises the positive benefits a diverse Volunteer pool can bring to the organisation and is committed to ensuring our recruitment and selection procedure reflects this.

To discuss volunteering opportunties, please complete this form:

Privacy Policy

Volunteer Commitment

It is acknowledged that Volunteers give of their time freely and are under no contractual commitment to Autism Bucks. However, as a minimum, we expect the following from our Volunteers:

  • To behave in a manner which reflects positively on the organisation and to promote the key organisational messages where possible.
  • To execute agreed duties, unless otherwise informed, and requests that Volunteers carry out in the name of Autism Bucks only those tasks approved by supervising staff.
  • To be supportive of other Volunteers and of Autism Bucks’s ethos and aims.
  • We request that all Volunteers volunteering on a regular basis give four weeks’ notice if they are considering leaving their volunteering role.
  • We also ask that Volunteers attending events (e.g., group meetings) give at least one week’s notice if they are unable to attend a scheduled event.

Disabled Volunteers

Autism Bucks encourages disabled people to volunteer. All the venues used are fully accessible. We ask, where possible, for Volunteers to bring their own carers and support workers if required, as we have a limited budget for volunteer expenses. The carer or support worker would need to provide a recent criminal record disclosure certificate prior to attending an event organised by Autism Bucks.