Thinking about joining us?

The SSAFA Forces Help In-Service Committee Catterick Garrison is always keen to welcome new members. 

As members of the Committee you would be involved in co-ordinating and organising the fundraising and awareness work we do, plus take part when we consider applications for practical assistance and bids for financial aid or grants.

Who can be a Member?

Anyone can become a Member of the Committee but do bear in mind that we always look for people who can be actively involved in our work, and have enough time to take on the responsibilities that come with membership.  If you have the time and the energy to give to us then read on.  

If you have only limited time due to other commitments (family, job etc.) but would still like to help us in our work, perhaps you could consider becoming an active Support Volunteer or an Admin Volunteer where the time you would need to give would be more flexible and fit in with your schedule more easily.

How much time will I need to give?

The Committee Members meet regularly to plan and organise fund raising events, design and manage PR and Awareness campaigns and to consider applications for assistance.  Generally meetings are held once every 4-6 weeks (depending on how busy we are) and will take about 2 hours of your time.  Meetings are usually held on weekday mornings.

Outside of Committee meetings Members also spend time working on specific projects, awareness and PR initiatives and fundraising events.  Often these events are co-ordinated by sub-committees which also hold their own planning meetings in the run up to the event specifically to deal with the organisation and promotion of each event.  It is harder to estimate how much time this takes since each event is unique - but it is not unusual for a member to spend around 4-5 hours a week working on different aspects of these events.

Members are also encouraged to spend time generally promoting the work of SSAFA Forces Help within the Garrison.  This could take the form of attending other meetings run by other welfare and support organisations, or attending Garrison Committee Meetings and other similar groups.

So, in essence, a Member would generally be expected to give between 1 - 10 hours per week to their role. 

What skills do I need?

Our Committee Members generally bring a wide range of skills to the table.  We have members who have PR experience, or a financial background - and we also have Members who have social or healthcare experience.  You may have experience in administration and organisation, or skills in IT or design and communications.  What is certain is that all our Members are good organisers and are able to "make things happen". 

Additionally, because as a Member you will be asked to review and vote on applications for financial assistance, we expect that you will have a balanced and non-judgemental view.  We also do require you to be discrete and observe our strict rules on confidentiality.

If you are not sure whether you have the right skill set then why not contact us and talk it over? 

What role would I play? 

The Committee is made up of a number of different roles.  These are as follows:

• Chair
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Publicity and Awareness Officer
• Fundraising Officer
• Member

To begin with most people join as a Member.  Then, over time and as people move on and leave the Garrison, you may wish to take on one of the Officer roles, or become Committee Secretary or Treasurer, as these posts become vacant.  

Also, as mentioned above, we often set up sub-committees to run individual events or promotions.  You may feel you can volunteer to act as a member on one of these committees too, or take a specific role such as Chair of the sub-committee.

I'm still interested - so what do I do next?

To chat to us more about joining the Committee as a Member please contact Mike Kerr, Chair of SSAFA Forces Help on 01748 830771.  Visit our Contact Us page for details of email addresses and other contact numbers.