Date published: 30 August 2016 by Anna Jackson

I started my summer internship with Rainbow Trust as a part of my work placement module at Roehampton University and joined the charity as a Human Resources intern for their volunteering team. Before applying for the role at Rainbow Trust, I already knew that after graduation I’d like to work in the third sector - so I couldn’t wait to get started! It was also a great opportunity to get some work experience in my field of study.

I soon found out that Rainbow Trust’s employees are friendly and welcoming, which relieved some of the stress and made the internship enjoyable. As a part of the volunteering team I worked closely with the Volunteer Development Manager, who was a great mentor and always willing to help.

My day-to day duties were varied and consisted of admin work, such as using internal databases, responding to volunteers’ enquiries, requesting and processing references as well as advertising jobs on different online platforms and even creating posters. I was always given a lot of flexibility and also appreciated the trust in my ability. I even got to manage my own project which I really enjoyed, developing targeted recruitment strategies to cover some roles which the charity found challenging to find volunteers for in the past.

Over the course of my project I regularly liaised with my manager and always received great support and suggestions. I really hope my project, once up and running will help Rainbow Trust! It was also great to see how fantastic at talent management the Volunteer Development Manager is. Throughout my internship I had a constant feeling that I was being directed to my favourite areas of interest and was given the opportunity to use my creative skills.

Overall, I had a great time volunteering for Rainbow Trust over the summer. I consider the charity a great, unique organisation and I really admire what they do. The staff are truly passionate about working for a good cause, which shows every day and gives the place a unique atmosphere. Most importantly, volunteering here assured me that I’ll greatly enjoy working in the third sector in the future.