Gloriana Guillen, shop volunteer (31)
After finishing a Masters' in the management of NGOs at LSE, I started working as an intern for the Volunteering Team at Oxfam’s headquarters in Oxford. I spent a lot of time liasing with people who wanted to volunteer for Oxfam, many of whom were keen to help in the shops. Motivated by the experiences of existing shop volunteers I offered to give time in one of the shops over Christmas, when I figured they’d need me most!
I couldn’t spare much time, but fortunately the shop managers are very flexible about when you work – so I agreed to do a day every other weekend. A lot of the time I was on the till, but I also helped to make the store layout as eye-catching as possible. Every now and again the manager asked me to dress up the mannequins, which was my chance to come up with an impromptu seasonal look!
There’s a great atmosphere in the shops, and you get to meet loads of people with an interest in what Oxfam are doing, all the while building up useful skills like customer relations, teamwork and numeracy. It’s encouraging to see people’s support of Oxfam on a daily basis, get their feedback on the shop and see the funds the shops generate.
On a personal note, volunteering in the shop has really helped in my new job as human resources administrator in Oxfam’s Trading Division. I now provide administrative support to the countrywide network of Oxfam shops, and help to process recruitment of their staff. Thanks to my volunteering, I understand better the link between the offices and the shops, and came to my new job with an appreciation of what the shop staff do and how they need my support.
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