Volunteer with Us
Get involved and support your local community.2024 - 2025 Statistics
Total Years of Volunteering
Hours Volunteered
Enquiries
Why Volunteer at CABB
In the last year (2024), Citizens Advice Bury & Bolton has helped 16,745 people with 55,671 problems, including debt advice, housing, benefits and energy issues. This is a 5% increase on the previous 12 months. It can only do this work thanks to its team of staff and trained volunteers.
Our volunteers come from all walks of life and choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. They include students; people getting back into work after career breaks; people with part-time jobs; carers; and people who’ve retired.
Volunteers are often looking to gain valuable experience or to use their existing skills in new ways. Many want to have an impact in their community and find a sense of purpose in helping others. Our volunteers have access to a range of training and development opportunities that can support future progression.
Research by national Citizens Advice found that 9 in 10 volunteers say that volunteering at Citizens Advice services across England and Wales have given them a sense of purpose while 42% say their confidence and mental health is boosted, and the value of its volunteers equated to £100 million in the last year. This includes the value of volunteering hours as well as the wider positive impact volunteering has on the economy and the NHS.
What Do Our Volunteers Do?
Our diverse volunteering team support the organisation in a number of ways. We have volunteers who deliver generalist advice on our telephone advice systems, volunteers who meet & greet clients in our face to face advice centres, and volunteers who support our research & campaigns and communication functions.
Here are some examples of cases that our volunteers have supported clients with;
What Do We Expect From Volunteers?
All volunteers have access to training, development and support throughout their volunteering journey.
There is mandatory training required for all roles, and the level of further learning will depend on the area which you’ll be volunteering in. To become an advice volunteer, there is extensive training which takes approximately 6 months to complete.
Due to the training commitments, we do ask that our advice and client facing volunteers are able to commit to at least 2 volunteering sessions per month and can volunteer with us for at least 6 months post training.
However, we do not want to create barriers to volunteering and appreciate that not all volunteers are able to offer this time commitment. Our non-advice related opportunities have less training and time commitments required.
Full details of training requirements and time commitments will be available within the role descriptions.
Hear from Our Volunteers
Don’t just take our word for the impact volunteering has. Here are some recent comments our volunteers shared during Volunteers Week 2025.
Register Your Interest To Become a Volunteer
To register your interest to become a volunteer with us, please follow the link below to our National Volunteering website where you can find out more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to some of the frequently asked questions we get about volunteering with CABB.
What is involved with Citizens Advice Bury and Bolton?
Our volunteers come from all walks of life and choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. They include students; people getting back into work after career breaks; people with part-time jobs; carers; and people who’ve retired.
Volunteers can support by delivering generalist advice, greeting clients at our drop-in sessions, supporting community outreach events and back office roles such as research & campaigns and media.
What roles are available?
Any available roles will be advertised on the volunteering page.
If there are no roles advertised, it means that we are currently not recruiting, however at this point we accept expressions of interest and will contact potential volunteers once opportunities become available.
What age restrictions are there on volunteering?
The minimum age for a Citizens Advice volunteer is 18. There is no upper age limit for volunteers.
Do I need experience in advice and information?
No, not at all. Being the right type of person is all that matters to us. We are looking for ordinary, approachable and friendly people who are non-judgemental and are empathetic to the needs and issues of our clients. You will receive full training when you join as a volunteer.
What training will I complete?
Our training will differ dependant on the volunteering role you are selected for. There is online training modules, shadowing, and further advice training. This will take (dependant on your commitment) anything from 5-12 weeks. Details of the training will be included in each role description.
When can I volunteer?
You can volunteer when our offices/phone lines are open – Monday to Friday 9.30am-3.30pm
Where can I volunteer?
We have offices in both Bury & Bolton where you can volunteer.
How often do I need to volunteer?
For our advice/client facing volunteers we do ask for a time commitment of at least 1 session (4-6hrs) every other week.
If you are volunteering in a non-client facing role, this will differ dependant on the role. There may be occasions where we offer short-term opportunities for projects etc. Time commitments will be stated within the role descriptions.
Do you provide work experience/student placements?
Due to insurance, we are unable to offer work experience for under 18s. If you are looking for a student placement for a social work, law or other undergraduate degree, please email us directly on volunteers@cabb.org.uk
I’m on benefits, can I volunteer?
You can volunteer while claiming benefits, as long as you keep to the conditions of the benefits you get. Check the rules about volunteering for the benefit you claim to make sure your benefits aren’t affected. Please see more information here.
How do I apply?
When there are vacancies available, a link to the application form will be within the role description. If you have completed the expression of interest, when opportunities become available we’ll send you the role description and link to the application form by email.
What happens when I apply?
We will be in touch within 10 working days once we have received your application.
We may then invite you to an informal meeting.
Do you need references?
Yes – if you are successful at interview we will ask you to provide contact details for 2 references (professional or personal) as part of our safer recruitment process. Please note that family members are not able to provide a reference.
Will I get my expenses paid?
We will reimburse reasonable travel to and from training sessions and travel to and from your volunteering location. We will chat to you further during the recruitment process about what expenses we can reimburse.
I have a disability, can I still apply?
Of course! Citizens Advice Bury & Bolton practices and promotes equality of opportunity in volunteering. That means we make sure that all potential volunteers, whatever they have to offer, will be welcomed. We strive to meet the additional needs of disabled staff, arising either directly or indirectly out of their volunteer work. Our aim is to enable all our volunteers to make their distinctive contribution to the benefit of our clients. If you have a disability that might prevent you from fully participating in our recruitment process, please let us know in your application and we will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments to ensure your comfort.
I have a criminal record, can I still apply?
For any roles (regardless of whether the role requires a DBS check), it is Citizens Advice policy not to recruit individuals who have an unspent conviction for a sexual offence against a vulnerable adult or child. This is the case regardless of when the offence took place.
For roles that require a standard or enhanced DBS check, it is our policy not to recruit individuals with a spent or unspent conviction for a sexual offence against a vulnerable adult or child.
If the role applied for does not require a DBS check, or only a basic DBS check, we will ask only about unspent convictions.