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!
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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
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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
September: Community kick-offs
The first of September marks the start of our BCS financial year. During September, groups will receive the outcome of their budget bids and can kick-off their yearly activities.
February: Finance training workshop
An opportunity for Chairs and Treasurers to get clued up on our finance policies and processes ahead of their March budget proposal submissions to bid for funding. BCS provide full training during virtual sessions and you will have the opportunity to ask everything you ever wanted to know about member group budgeting!
February: BCS Convene Conference
Launching in February 2025, BCS Convene is an exciting one-day conference dedicated to celebrating ethical professionalism and innovation. This event unites government, organisational leaders, tech professionals, and academics to collaboratively shape the future of the tech landscape in the UK.
You can find dates for all upcoming events on our BCS events calendar.
If you wish to submit papers for consideration at a Community Board meeting, please ensure you submit these before the deadline given below to the Community Team at groups@bcs.uk
Please visit the Supplementary funding request page for more information on applying for additional funds and submission deadlines.
| 2024 dates | Papers due by: |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 23 January 2024 | Thursday 11 January 2024 |
| Tuesday 26 March 2024 | Thursday 14 March 2024 |
| Tuesday 7 May 2024 | Thursday 25 April 2024 |
| Tuesday 11 June 2024 | Thursday 30 May 2024 |
| Tuesday 23 July 2024 | Thursday 11 July 2024 |
| Tuesday 10 September 2024 | Thursday 29 August 2024 |
| Tuesday 22 October 2024 | Thursday 10 October 2024 |
| Tuesday 3 December 2024 | Thursday 21 November 2024 |
If you wish to submit papers for consideration at a CB Finance meeting, please submit to allow enough time for your coordinator review and submit to the CBFC on your behalf.
Full process and forms can be found at BCS Supplementary Funding Process and Forms
Please send the completed relevant SFR to groups@bcs.uk for the attention of your groups coordinator.
| Meeting date | Papers due by: |
| Monday 19 August 2024 | Friday 9 August 2024 |
| Monday 16 September 2024 | Friday 6 September 2024 |
| Monday 21 October 2024 | Friday 4 October 2024 |
| Monday 18 November 2024 | Friday 8 November 2024 |
| Monday 16 December 2024 | Friday 6 December 2024 |
| Monday 20 January 2025 | Friday 10 January 2025 |
| Monday 17 February 2025 | Friday 7 February 2025 |
| Monday 17 March 2025 | Friday 7 March 2025 |
| Monday 21 April 2025 | Friday 11 April 2025 |
| Monday 19 May 2025 | Friday 9 May 2025 |
| Monday 16 June 2025 | Friday 6 June 2025 |
| Monday 21 July 2025 | Friday 11 July 2025 |
| Monday 18 August 2025 | Friday 8 August 2025 |
| Monday 15 September 2025 | Friday 5 September 2025 |
| Monday 20 October 2025 | Friday 10 October 2025 |
| Monday 17 November 2025 | Friday 7 November 2025 |
| Monday 15 December 2025 | Friday 5 December 2025 |
If you wish to submit papers for consideration at a Community Support Committee meeting, please ensure you submit these before the deadline given above to the Community Team at groups@bcs.uk
| 2023 dates | Papers due by: |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 20 February 2024 | Thursday 08 February 2024 |
| Tuesday 19 March 2024 | Thursday 07 March 2024 |
| Tuesday 09 April 2024 | Thursday 28 March 2024 |
| Tuesday 21 May 2024 | Thursday 09 May 2024 |
| Tuesday 04 June 2024 | Thursday 23 May 2024 |
| Tuesday 02 July 2024 | Thursday 20 June 2024 |
| Tuesday 20 August 2024 | Thursday 08 August 2024 |
| Tuesday 17 September 2024 | Thursday 05 September 2024 |
| Tuesday 15 October 2024 | Thursday 03 October 2024 |
| Tuesday 12 November 2024 | Thursday 31 October 2024 |
| Tuesday 10 December 2024 | Thursday 28 November 2024 |
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
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.
In Jon’s 17 years of service at BCS he has worked in roles across the institute, all of which have required close working with members and volunteers – ranging from membership assessment, communications, public policy and health and care sector programme manager. For the last 5 years Jon has had held the position of Head of Community.
As well as working at BCS, Jon has recently completed a BA Honours in International Relations with the Open University – graduating with 1 year old son in attendance was and is his proudest moment.
Jon also volunteers as Community Ambassador at MemberWise and mentors other working in the membership sector.
Outside of work, volunteering and recent studies Jon is known for embracing his Swindon roots and is a season ticket holder for the local football club and a member of the local history society. Well, that was all until becoming a dad – now his time is mostly spent worrying about trip hazards and putting his degree to use in toddler diplomacy.
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.
Beccy loves to sing – she once took part in a 'flash mob' and has even sung at Wembley Stadium! Her trademark is that she loves a cup of tea, requiring at least 10 cuppas a day to keep her going (she’s been known to indulge in a cup at the cinema!)
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.
Her favourite part of the job is helping the volunteers realise their visions, and she appreciates the amount of time they dedicate to BCS for free.
In her leisure time, Kerry likes to be creative by sewing, cross-stitching and baking. She plays computer games, mostly Pokémon, on her Switch. Kerry is an avid fan of many motorsports, with her favourite being BTCC (British Touring Car Championship).
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.
Outside of work Emma enjoys spending time with her family, gaming and Formula 1.
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.
