Trustees Volunteer Roles

Marjon Students’ Union (MSU) is seeking external trustees to join their trustee board.

MSU strives to be the Student Voice of a unique educational establishment and to further enhance student experience and cater to student needs, from representation, recreation, resistance, entertainment, to welfare. Its continuity, financial stability and academic and welfare services have served the institution and its students resolutely over the years and aspire to do so for many years to come.

Trustees - The Royal Society of Asian Affairs (RSSA)

Approaching its 125th anniversary, The RSSA want to strengthen its Board with individuals with strong backgrounds in marketing and communications, ideally in the education sector. Up to two positions are available.

The RSSA was founded in 1901 as the Central Asian Society. Its journal, Asian Affairs has been published continuously since 1914.

The RSAA’s objective is to advance knowledge of Asia through its worldwide networks, its public events, its publications and its support to research. It is an open, active and internatiuonal network for informed debate about Asia, engaging experts, policy makers and the wider public with experience, analysis and scholarship.

Support U is a Reading based charity set up in 2010 to provide support to LGBTQ people in the Thames Valley.  Our small team runs social, emotional and wellbeing support and social groups and provides some counselling services.  We are looking to revitalise our Trustee Board and require a new Chair of Trustees.

This role description includes:

1. Your general statutory responsibilities as a Trustee

2. Specific Responsibilities for your role as a Chair of Trustees

1. Your general statutory responsibilities as a trustee:

· Ensuring that the organisation pursues its stated objects (purposes), as defined in its governing document, by developing and agreeing a long-term strategy

· Ensuring that the organisation complies with its governing document (ie its constitution), charity law, and any other relevant legislation or regulations

· Ensuring that the organisation applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its charitable objects (ie the charity must not spend money on activities that are not included in its own objects, however worthwhile or charitable those activities are) for the benefit of the public

· Ensuring that the organisation defines its goals and evaluates performance against agreed targets

· Safeguarding the good name and values of the organisation

· Ensuring the effective and efficient administration of the organisation, including having appropriate policies and procedures in place

· Ensuring the financial stability of the organisation

· Protecting and managing the property of the charity and ensuring the proper investment of the charity’s funds

In addition to the above statutory duties, each trustee should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the board of trustees reach sound decisions.

This may involve:-

· scrutinising board papers,

· leading discussions,

· focusing on key issues,

· providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, or other issues in which the trustee has special expertise.

2. Your specific responsibilities as Chair of Trustees, including person specification

Your responsibilities as Chair of Trustees include:

· Providing leadership to the organisation and the board by ensuring that everyone remains focused on the delivery of the organisation’s charitable purposes in order to provide greater public benefit

· Chairing and facilitating board meetings

· Giving direction to board policy-making

· Checking that decisions taken at meetings are implemented

· Representing the organisation at functions and meetings, and acting as a spokesperson as appropriate

· Bringing impartiality and objectivity to decision-making

· Planning the annual cycle of board meetings and other general meetings where required, for example annual general meeting

· Setting agendas for board and other general meetings

· Developing the board of trustees including induction, training, appraisal and succession planning

· Addressing conflict within the board and within the organisation, and liaising with the chief executive (if staff are employed) to achieve this.

Person specification for the Chair

· Leadership skills

· Experience of committee work

· Tact and diplomacy

· Good communication and interpersonal skills

· Impartiality, fairness and the ability to respect confidences.

In most circumstances, it would also be desirable for the chair/vice-chair to have knowledge of the type of work undertaken by the organisation and a wider involvement with the voluntary sector and other networks.

Your role also includes the following person specifications, which are universal for all trustees:

· A commitment to the organisation

· A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort

· Strategic vision

· Good, independent judgement

· An ability to think creatively

· A willingness to speak their mind

· An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship

· An ability to work effectively as a member of a team

· A commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

The Langham Arts Trust is an extraordinary charity, combining a passion for creative excellence with a gospel mission: to make Jesus’ name known and glorified through music and the arts.

The work of the charity today encompasses a range of exciting musical ventures, from witnessing to non-believers through music and worship, to serving the wider church with the gifts and resources of the All Souls Orchestra. The charity is looking to expand its work with young people, and grow the capacity of the orchestra in order to engage in more opportunities to point people to Christ through music.

The Trust is seeking to appoint a new Chair and Treasurer. These two appointments will be instrumental in managing change and supporting growth for the Trust. In particular, the Chair will lead a refreshment of the Board and be a skilled relationship builder.

