As a general volunteer, your role is to engage with friends who attend your Orange Sky shift. Depending on the type of shift you are rostered, you will assist with the operation of a van or pod including washing, shower operation and having non-judgemental, genuine conversations. To read the full list of responsibilities and expectations of a general volunteer, click here to access the role description.

All volunteers are required to complete an online training module which includes instructions for operating a laundry and/or shower shift, our COVID-19 operational requirements and a guide to safety and support on shift. Once completed, volunteers will undertake on-shift training with their team leader, to ensure that they feel confident on shift. All volunteers have access to our HQ Support Team during shift for any questions regarding the shift or general operation.

We ask our volunteers to make a six-month commitment on a regular shift either weekly or fortnightly. Our organisation seeks to positively connect communities through conversation and building relationships, so having consistent volunteers on shift is essential to the operation of our services.

We appreciate your interest in Orange Sky, however we are only able to accept volunteers over the age of 18. This is due to the environment in which we operate and our Public Liability Insurance requirements, which require you to be 18 years of age or over to volunteer with us. If you apply before you turn 18, we will send you a reminder that you are now eligible to volunteer with Orange Sky once you have turned 18 (and wish you a happy birthday – of course!).

Orange Sky has recently updated our COVID-19 Management Plan after extensive consultation with our volunteer community, which now means vaccinated volunteers may be prioritised in certain situations. For more information and to see how this policy applies to your local community, please review our COVID-19 FAQ’s here.

Shifts run for between two and four hours. The duration of a shift is dependent on a range of factors. To view shift times in your area please click here to visit our application page.

We require a minimum of three volunteers to be rostered onto the shift. 

Shift times can vary significantly, depending on the service provider’s operational hours and the availability of our vans. Our shifts start as early as 5:30AM or begin as late as 7:30PM. To view shift times in your area, click here to visit our application page.

The simple answer is: no. Any contracted Orange Sky volunteer who holds either a valid provisional or full driver’s licence and has completed an Orange Sky driver agreement form is able to drive our vans, which are all automatic! However, each shift only requires one volunteer to drive the van to and from the van base, so we do not require all volunteers to drive the van.

We would love to have our volunteers rostered on shift with friends and family members, however, we often only have limited spots available on teams and it can be difficult to accommodate these needs. You are likely to experience significantly longer wait times in being rostered to a team if you are volunteering as a group, but we will try to make this work where possible.

We appreciate you applying to volunteer with us! It is truly heart-warming to know we may have made a difference in your life and you would now like to give back, however, if you have accessed our service or another service, we are unable to progress your application further at this time. Our one year guideline is in place to avoid any conflict of interest between our volunteers, friends or service providers and has been established to ensure the boundaries around our service.

Each van has set locations and times in which it operates. We always partner with local service providers in areas with the highest need, and ensure that we set up at locations where our friends feel most comfortable. Click here to check out our locations page for more information on where we operate.

Yes! Orange Sky has a range of volunteering roles and opportunities and we encourage volunteers to pursue these positions.For more information, please contact us at volunteer@orangesky.org.nz

Unfortunately, there is not a simple answer for this one. The timeline for every applicant is dependent on location, availability and demand. While some regions are always looking for new volunteers, other areas will have a longer waitlist and volunteers may wait months to be placed on these busy shifts. Priority shifts are flagged in each service, which could fast track you to get onto shift. If you’re keen to get started sooner, we recommend selecting one of these priority shifts.