Our help centre is home to FAQs and top tips for organising and promoting your events, managing your finances, and generally getting the most from being a BCS volunteer!
Learn about group websites, governance, and other key activities
Take up a role on one of our strategic boards or committees and help steer the Institute’s direction — browse the volunteer roles
Check in with your fellow volunteers to share ideas and experiences, or to ask for advice — join the conversation
It’s a great way to connect with people outside of your day-to-day and make a real difference — discover volunteering at BCS
Get the full BCS experience by becoming a member and tapping into exclusive CPD resources and professional recognition tools.
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Our first ever BCS community impact report celebrates the amazing achievements of our volunteer community.
Read the report
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There are events and activities taking place throughout the BCS year - for all dates, on our BCS events calendar.
BCS events calendar
The BCS Community team is the main point of contact for our volunteers, supporting activities across the BCS member group network of branches, specialist groups and international sections. The team also provides secretariat support to the Community Board and its committees, and the BCS Faculty of Health and Care.
Watch: How the Community team works with you
Meet Kerry, one of our coordinators:
The coordinator's role involves:
Got a query? Check out our volunteer resources or contact us at:
Online form
Email: groups@bcs.uk
Tel: 01793 417478
Discover the committee role that's right for you and then apply for any of our volunteering vacancies.
If you can’t find the right role for you, get in touch with the Community Team.
In a new update to the Community Board Member Group rules, soon you will have to become a BCS member to volunteer on a Member Group committee.
We hold conventions for our volunteers in Winter and Spring. The conventions are an opportunity for volunteers to come together on the biggest issues affecting the BCS community. You will be invited to a convention by email and within our BCS volunteer newsletter, if you have consented to receive communications from BCS.
That’s great you want to share knowledge with the BCS community. To create a BCS event, simply complete the event request form and refer to our guidance on running a community event.
Go to BCS Eventbrite and select your event. Then click 'Register' to view how many tickets are remaining for your event. You can deduct the number remaining from the number of tickets that were originally available. If you need any further support, please send an email to groups@bcs.uk where one of our BCS Coordinators will be able to help you.
Get in touch with your BCS Community Coordinator to organise a post-event survey for your Member Group. You can add custom questions to the survey providing you are following our guidance and policies on communicating with members and the public.
You can explore our London office and then contact your BCS Community Coordinator to book a room on your behalf. BCS Member Groups can use the facilities free of charge for events and meetings. There is a small fee for non-BCS use of the facilities, for which bookings through BCS members receive a discount.
Once you’ve used your BCS budget allocation for your Member Group, there is a small pool of funding you can apply to use. Please submit a supplementary funding request justifying your expenditure to your BCS Community Coordinator.
Your BCS Community Coordinator will provide you with a method of contacting your fellow committee members. To speak with your member group, your Coordinator can also show you how to use the BCS Community forum to liaise with your member group members and the wider BCS membership.
View our BCS training and development opportunities for volunteers. We are continually adding further training for our volunteers, and we often advertise ad hoc chances to better your volunteering experience here and in our newsletter.
View the guidance on student prizes, awards, competition and bursaries that are available to your member group. You can also use the forms on this page to request prizes and nominate a fellow volunteer for BCS recognition.
You need to login to MyBCS and select ‘My profile’ to update your email address and other contact information. Alternatively, you can contact our Customer Services team for membership services.
Firstly, we would recommend you explore our Member Group communities and then login to MyBCS, select BCS communities from the ‘Communities and events’ menu, find the branch, specialist group or section you wish to join, and follow the instructions to be automatically added to the Member Group of your choice.
To join the committee of a member group, you need to nominate yourself for a position at the Member Group’s annual general meeting (AGM) and be successfully elected to the post. Alternatively, to join part-way through the year, a small number of members can be co-opted onto a committee.
Get in touch with the Community team to find out more.
Jon joined BCS at 19 on a temporary contract, wanting to save up before travelling the world, but as he now jokes with colleagues, travelled the BCS instead.
Jak is BCS’ Community Development and Partnerships Manager. With a BSc in Psychology and an MSc in Consumer Marketing, he’s passionate about people and what makes them tick. Jak is part of the Community Support Committee and works alongside them, and the internal co-ordination team, to enhance the experiences of BCS volunteers. Although he originally hails from the North West, he lived in South Wales for a decade, and is now based in the South. Fun fact, outside of work he’s an avid fan of video games, with a total collection of 13 consoles (and counting!).
Beccy joined BCS in February 2024 as a part-time Community Co-ordinator and looks after a number of Branch and Specialist Groups. She provides secretariat support for the Fellows Technical Advisory Group (F-TAG). Beccy is a proud mum of three children, and outside of work, she loves swimming, walking her French Bulldog (Pablo) and also works part-time at the local theatres.
Kerry has worked at BCS for over twenty years, supporting community volunteers within branches, specialist groups, and international sections. She also supports the Community Board, Community Support Committee, and Fellowship Committee.
Mandy looks after various branches and specialist groups. She also supports on our large-scale Community events and for the past 20 years has enjoyed working with our volunteers where good solid relationships have been formed. A fun fact about Mandy is that she has lived an interesting life on the Kennet and Avon canal on a boat with her husband of 31 years. Where the summers were glorious and the winters challenging. Her favourite quote is 'All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.' — Walt Disney.
Emma joined the Community team in July 2024 after working in the Registrar department at BCS since 2022. She supports the Faculty of Health and Care, along with the Specialist Groups that report to the Faculty. She enjoys knowing that even if not everyone in society engages with IT, everyone engages with health and care. Being able to support others in this essential area is very satisfying.