Ashleigh Key
Wombourne
Summary
I am an ambitious, confident and creative professional with an extensive and robust portfolio of working within Volunteering in the non-profit and healthcare sector. I have tangible and measurable experience in establishing structure and strategy, recruitment and training, and delivering an award winning voluntary service. I am a compassionate, yet decisive leader who is knowledgeable about volunteer services, operational needs and standard practices. I am dedicated to utilising my skills and experience to make a positive impact in my work, and I am ready to apply my 8 year background in voluntary services management to a new role and face exciting new challenges and experiences that enhance my personal and professional development.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
9
9
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Volunteer Development Lead
Sense
Birmingham / National
06.2025 - Current
- Proactively action Sense’s Volunteer Strategy, helping to ensure all activity aligns with our vision and mission and collaborating with key stakeholders across Sense.
- In-house expert for volunteer management, role development and scalable programmes, governance and compliance for safe volunteering across the organisation.
- Increase volunteer participation by developing inclusive, accessible, and meaningful opportunities that cater to diverse interests, skills, lifestyles and availability.
- Enhance the quality and impact of volunteering by establishing clear guidance on volunteer engagement and management for volunteer managers on a national scale.
- Design and deliver Volunteer Management workshops to help equip volunteer managers across the organisation with best practice tools, and strategies to enhance the volunteer experience and retain volunteers.
- Develop innovative and new volunteering models, including micro-volunteering to further enhance our work.
- Create and develop innovative initiatives to improve volunteer experience and engagement and developing communication channels and support for managers.
- Design volunteer engagement initiatives that fosters co-production and co-design, highlighting that volunteers are experts by experience for continuous improvement.
- Design and deliver training and resources to help managers engage with volunteers, enhance their experience, and thrive in their role.
- Promote inclusive volunteering opportunities by identifying and removing barriers to participation, ensuring that everyone, including people with complex disabilities, can contribute meaningfully.
- Collaborate internally with our Corporate Partnerships team supporting with the development of volunteering opportunities to strengthen corporate and community partnerships.
- Build connections with volunteer centres, universities and other charities to enhance Sense’s volunteer network and extend opportunities.
- Collaborate to maintain and continuously improve best practice policies in safeguarding, risk management, and volunteer engagement to ensure safe, inclusive and supportive environment for all volunteers.
- Facilitate volunteer recognition initiatives that celebrate contributions, foster a sense of appreciation, and enhance retention.
- Actively represent Sense externally in volunteer sector networks, partnerships, and at relevant events. Currently supporting Volunteero by co-hosting volunteer networking meetings across Birmingham and London, as well as attending wider volunteering networking events.
Volunteer Services Coordinator
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
Wolverhampton
07.2022 - 06.2025
- Voluntary Services design, delivery and strategic lead for a large acute NHS Trust, covering three Hospital sites and over 20 primary care community locations. Partnering with Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, working collaboratively to share expertise and best practice to support volunteer service delivery across two Trusts.
- Leadership and supervisory responsibility for 2 junior administration staff conducting PDP's and 1:1's and effectively managing staff and volunteers' performance, motivation, and issues, including resolution and escalation of complaints, concerns and compliments in line with Trust policies.
- To design, assess, review, and implement current Trust processes, policies and resources for volunteers to ensure safety and governance, as well as ensure volunteering is attractive and accessible to all current and prospective volunteers.
- Recruitment of volunteers in line with NHS Employee and Regulations Standards. Ensuring there are robust recruitment and induction processes with on-going evaluation to ensure volunteering is as inclusive and as accessible as possible.
- Ensuring staff and volunteers are trained in line with Trust policy and compliance is monitored regularly, and that they have comprehensive resources and level of support in order to achieve their role.
- To be the visible and accessible point of contact for the Trust, designing and offering training programmes, resources, and advice and guidance to teams supervising and supporting volunteers in their roles.
- Ensuring effective support systems are in place and that volunteers feel supported, stay within their role remit, and have a positive experience.
- Volunteer project lead, reviewing existing initiatives and identifying and developing new projects which will further enhance patient experience, working closely with department managers to identify new services, including the production of business cases and proposals.
- Provide reports at key milestones and evaluations of the voluntary service as required. Reporting for a variety of key internal and external stakeholders including senior leadership team, and to NHS England, to demonstrate the impact of the volunteer service on the patient experience and the community.
- Analysing data to highlight areas of high impact as well as improvement and develop strategic action plans for these areas.
- Maintain and further develop relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including the Integrated Care Board, educational providers, local voluntary sectors, and national networks such as NHS Cadets, Helpforce and NHS England to ensure the continued development and improvement of an innovative service and standardisation of practice.
- Identify innovative methods, digitally and non-digitally, of engaging with volunteers, staff and patients to capture their feedback and lead on the collation and dissemination of results.
- Ensuring retention of volunteers through providing reward and recognition initiatives and engaging learning and development opportunities such as in-house certificate programmes and paid progression.
- Facilitate the sharing of best practice internally and across the wider NHS and undertaking site visits where beneficial.
- Strong experience using a volunteer management system and utilising wide range of functions.
- Flexibly working outside of working hours.
