Frequently asked questions about volunteering

Take a look at the 'Get involved' pages of the website which will direct you to further information on roles based on areas of interest.

Or get in touch with your local Regional Co-ordinator in England or contact in the relevant Nation. They will be able to discuss what you could get involved in locally. Find out more here.

There are a great variety of roles available at the RTPI, some of which need more of a time commitment than others. For example, in our byelaws it states that 50% of our standing committees must be made up of members of our general assembly. So, if you apply to join the general assembly you will also be asked to take on another role on one of our committees. This is likely to mean at least 10 days of volunteering a year.

You could get involved in a Nations Executive Committee or Regional Management Board or Activities Committee. This is about 4 or 5 days of volunteering a year. These enable you to get involved in your nation or region and as an RAC member you can focus on your areas of interest. It might be planning CPD events or being on an awards judging panel.

If you don't want to join a committee, or don't have the time, don't worry. You can get involved locally on a working group that interests you without having to be on the Regional Activities Committee. Each working group is chaired by someone on the RAC that can provide an update. Or, if you've even less time, take a look at the 'short on time' section on the 'what's right for me' page.

Are you wondering how you're going to fit volunteering in with your job? Joanne Harding, North West Volunteer shares her experience below,

“Currently, I work very flexibly, so I fit my volunteering around my work. In my previous employment I have done a mix of taking holidays, using flexi-hours and asking to attend RTPI events during working hours depending on what I think my employer will get out of it. For example, hosting, speaking or chairing a CPD event would normally be acceptable within a working day as it has benefits to my career and to my work for my employer. Whilst attending day time meetings might be something I would do in my own time, or shorter meetings might be something I would use flexi-hours for.”

Your employer might recognise volunteering as personal development and a CPD opportunity and are happy for you to manage your work time to fit it in. Alternatively, perhaps they have a policy on providing employee volunteering days that you could use, or you can make use of flexi time when needed. Find out more and get a downloadable leaflet with more information to share with your employer here.

We would recommend talking to your employer and promoting the benefits that both parties will gain. Your employer might recognise volunteering as personal development and a CPD opportunity or have a policy on providing employee volunteering days that you could use.

There is more information for employers on the Employer Benefits page. And the Volunteer Stories all highlight what people have gained from volunteering. 

People of all membership classes can volunteer with the RTPI. Take a look at the 'what's right for me' page which gives details of opportunities for people at different stages of their career. 

On the 'meet some RTPI volunteers' page, people talk about a wide variety of skills that they have gained from volunteering. Volunteers have told us that they have expanded their professional networks and had opportunities for professional development. All of which will help with securing employment. 

You will get the training and support required to undertake your role. All new volunteers are invited to attend an Introduction to RTPI and Volunteering session and we are currently developing our wider training offer for volunteers. There are also reference resources available on our website.

If any volunteer roles require this it will be made clear on the role description. However, there are not any roles that require this currently.

There is safeguarding guidance in place for the Ambassador role that give talks on planning to school pupils and students.

The Royal Town Planning Institute will reimburse expenses reasonably incurred by trustees, members, staff, and other volunteers carrying out Institute business, on a cost-effective basis. You can find further details, including how to claim on the resources section of the Volunteering pages here.