This is an exciting moment to join the board of an organisation with a vital, yet under-represented, mission in the UK church music landscape, and an organisation that is changing and growing rapidly.

Carnelian Search have been appointed to lead this search on behalf of Langham Arts Trust.

Progress towards equality for autistic children and young people has been made and we’re proud of our role in this as a movement for change. But there is still more progress to be made. This is an opportunity to lead the board of a charity that is ensuring we live in a world where autistic children and young people can be themselves and realise their ambitions.

Location: London across several sites.

Applications close on Friday 31st May.

Who we are.

Ambitious about Autism is the national charity for autistic children and young people. We were established in 1997 by a group of families of autistic children who were concerned about the lack of appropriate provision for their children. Following a major capital fundraising campaign and a series of temporary locations and premises, Treehouse School and our charity moved into purpose-built accommodation in 2008, together creating the Pears National Centre for Autism Education. Since then, we have grown our education services opening Ambitious College, The Rise School and Spring School, and merging with St John’s College in September 2023, alongside extending our national influencing and enabling activities.

We run specialist education services and an award-winning employment programme, wherein children and young people are at the heart of our charity’s decision-making, policy work and campaigning. We also use our expertise to deliver training and consultancy to a wide range of organisations to improve awareness and understanding of autism. We want to help even more autistic children and young people to improve their quality of life and secure a fulfilling and rewarding future.

Even during the pandemic, we lived up to our name as we achieved so many goals and plans. We developed our Right from the Start toolkit, launched our Employ Autism campaign, and have grown and evolved.

We are experiencing an exciting period of growth. We were chosen to open a new school – Spring School which supports up to 90 pupils at capacity from ages 4-19 and we announced our merger with St John’s College. Although this is exciting, we have a battle on our hands as we call on the government to follow their solutions in the SEND Green Paper. We’re concerned that some of the proposals will make it even harder for autistic children to access education support and so we are asking for a public commitment from the government to fund support for children with SEND. There are more than twice as many children with SEND in schools and colleges now than there were in 2010, but the government has not set out what funding will be available to pay for the additional support they need.

We know there is an increasing need for mental health support across all schools. Everyone should be able to feel OK at school. But we know this isn’t the case for many autistic pupils. That’s why we created the Autistic and OK programme to empower autistic pupils to take control of their mental health and wellbeing, understand themselves and feel OK at school. Our guide is free for every single secondary school. But there is more for us to do, to continue to build and empower our communities to ensure autistic young people feel understood and accepted.

We recognise that there is still more to be done to grow and develop our important work, first outlined in our Time for Ambition 2021-2024 strategy and so we are extending this strategy for a further two years. Our aims continue to include ensuring autistic children and young people have an excellent and inclusive education, alongside striving for every autistic young person to have good careers education at school and in further and higher education, including experience of work. Autistic people need services that support good mental health by reducing isolation and so we want to ensure early intervention through signposting to specialist support. We aim to ensure peer networks are available alongside uplifting but realistic information tailored to autistic young people and their families. We also want to further develop our Ambitious Youth Network and continue to expand nationally to empower young people to connect with one another and to influence societal change.

Given we run schools, following a governance review in December 2019, we created our own Multi-Academy Trust – Ambitious about Autism Schools Trust (AaAST) which currently has two schools. We implemented several new changes to our governance including Joint Trustees and a joint committee structure wherein there are five trustees each of the Charity and Trust Boards and three Trustees who are Trustees of both Boards who serve as the joint Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer of the Charity and Trust. All Trustees of the Charity and Trust are members of a Joint Group Board Committee to ensure oversight of the Charity and Trust. How this works in practice is everyone meets together with a short meeting afterwards to discuss Ambitious about Autism Schools Trust.

Our new Chair.

Our current Chair, Neil Goulden, is approaching the end of his term in December 2024, and we are in search of our next Chair to lead our Board. We need a Chair who has extensive experience in modern board leadership, ensuring robust governance, and promoting collective strategic decision-making. We are looking for someone who is commercially astute, as we strive to drive our organisation’s continued growth, ambition, and development. We value a Chair who embodies credibility and adeptness in navigating complexity. The ability to work with others and build trusting relationships with a variety of stakeholders are key.

Our new Chair must be committed to making a meaningful impact and leading an organisation that empowers young autistic people during a pivotal period of change in our communities. We need a Chair who is an inclusive leader, fostering engagement, strategic thinking, and openness who will lead the board as an

exemplar of inclusivity. They must be supportive and challenging, creating opportunities for growth and positive impact.

