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Volunteer with us

If you have a passion for hill walking, mountaineering and climbing, or just love Scotland's mountains, and have some time available to get more involved in the work of  Mountaineering Scotland, please get in touch. 

On this page can be found any volunteer roles we are currently looking to recruit for but we would be happy to discuss your interests, experience and skills and try to match it to our needs.

Membership admin volunteer

Updated 4 July 2024

An exciting opportunity to support our head office team, learn new skills and gain experience of office work.

The volunteer will provide administrative support to the Mountaineering Scotland Membership and Communications Team. This role will be an integral part of the team and will support the delivery of member services and recruitment targets in support of Mountaineering Scotland strategy.

Tasks include:

  • Preparing membership packs and renewals letters for mailing
  • Preparing club and partner packs for mailing
  • Responding to requests for leaflet/posters/literature
  • Basic membership database tasks /data entry
  • Using franking machine
  • Prepare mailings for other Mountaineering Scotland purposes
  • Fulfilling online shop orders and monitoring stock levels
  • Take post to the post office
  • Taking phone/email enquiries

We are looking for someone who is:

  • Enthusiastic, organised and able to work on own initiative
  • Computer/IT skills – MS office (word and excel), Outlook and willingness to learn new packages
  • Good verbal and written communication skills (for dealing with enquiries)
  • Attention to accuracy and detail
  • Enjoys working as part of a team.

Time commitment

Minimum of 3 hours/week on a regular weekday as agreed during office hours (9am – 5pm Monday to Friday). This is an unpaid voluntary position, however reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.

 Support and training

The volunteer will work under the supervision of the Member Services & Communications Manager and Membership & Events Officer.

The volunteer is expected to understand, and where appropriate, apply the policies and procedures contained in the Mountaineering Scotland Company Manual. Mountaineering Scotland supports the training and development of volunteers and will provide opportunities for skills development and training appropriate to the role.


How to apply

Please email Helen Gestwicki (Member Services & Communications Manager) with your contact details, availability, relevant experience and why you are interested in the role. If you have a current CV please include this, however this is not essential.

Suitable applicants will be invited for an informal meeting and we will ask you to supply two character references. A Disclosure Scotland check may be required depending on the agreed tasks.


Climbing Development Group

At the end of 2023, Mountaineering Scotland announced the creation of a Climbing Development Group (CDG), launching in Spring 2024. The new group will have a focus on supporting Scotland’s climbing community by providing a national forum for discussion and debate which will support and influence the work of Mountaineering Scotland and our partner organisations.


Mountaineering Scotland is currently looking for applicants to take on voluntary roles to set up the CDG. Click on a link below to find out more about each role: 

Candidates who wish to put their name forward for any of the above roles are asked to provide a brief summary of their experience in an organisational context and their interests in mountaineering/outdoor/sporting activities, together with a personal statement as to how they feel they could contribute to the work of the Climbing Development Group. Please email info@mountaineering.scot 


Landscape, planning and access

We monitor and review major planning applications and act upon major access matters but don't have the resources to know about everything which might impact on Scotland's mountains and mountain goers.

We are grateful to our members for being our eyes and ears when it comes to reporting access issues, informing us of unsuitable planning proposals or poorly-built hill tracks, and updating us on the status of birds nests on and around climbing crags.

If you would like to help us monitor planning or access issues for a particular region or have other expertise in this area we could benefot from, please get in touch.

>Contact us at info@mountaineering.scot to find out more

Event volunteers

We are looking for outgoing, friendly and reliable individuals to represent Mountaineering Scotland, raise awareness and sign up new members at events including mountain film festivals, talks, winter safety lectures, outdoor shows and in retail stores. 

If you are able to commit to 3-4 hours at weekends or weekday evenings and would like to get more involved in supporting us, we would love to hear from you. Training and ongoing support will be provided.



Climbing comps and youth-focused climbing clubs
 

If you are a keen climber, climbing spectator, retired climber or parent of a climber, you might be interested in volunteering to help out at our climbing competitions and youth-focused climbing clubs.

We organise a calendar of climbing competitions (youth, adult and paraclimbing) each year. With over 100 competitors at some comps, we rely on volunteers to assist with a wide range of tasks, from welcome desk to judging to belaying.

We also work with youth climbing clubs in every region of Scotland, helping to give young people the opportunity to develop their indoor and outdoor climbing skills. Again, adult involvement is vital and we offer training and coaching to our volunteers.

> Visit our website or contact our ClimbScotland team to find out more 

Office support


Staff in our busy Perth office would welcome some volunteer support with a variety of member services and communications activity, including admin, marketing, website and research tasks. 

This could be an interesting role for someone who would like to gain skills and experience in customer services or PR or would like to give something back and offer us their time, knowledge and expertise. 

Contact us at info@mountaineering.scot to find out more