People directory
Participation creates momentum.
People who contribute time and skills to approved WHRF programmes and public-interest work.
The role
Volunteers at WHRF
Volunteers can extend the care, reach and quality of public-interest work when roles are well designed and properly supported. WHRF welcomes expressions of interest from people able to contribute research, language, communications, accessibility, events, administration and other relevant skills.
Submitting an expression of interest does not create membership, appointment, employment or authority to represent WHRF. A volunteer role begins only after scope, supervision, safeguarding, data access and practical expectations have been agreed.
01Work with a defined outcome
A responsible volunteer opportunity names the task, purpose, supervisor, time expectation, tools and definition of completion. Clear design protects both the volunteer and the people affected by the work.
WHRF should not use volunteers as a substitute for qualified legal, clinical, security or safeguarding professionals, or assign them confidential material without a justified and controlled need.
02Skills, learning and accessibility
People bring different professional, linguistic and lived expertise. Matching should consider both the work required and the support a person needs to contribute effectively.
Reasonable adjustments, accessible instructions and realistic deadlines make participation stronger. Applicants should be able to state limits without being pressured to disclose unnecessary personal information.
03Data and communication boundaries
Access follows the task: volunteers should receive the minimum systems and information needed, use approved communication routes and return or delete material when the role ends.
A volunteer may not publish on behalf of WHRF, contact vulnerable people, use the logo or make institutional commitments unless the specific activity has been authorized and supervised.
04A respectful two-way commitment
Volunteers deserve clear expectations, timely feedback, a safe concern route and acknowledgment that accurately reflects their contribution. They should not be asked to accept avoidable safety, financial or reputational risk.
The Foundation in turn expects reliability, respectful conduct, confidentiality, source discipline and willingness to correct mistakes. Either side should be able to end the arrangement through a documented process.
Appointment framework
How appointments are defined
Every WHRF role requires a written scope that identifies the purpose, activities, geography or theme, reporting relationship and review date. A public title cannot replace that record. The scope should also state what the person is not authorized to do, including commitments, fundraising, publication, casework or use of the WHRF name outside an approved activity.
Appointment begins only after identity, relevant background, conflicts, safeguarding considerations and publication permissions have been reviewed. The depth of review should reflect the role and risk. An expression of interest, informal collaboration, event attendance or appearance in historical material does not by itself establish a current appointment.
Support, accountability and safe participation
People can contribute responsibly only when expectations, supervision and resources are realistic. WHRF should provide an accountable contact, accessible information, proportionate training and a route to raise concerns without retaliation. People working across languages or sensitive contexts should be able to discuss communication and safety needs without unnecessary public disclosure.
The individual is expected to work within the agreed remit, protect confidential information, identify conflicts, use accurate sources and correct mistakes. Public visibility must never be treated as permission to expose affected people, imply authority that has not been granted or bypass the professional and legal duties that apply in a particular jurisdiction.
Review, change and retirement
Roles should be reviewed at a stated interval and when circumstances materially change. Review considers whether the activity remains useful, the scope is accurate, consent remains current and any public biography, portrait, affiliation or link is still appropriate. A concern may lead to correction, additional safeguards, temporary suspension or a narrower remit while facts are assessed fairly.
A role can end without erasing the institutional record. Public pages should stop presenting a person as current when an appointment expires, is withdrawn or is retired, while authorized administrators retain the dates and decision history needed for accountability. WHRF should provide a practical route to request correction or removal of public personal information.
Public profiles and correction
A profile publishes only information that the person and WHRF have approved for the defined purpose. Professional titles, affiliations, languages, countries, photographs and external links must be checked rather than inferred. The profile should state the role accurately without implying employment, diplomatic standing, licensed practice, case acceptance or authority beyond the appointment. A visible correction route allows the individual and the public to report an error while internal access controls protect unpublished application and review records.