It is vital that our new Chair works with the board to ensure that all voices are heard and will have an affinity for our mission to stand with autistic children and young people, champion their rights, and create opportunities.

The new Chair will work with an established board and ambitious executive team that is ensuring our organisation is sustainable, evolving, innovative and impactful, and leads change whilst providing outstanding education to young autistic people.

The Board meets once a term and has an annual strategy away day. We expect the time commitment for the Chair to vary, and we would expect the equivalent on average of circa two days a month across various activities such as preparation for board meetings, reading board papers, regular conversation with the Chief Executive, ad hoc discussions with board members and the executive team, and attending events throughout the year.

Our board is diverse in many ways, including autistic people, who are part of our board, alongside a balance of gender, ethnicity, and age. We want to continue ensuring our Board represents our society and the people we work with every day.

Please click 'Apply via website’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the candidate profile and register your interest to apply.

Applications for this role close Friday 31st May. 

• Role: provide financial oversight, analysis and strategic guidance to the CEO and board
• Liaises with: Chair, CEO, trustees, committees, external supporters
• Location: Cambridgeshire area/remote
• Voluntary role: reasonable expenses paid
• Term: negotiable, e.g. interim/three years/extendable by re-election
• Application closing date: 31 May 2024

Evolve Counselling is a long-established charitable social enterprise, providing low cost, affordable or funded mental health counselling to adults in Cambridgeshire and surrounding counties. Our professional counselling community is made up of 50 – 60 qualified self-employed practitioners, working part-time to deliver talking therapies both online and in person.

We deliver around 500 counselling sessions per month to a broad range of individuals, many of whom would not otherwise be able to access therapeutic support. Evolve also provides supervision, reflective practice, critical incident support, and mental health awareness and related training to organisations and businesses large and small.

We are searching for an experienced treasurer/finance specialist who can support our board, committees, and the CEO as we move through our next strategic stage of consolidation, then growth. Although long-established and successful, Evolve is reshaping itself and your financial expertise will be instrumental in positioning our charity to successfully meet the ever-growing demands and opportunities for supporting good mental health in our communities. Please note, a background in counselling is NOT a prerequisite for this role.

Including quarterly board meetings, committee sessions (at present virtual), a face-to-face AGM event, away days, and regular meetings with our CEO and the trustees, we anticipate a flexible time commitment of around 2 - 5 days per month.

For further information or an informal discussion of interest, please contact Kevin Bottrell, Chair of Trustees.

Application process: Expressions of interest in the first instance by email to Kevin Bottrell, Chair of Trustees.

Our Chair will review and assess expressions of interest and will then call for applications in the form of a CV and letter setting out the applicant’s motivations, which will be assessed by a panel of trustees under conditions that maximise our commitment to EDI principles. Applicants may be asked to interview, and appointment will be made at a meeting of the board of trustees and ratified by the membership at AGM.

New Horizons are looking for a new Treasurer to join their dedicated and friendly Board of Trustees.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a finance professional to join a committed and experienced team. We are a small charity which makes a meaningful contribution to the community.

Being a trustee is also a chance for you to give something back to your community, by using your skills and experience, you will be contributing to the strategic management of the charity, so we can continue providing activities which promote good mental health, whilst challenging the stigma around mental health issues and helping improve our services for the benefit of the residents of Cwm Taf Morgannwg.

Role Summary

Your role is paramount for the sustainability of our charity. You will support our charity’s financial management and thus help us make well informed decisions and plan accordingly, so we can effectively tackle the different challenges we face as a small organisation.

The Treasurer will help trustees to carry out their financial responsibilities and this involves working with the Director and Chair to -

• present financial reports to the board in a format that helps the board understand the charity’s financial position
• advise the board on how to carry out its financial responsibilities
• work with professional advisors including the accountant
• work with the Director, Chair and accountant to oversee the preparation and scrutiny of annual accounts
• work with the Director to help prepare budgets and financial reports.

Who are we looking for?

• Demonstrated financial/commercial awareness and knowledge
• Good communication and leadership skills
• Proven ability to communicate and explain financial information to members of the Board and other stakeholders
• Analytical and evaluation skills, demonstrating good judgement
• Competent use of IT skills
• Understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
• Strong interest in mental health issues
• Senior strategic management and leadership experience

Desirable:

• Dedicated to the organisation’s cause and objectives and willing to act as the charity’s ambassador to external bodies, charities and companies.
• An understanding of the UK charity sector, relevant legislations and statutory requirements.