Vocational Specialist
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
01.2022 - 07.2022
- National Lottery and European Social Funded programme called Building Better Opportunities (BBO) within Employment Services.
- Managed a caseload of service users experiencing poor mental health and diagnosed mental heath conditions, ranging in severity.
- Carried out a vocational assessments, to identify vocational needs and develop action plans in agreement with the individual.
- Prioritised community engagement and networking to promote the service, increasing accessibility for referrals.
- Liaised and arranged meetings with health professionals, partner agencies, and/or employers concerning the individual's needs, to develop joint working that will enhance service delivery and increase opportunities for individuals.
- Delivered training and workshops (as required) to service users on job applications, CV writing and interview skills to increase their chances of moving into employment.
- Understanding the importance the complex barriers of this service user group, organisation's safeguarding procedures and maintaining strict professional boundaries with vulnerable service users.
Progressions Coordinator
Street League Birmingham
06.2021 - 01.2022
- Project Lead for the Stand Out Project, a National Lottery funded project led by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC).
- Working with young individuals from disadvantaged communities with a variety of socio-economical barriers and complex needs.
- Overall accountability for caseload's progression into employment, education, training or volunteering.
- Delivery of an employability programme service, adapted to young people, and workshops including job searching strategies/applications, interview techniques etc.
- Adhering to precise reporting requirements via weekly reporting and monthly reviews against KPI's for recruitment and outcomes requested from WMCA and OC.
Volunteer Coordinator/Volunteer and Supporter Engagement
Birmingham St Mary's Hospice
11.2018 - 06.2021
- Line managing responsibilities for the organisation's fundraising volunteers, ensuring the retention of core voluntary roles, and providing quarterly 1:1's, team meetings and training in line with policy.
- Ensuring annual targets are met by managing 5 different income streams and developing, proposing and implementing tactical plans to develop these.
- Developing and implementing large-scale volunteer recruitment campaigns to increase volunteer opportunities and voluntary income across the Income Generation team.
- Created volunteer strategic plans for re-engagement, recruitment and retention and Project Lead for the Hospice's largest annual Volunteer-lead campaign, Big Brum Bucket.
- Managed projects and design briefs, tactical plans, budgets, feasibility, risk assessments and marketing strategies.
- Designed recruitment strategies and a wide range of promotional resources, training programmes and volunteer-led fundraising initiatives to engage public and key business partners.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Psychology
Bath Spa University
Bath 09.2015 - 06.2018
A-Levels -
Halesowen College
09.2012 - 06.2014
GCSEs -
Dormston High School
09.2007 - 07.2012
Skills
- Level 3 Team Leader/ Supervisor Apprenticeship - CMI Accredited 2024
- Quality, Service Improvement and Redesign Practitioner (QSIR-P) Qualification
- Mental Health First Aider (MHFA England) 2024
- Freedom to Speak Up Champion
- British Sign Language Level 1
- Volunteer Operations Management
- Project and Campaigns Management
- Key Stakeholder Management
- Negotiation and Influencing
- Public Speaking and Presentations
- Team Leadership and Coaching
- Recruitment and Training Policies
- Creativity and Innovation in Design and Marketing
- Organisation and Prioritisation
- Youth Project Management and Youth Work
Accomplishments
Kings Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS): 2024 recipient of the highest award for Voluntary Services in the country under my leadership, equivalent to an MBE.
The Royal Awards 2023: 'Rising Star Award' Winner for my commitment and dedication to improving and developing the Voluntary Services, showing high impact and supporting organisational objectives.
Helpforce Champions Awards 2023: I personally wrote and submitted 3 shortlisted nominations in which all 3 won at these National awards. Awards included Volunteer of the Year, Staff Champion, and Celebrating Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for improvements made to recruitment processes and role placements - volunteering is and should be for all.
Kilimanjaro Summit 2018: As team Leader for my university, I successfully supported my team reach their fundraising targets, and achieve the summit of the highest freestanding mountain in the World for the Dig Deep charity.
Sri Lanka Mental Health Placement 2017: A 5 week placement, designing and delivering therapeutic activities to aid sensory and cognitive stimulation for service users with complex needs.
Affiliations
- As a member of the Association of Volunteer Managers (AVM), I also volunteer for the AVM Conference Planning Group (CPG) and support the AVM Events Planning Group. I take an active part in sharing ideas for speakers and workshops, liaising with and supporting facilitators/speakers/panellists, gathering and curating information and supporting event promotion and delivery. I enjoy sharing best practice whilst remaining open-minded and welcoming of new ideas and learning.
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Volunteer Development Lead
Sense
06.2025 - Current
Volunteer Services Coordinator
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
07.2022 - 06.2025
Vocational Specialist
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
01.2022 - 07.2022
Progressions Coordinator
Street League Birmingham
06.2021 - 01.2022
Volunteer Coordinator/Volunteer and Supporter Engagement
Birmingham St Mary's Hospice
11.2018 - 06.2021
Bachelor of Science - Psychology
Bath Spa University
09.2015 - 06.2018
A-Levels -
Halesowen College
09.2012 - 06.2014
GCSEs -
Dormston High School
09.2007 - 07.2012