Location: Hybrid (London SE1 and remote) Time Commitment: Flexible, approximately 2 plus hours per week Reports to: Founder / Board of Trustees About Plateful Café Plateful Café is a registered charity (1202710) that empowers refugees and people seeking asylum to rebuild their lives through hospitality training, work experience, employment opportunities, and community connections. Using food as a tool for inclusion, we provide accredited training, paid employment opportunities, community meals, and catering services that showcase the skills, cultures, and talents of people who have sought sanctuary in the UK. As we enter an exciting period of growth, we are seeking a Corporate Partnerships Volunteer to help us build meaningful relationships with businesses that share our commitment to inclusion, opportunity, and social impact. The Opportunity This is an excellent opportunity for someone with experience in business development, corporate partnerships, account management, sales, CSR, philanthropy, or fundraising to use their skills to make a tangible difference in the lives of refugees. You will play a key role in helping Plateful Café develop relationships with local and national businesses, generating support through corporate donations, sponsorship, employee volunteering, catering contracts, and long-term strategic partnerships. Key Responsibilities Corporate Engagement Identify and research prospective corporate partners aligned with Plateful Café’s mission. Develop and maintain a pipeline of potential supporters and business contacts. Introduce Plateful Café to local businesses, corporate foundations, and employers. Arrange introductory meetings and networking opportunities. Support the development of corporate partnership proposals and presentations. Income Generation Help secure financial donations, sponsorships, and in-kind support. Identify opportunities for corporate grant funding and charitable giving programmes. Promote employee fundraising opportunities and workplace giving schemes. Explore sponsorship opportunities for training programmes, events, and community activities. Catering and Enterprise Development Promote Plateful Café’s corporate catering services to local businesses. Identify opportunities for meetings, events, lunches, conferences, and hospitality catering. Support the development of long-term catering relationships and repeat customers. Help position Plateful Café as a preferred socially responsible catering supplier. Employee Volunteering and Skills Sharing Develop opportunities for corporate volunteering. Encourage businesses to provide mentoring, employability support, and workplace visits for our trainees. Build relationships that create pathways into employment for refugees completing our training programmes. Strategic Support Provide advice on corporate engagement and relationship management. Help strengthen our corporate partnership strategy. Support impact reporting and stewardship of existing partners where required. We Are Looking For Someone Who Has Essential Experience working in a corporate environment, business development, account management, sales, marketing, CSR, partnerships, fundraising, or a related field. Excellent networking and relationship-building skills. Confidence engaging with senior stakeholders and business leaders. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to work independently and proactively. Commitment to diversity, inclusion, and supporting refugees. Desirable Experience within the charity or not-for-profit sector. Knowledge of corporate social responsibility (CSR), ESG, or social value initiatives. Experience securing sponsorships, partnerships, or fundraising income. Existing business networks in London. Experience developing corporate volunteering programmes. What You Will Gain The opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of refugees and people seeking asylum. Experience supporting a growing and ambitious social enterprise charity. The chance to shape and influence our corporate partnerships strategy. Opportunities to meet business leaders, charity professionals, and community partners. A reference and recognition for your contribution. The satisfaction of helping create employment opportunities and brighter futures for people rebuilding their lives in the UK. Our Values At Plateful Café, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to contribute, belong, and thrive. We celebrate diversity, value lived experience, and use food to bring communities together. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly encourage applications from individuals with experience of migration, displacement, or supporting diverse communities.
Location: London (collections from Blackfriars SE1 or Honley Road SE6 2HZ; deliveries across Greater London) Role Type: Volunteer (mileage reimbursed) Role Overview We are seeking reliable and responsible Volunteer Drivers to support the transportation of food and products to markets, events, and private catering locations across London. This role is vital in ensuring goods are delivered safely, on time, and in excellent condition. Key Responsibilities Collect food and product items from designated pick-up points Transport goods to markets, events, and catering venues Load and unload items safely Plan efficient delivery routes Maintain communication with the team Ensure vehicle cleanliness Follow road safety regulations Requirements Valid UK driving licence Access to a reliable vehicle Good knowledge of London roads or GPS use Ability to lift moderate loads Reliable and organised Desirable Delivery or logistics experience Food hygiene awareness What You’ll Gain Support community initiatives Flexible schedule Logistics experience Mileage reimbursement at £0.45 per mile Additional Information Flexible shifts including weekdays, evenings, and weekends.
