Volunteer Coordinator

TAG Lifts is a Community Car Scheme that has been in operation since August 2024, run entirely by volunteers. Our volunteer drivers provide door to door transport to residents of Trumpington and Grantchester who struggle to use public transport, and do not have use of a car. The main journey purpose is to enable people to attend medical appointments (including dentist, chiropodist, physiotherapist etc) but we also offer transport for other welfare reasons, including for example, counselling appointments, mental health support activities, and trips to the vet. These trips are organised by Coordinators and an Administrator who are also all volunteers. The scheme is supported by the Cambridgeshire Care Network and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

TAG Lifts Coordinator

ROLE DESCRIPTION

In this role, you will receive requests for lifts from our clients by email or phone and arrange volunteer drivers to give them lifts to health related appointments. You will work from home or wherever suits you, as long as you have access to your phone, email and the software we use for the scheme. The requests must be dealt with promptly so when on duty you will need to be able to check emails and messages regularly throughout the day. We are a team of five currently, so you will normally work one week in five.

We are available for requests from 10 am - 4 pm, Monday to Friday, although you may have to work outside these hours to deal with requests. Our Administrator and the software providers are available to provide help and back-up when needed.

You will receive full training before you start, including role playing calls and requests. 

It’s a satisfying role and our passengers and their families are very appreciative of the scheme. Although we may not meet our passengers, we get to know them, as there is often regular contact with many of them. For some of our passengers, a chat with a Coordinator is as important as arranging the lift! 

JOB DESCRIPTION

1.    Be available to the public 10-4 Monday to Friday one week in 5 to receive emails and phone calls requesting lifts

2.    Arrange lifts using VIA software, Gmail and phone

3.    Register new passengers on the system

4.    Troubleshoot on an ad hoc basis

5.    Be willing to work outside of the public hours to ensure all tasks are completed promptly

PERSON SPECIFICATION

1.    Ability to use basic software and email systems and use WhatsApp and Zoom apps

2.    Have your own smart phone and a suitable device for software use (laptop or computer)

3.    Good communication skills

4.    Ability to get along with a wide range of people

5.    Patience, a sympathetic manner and tenacity

6.    Efficient and organised

7.    Able to work as part of a team with the Administrator and other Coordinators

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The weeks on duty can be very varied, in terms of content and time spent. It may be a quiet week with just 3 or 4 lifts requested or it can be busy, with up to 20 requests and various glitches to be attended to – changes, errors, software problems, lost passengers, confused drivers etc. This means the time needed can vary between 3 hours to 15 hours over the week. It is important that the Coordinator can respond flexibly and on the hoof to this very unpredictable demand on time.

Coordinators use their own mobile phone to receive calls via a Virtual Landline system. Use of 141 for outgoing calls protects privacy. It is helpful for Coordinators to have our Gmail on their phones, to enable frequent checking in case of urgent business, even when not at base.

The rota runs over 5 weeks but at times, you may get a week on duty close to the previous week, if others are away on holiday or sick. So the pattern of work can only be predicted a few weeks ahead. The rota is usually prepared a month ahead and covers 15 weeks at a time.

As volunteers, we meet at our AGM and for a Christmas social, so you do get to meet some of our drivers. Coordinators meet monthly on Zoom and work closely as a team, using a WhatsApp Group for some day-to-day communications. Our Management Committee meets twice yearly and Coordinators are on this Committee.

For this role, a DBS check and two references will be required.

For more information and an application form, please contact the Administrator, Carol Holloway