Graduation Stall Coordinators and Graduation Stall Volunteers

Do you want to experience the buzz of a graduation ceremony, meet new students, and be a part of one of the most fun and fulfilling volunteering roles on offer? The watch our video below where we sat down with Cazz, one of our long-term student volunteers, to tell us about the role and why she loves volunteering at graduations so much.

Graduation Stall Volunteer*

Our graduation volunteers form part of a team attending the Association merchandise stall at OU graduations. Apart from engaging with excited graduates, their families and friends, and promoting and selling a wide range of fabulous OU branded merchandise to graduates, volunteers have an opportunity to take an active part in this special day by processing and celebration each graduate.

Graduation Stall Coordinator*

Each team of graduation volunteers is overseen and supported by a graduation coordinator, who is responsible for organising volunteers before and during degree ceremonies, as well as for the records of sales and items sold during the day.

Role description for Graduation Stall Coordinator

As a Graduation Stall Coordinator you'll play an important role in providing a service that is greatly valued by graduating students and their guests. You'll lead a small team of Graduation Stall Volunteers selling OU and Association merchandise at our stall. Your role will include promoting and selling OU branded merchandise to those in attendance. Whilst working the stall you get the chance to catch up with graduates and their guests, while promoting the work of the Association.

You'll be communicating with your team of volunteers via SLACK in the lead up to the ceremony and being the main point of contact for both your Open University Ceremony Co-ordinator and the Students Association.

On the day, you'll hep set up the shop stall, process payments, ensure that the relevant paperwork is completed, monitoring sales, process manual orders and end of day reconciliation. As Stall Coordinator with additional responsibilities to your team, requiring to be available on the stall, this role does not offer the opportunity to process at the ceremony. To be offered the opportunity to process, please apply for the Graduation Stall Volunteer role which would be best for you.

Be part of the graduation experience - all whilst making connections with the graduates on their day and helping them celebrate!

Volunteering is available at a variety of locations and will be included in the opportunity descriptions when they are open to receive applications.

Commitment and recognition

Training is mandatory and commences online within a few weeks of the date of the graduation ceremony you will be volunteering at.

You will be asked to complete online self-study training that takes about an hour. This includes the core training module for all our volunteers which covers:

GDPR (keeping personal data secure)
Safeguarding (keeping young people and vulnerable adults safe)
PREVENT (our duty to prevent extremist radicalisation)
Equality Duty (Why it is important and who it protects)

It also includes a training module for both Graduation Stall Coordinators and Graduation Stall Volunteers.

You will then attend one 90 minute MsTeams training session and meet your team (there is a choice of morning, afternoon or evening) a few weeks before the day.

You will be sent a link and sign up to the free Volunteer SLACK app so that venue details can be communicated to you and Graduation Stall Volunteers.

Only trained and onboarded Coordinators and Volunteers are selected for the venue’s Graduation Stall team.

After the ceremony you will be asked for your feedback and to complete your expenses form for travel and subsistence for the day and remind your team to do likewise. You will receive a goody bag by post. You can request a ‘certificate of volunteering’ after volunteering.

Eligibility for this volunteer opportunity

To apply we recommend you live within 50 miles from the graduation venue as you can claim up to £70 in travel and £20 for subsistence expenses. Please note that no overnight accommodation is paid.

You just need to be a member of the Students Union.

Members of the Students Association are defined in Section 11 of the Students Union Articles of Association*

All volunteers sign a OU Students Union Volunteer Policy and volunteer within the OU Students Union Volunteer Agreement.

Benefits to self

Develop teamwork skills and grow confidence in using transferable skills. Have fun and make new friends whilst volunteering! Experience an inspirational day to further motivate your study.

Benefits to others

Providing goods/services for students to promote pride in being identified as OU students.

Hours per week

1 day (starting and finishing hours determined by ceremony time).

Training available

Mandatory online MsTeams training session including a welcome session lasting 90 minutes and mandatory self study online essential reading for your role and core training for all volunteers (1hr).

Location

London, York , Manchester, Belfast, Brighton, Glasgow, Birmingham, Newport, Poole.

DBS required

Recruitment is now open for graduation ceremonies 2025. Check out the roles available here.