We are looking for an Events Assistant who can help us organise monthly community dinners featuring three course meals from around the globe to enable the charity to engage with and attract donors. To help with running the dinner on the day with tasks including welcoming the guests, serving food and drinks, take payments, setting up and clearing, etc. Someone who can work as part of a team to plan and organise other events and fundraisers throughout the year, for example refugee week. The Events Assistant will assist with applying for funds for events including securing raffle prizes, donations of ingredients, material needed, musicians and entertainment, etc. To also work with the marketing team, providing details of upcoming events for promotion; take pictures and quotes at the event. Main duties will include: Prior experience of events planning and organisation A passion and keenness to engage in community-based work to support refugees and serve the local community Good organisation skills including: effective time management, punctuality and delegation of tasks. A flexible and proactive attitude to working Good responsiveness to emails/ text/ whatsapp Practical skills to help prepare and set-up the café for events Able to work well in a team and communicate effectively with the rest of the staff and visitors of the cafe A willingness to learn new skills Desirable: Prior experience working with refugees, people seeking asylum or other vulnerable groups Prior experience of involvement in charity fundraising events
What will you be doing? Supporting the Founder in researching, identifying and developing new models to grow food sales at the cafe, and achieve Plateful Café’s mission Liaise with relevant staff to champion an effective growth plan, and ensure that plan is aligned with the mission to support more refugees into work Ensure Plateful Café’s customer service is of the highest standards Support the Founder in the production and implementation of the business plan, growing both the markets and the e-commerce and cafe Support the Founder to implement a marketing plan Represent Plateful Café at social events Requirements: A passion for improving the lives of refugees and asylum seeker Experience and understanding of growing an e-commerce business and/or knowledge of cafe retail Previous experience in business development and sales Previous experience in customer services Being a proactive self-starter with dedication and drive to upskill in order to support the charity Desirable: Knowledge/experience of telemarketing and call centres Experience using CRM systems Previous experience in Marketing Knowledge of the food and café industry Lived experience of being a refugee and/or experience working with refugee
We are seeking to appoint enthusiastic, well-organised and highly motivated Fundraising Assistant to assist our Grants and Funding team with the research and writing of funding applications to secure vitally needed funds for the charity. Plateful Café works to relieve poverty and isolation amongst refugees, asylum seekers and ethnic minorities in south-east London. Our commitment is to reach the most vulnerable people in our community and help them access the support they are entitled to. Voluntary, Half a day per week
We are looking for a Volunteer Market Stall Trader, to help sell produce made by our refugee chefs to customers at local markets. This role involves setting up and taking down the market stall, engaging with potential customers, explaining our products, addressing inquiries, and actively promoting sales. You will gain valuable experience in sales and customer service. What will you be doing? Market Stall Setup and Take Down: Assist in the set up and take down of the market stall, including arranging products, setting up signage, and ensuring the stall is presentable. Product Promotion/Sales Encouragement: Engage with potential customers, explaining our products, the refugees who made them and our story, answering questions and providing recommendations as needed. Sales Transactions: Handle sales transactions efficiently and accurately including Zettle for cards and also cash. Desirables: Ability to perform tasks that may involve heavy lifting and physical labour, such as setting up and taking down the market stall Strong customer service skills with a friendly and approachable demeanour Ability to work independently, as well as part of a team Willingness to learn about our charity and products and effectively communicate this to customers Basic numeracy skills required for processing sales transactions and handling money
We are looking for a film maker who will be able to join us at our food and music events, film and create short highlight clips to share on social media (see our instagram page for ideas). What will you be doing? Conducting short interviews with guests and the team to create content Contribute new ideas and creativity welcome to showcase and promote Plateful Cafe. Requirements: Basic video editing ability A decent camera/phone
We are looking for someone to assist us to share information and updates through our communications and social media content, to help us fundraise and grow. What will you be doing? Leading on one of our social media channels (currently Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn) Producing occasional blog posts (minimum one per quarter except LinkedIn lead who will do one per month) on topics related to Plateful Café including research and interviews. Recording social media analytics on a weekly basis Identifying potential content and opportunities Adding ideas to the content planner Postings and scheduling content Attendance at team catch-ups virtually/phone Ad-hoc attendance at events and markets Other duties in line with the role description Requirements: Excellent communication skills in fluent English Has 3+ years experience of social media, copywriting, journalism, blog content creation, interviewing or similar skills (this does not have to include published work)lls and experience as a Social Media Officer and Blogger? We are looking for a new volunteer to help us at Plateful Cafe. Able to create interesting and engaging content Good computer skills Good time management skills Engaging and friendly Good team player Desirable: Basic digital photography and editing skills An interest in supporting refugees and contributing to the work of Plateful Cafe Experience of working with refugees, people seeking asylum, vulnerable groups or lived experience Lives in London with ability to attend events and markets
We are currently recruiting for a Social Media Volunteer Manager. The Plateful Café works to relieve poverty and isolation amongst refugees, asylum seekers and other ethnic minorities in south-east London. Our commitment is to ensure we reach the most vulnerable people in our community and help them access the support they are entitled to. Videos are a powerful medium to engage with our supporters and also the wider public. You will play a great role to promote our brand and build our presence online.
Plateful Cafe works to relieve poverty and isolation amongst refugees, asylum seekers and ethnic minorities in Lewisham. Our commitment is to reach the most vulnerable people in our community and open a pathway to employment for people who have asylum here. Refugees will benefit from workshops, training skills and knowledge relevant for the catering industry. Plateful Cafe are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all volunteers and team members. We are an equal opportunities provider and actively encourage applications from people with a refugee background. We are currently looking for a dedicated and well-organised volunteer who can assist our team with the search and development of partnerships with businesses. Main duties will include: Essential: Desirable: What difference will you make? Voluntary, 2 to 4 hours per week
