Community & Volunteer Manager

Job Title: Community & Volunteer Manager

Department/Team: Fundraising & Communications

Location: Hybrid — minimum two days per week at head office (Cork), with significant travel nationally Employment Type: Full time permanent

Reports To: Head of Fundraising & Communications

Salary: €38,000 – €42,000 (depending on experience)

Working Hours: 39 hours per week, with regular evening and weekend work around events

The Community & Volunteer Manager owns AADI's national community and volunteer calendar. The purpose of the role is to replace a reactive year with a planned one: a single annual plan, built around 8 to 12 monthly core initiatives, that every branch, volunteer and school is working to at the same time.

Within that calendar, the postholder delivers 2 to 4 national bucket collection moments, two dedicated schools fundraising months, and a programme of volunteer-led local events. They are responsible for the four regional branches — Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dublin — and for building these from goodwill into structured groups capable of raising money to plan.

This is a hands-on, road-based role for someone who is energised by events and by people, and who can hold the national picture in their head while also organising a bucket collection in a shopping centre on a Saturday morning. The measure of success is twofold: income from the community channel, and a calendar that is set in advance and runs without structure.

Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland trains and places assistance dogs with autistic children aged 4 to 12, and runs a schools programme that puts support dogs into classrooms around the country. Each dog takes two years to train, and some are trained for tethering, which allows a parent to safely bring a child who is a flight risk out into the world. We receive between 1,200 and 1,400 applications every January and place 30 to 40 dogs a year, so how much we raise directly determines how many families we reach. We are a team of 18 based in Cork, supported by a large national volunteer base — and that volunteer network is both how we raise the money and how AADI is known and trusted in towns across Ireland.

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Building and owning AADI's annual community and volunteer plan — a published 12-month calendar of 8 to 12 core initiatives, each with a lead, a budget, a target and a materials deadline.
• Sequencing the calendar so that branches, schools and volunteer-led events do not compete with each other or with national campaigns.
• Running a single monthly cycle of planning, briefing and review across all four branches, so that volunteers know what is coming and when.
• Holding the national overview: tracking what is committed, what is at risk and what needs rescheduling, and escalating early.

• Planning and delivering 2 to 4 national bucket collection moments each year, including permit applications, site booking, rota building, volunteer briefings, cash handling and reconciliation.
• Recruiting and rostering collection volunteers to a target headcount per site, with contingency cover.
• Reporting on income per site, per hour and per volunteer, and using that to choose sites the following year.

• Working with the Schools Support team to deliver two dedicated schools fundraising months each year, with a ready-made challenge, materials pack and sign-up route.
• Recruiting schools to participate, supporting teachers through delivery, and ensuring every participating school is thanked and reported back to.
• Building the schools proposition so it can be run again each year with minimal rebuilding.

• Growing income from individuals, groups, schools, clubs and local businesses through both AADI-led and volunteer-led activity.
• Identifying and supporting third-party fundraisers, with excellent stewardship from first contact to final thank you.
• Developing fundraising toolkits, materials and how-to resources that let volunteers and supporters raise money independently.
• Supporting volunteers to deliver local events — coffee mornings, walks, raffles, school challenges, church gate and store collections.
• Representing AADI at local events, cheque presentations and community functions.
• Working with the Communications team to promote opportunities in advance and results afterwards.

• Running clear onboarding, support and offboarding processes so that volunteers know their role, feel supported and leave well.
• Recruiting a diverse pool of volunteers, with deliberate attention to those with leadership and fundraising potential.
• Delivering training in event delivery, fundraising basics, cash handling and local leadership.
• Co-ordinating recognition and appreciation activity, including an annual volunteer recognition moment.
• Building a culture in which volunteers take ownership of local activity rather than waiting to be asked.

• Building the capacity of the four regional branches: Cork (South/Southeast), Limerick (South/Southwest), Galway (West/North) and Dublin (East).
• Establishing a consistent operating standard for each branch — named roles, a meeting rhythm, an annual activity plan and an income target.
• Identifying and developing local champions who can lead activity between visits.

• Maintaining accurate records of volunteers, activities, hours and income in AADI's CRM and volunteer management systems.
• Tracking performance against clear metrics: volunteers recruited and retained, events delivered, income raised, cost to raise, and income per volunteer.
• Reporting monthly to the Head of Fundraising & Communications, and preparing community channel content for board reporting.
• Keeping volunteers informed with regular updates on AADI's work, goals and achievements.

• 2+ years' experience in community fundraising, volunteer management, events or a comparable co-ordination role.
• Demonstrable experience planning and delivering events to a calendar, including at least one multi-site or national-scale activity.
• Experience recruiting, training and supporting volunteers.
• Experience working to an income target would be a distinct advantage.

• Strong people and interpersonal skills — able to build rapport quickly with volunteers, teachers, local businesses and families.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills, with the discipline to work to a calendar set months in advance.
• Comfortable with numbers: setting targets, tracking income and cost, and reporting honestly on both.
• Good IT skills, with working knowledge of Google Workspace (Drive, Calendar, Meet, Docs, Sheets), WhatsApp, and CRM or volunteer management systems.
• Working knowledge of the practicalities of Irish community fundraising — collection permits, cash handling and the Charities Regulator's fundraising guidelines — or the ability to learn these quickly.
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt dynamically when an event or a volunteer falls through.

• A full, clean driving licence and access to a car (essential).
• A relevant qualification in fundraising, marketing, events, community development or business would be advantageous.
• Willingness to undergo Garda vetting.

The successful candidate will be:

• Friendly and outgoing, and genuinely energised by meeting people and being at events.
• Impeccably organised, with strong planning skills and keen attention to detail.
• Able to hold the national picture while delivering the local detail.
• Sound in judgement and decision-making, and comfortable saying no to activity that does not fit the plan.
• Solution-focused, with the ability to think outside the box.
• Skilled at prioritising work and managing time effectively.
• Comfortable working both independently and as part of a team.
• Happy to spend significant time on the road, with regular evening and weekend work.

Internal: Head of Fundraising & Communications, CEO, Fundraising department personnel, Communications team, Schools Support team, Puppy Programme team, Finance.

External: Volunteers and branch members, prospective volunteers, schools and teachers, local clubs and societies, local businesses and store managers, third-party fundraisers, local authorities and An Garda Síochána (collection permits), and members of the general public.

Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and experiences.

AADI is a growing national charity focused on training and placing Assistance and School Support Dogs to make a positive difference to the lives of children and families. Our community and volunteer network is central to that work — it raises the funds that place dogs with families, and it is how AADI is known and trusted in towns across Ireland. This is a new chapter for that network, and the postholder will shape it.

Please email your CV and cover letter to Tom Cotter, Head of Fundraising & Communications, at tom@aadi.ie.

Closing date for applications: Friday, 27 November 2026.