Time commitment

Up to 5 hours a month. The Board meet every other month.The Treasurer would ideally step in as Chair of the Funding & Business Planning sub group which also meets bimonthly.

NIDAS supports women and families with all aspects of domestic abuse with confidential support and a variety of bespoke services. NIDAS, located in Mansfield, helps women to stay safe, grow their self-esteem and go on to build happy, healthy relationships. We believe being free from abuse is only the start of the journey.

Role Description

The role of the Chair of Trustees is to give leadership to the board and to make sure the board fulfils its duties and responsibilities. Additionally, the Chair of Trustees works closely with the CEO to support her/him to achieve the aims of NIDAS, and, at times, represent NIDAS at functions, meetings and in the press, and broadcasting media. 

Level of Commitment

• Six-weekly board meetings
• Participating in a sub-committee and/ or ad hoc groups
• Regular meetings with the CEO
• Represent NIDAS at various events and meetings with stakeholders

Duties

In addition to the responsibilities of a trustee, the Chair of Trustees' duties are to: 

• Provide leadership to the organisation and the board by ensuring that everyone remains focused on the delivery of its charitable purposes in order to deliver the greatest public benefit. 
• To ensure that the Annual Reports and accounts are produced at the end of each year for presentation to the Annual General Meeting and to ensure that they are forwarded to the Charity Commission within the appropriate time period. 
• Chair and facilitate board meetings and the Annual General Meeting encouraging full participation by all attending. 
• Establish sub-committees and working groups to address specific issues/tasks as deemed appropriate by the board, and to call upon specialist skills of his/her fellow Officers and Trustees in relation to those groups, and to participate in such groups as appropriate. 
• Give direction to board policy making. 
• Check that decisions taken at meetings are implemented. 
• Represent the organisation at functions and meetings and act as a spokesperson when appropriate. 
• Bring impartiality and objectivity to decision making. 
• Liaise with the CEO to keep an overview of the organisation’s affairs. 
• Lead the process of supporting and appraising the performance of the CEO. 
• Sit on senior appointment, and disciplinary panels. 

The Chair of Trustees will also work with the CEO to: 

• Plan and set the agenda for the Annual General meeting with the Secretary. 
• Plan the annual cycle of board meetings and agendas for each meeting with the Secretary. 
• Develop the board of trustees including induction, training, appraisal and succession planning. 
• Address conflict within the board and within the organisation, and liaise with the CEO to achieve this.

Person Specification

In addition to the specification for a trustee, the Chair of Trustees requires the following qualities: 

• Strong leadership skills 
• Experience of chairing meetings and/or committee work 
• Ability to balance tact and diplomacy with willingness to challenge and constructively criticise 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 
• Impartiality and fairness
• Good understanding of legal duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of trusteeship. 
• Previous trusteeship 

ECL exists to enhance the lives of people with learning disabilities or autism. Through our
activities at local community centres, we help our members have fun, make friends, learn
new skills and be themselves. We are currently looking for a Company Secretary to sit on
the Charity’s Board.

Main duties and responsibilities

 Overseeing the administration of the Charity, eg, maintaining statutory records,
organising Board meetings and AGMs, preparing agendas and taking minutes
 Guiding and advising the Chair and the Board on their responsibilities under the rules
and regulations of the UK Charity Commission
 Developing and overseeing the systems that ensure that the Charity complies with all
applicable codes, in addition to its legal and statutory requirements

Knowledge/skills/experience
 
The role would be suitable for anyone with experience/knowledge of company law and/or
governance, who takes an interest in the local community and would like to help support the
Charity in its goal of enriching the lives of those with learning disabilities or autism.

Opportunity to Shape the Future: Join Abbey Multi Academy Trust as a Trustee

Are you passionate about education and committed to making a difference in the lives of young people? Abbey Multi Academy Trust is seeking dedicated individuals to join our board of Trustees and work with us to inspire learners and change their lives as a result of our educational provision.

About Abbey Multi Academy Trust: Abbey MAT is a Church of England Trust within the Anglican Diocese of Leeds that currently consists of eight schools. We are committed to our Trust vision to work in partnership to educate, nurture and empower our students and our employees so that everyone can flourish and live ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). We strive to create an environment that is welcoming, caring, disciplined, and purposeful, ensuring every student has the opportunity to achieve their highest potential.

What We're Looking For: We are seeking individuals who can offer positive challenge to our leadership team, helping us to achieve our strategic objectives. Whether you come from the private, charity, or public sector, if you have experience at a senior management level, we want to hear from you. We would be particularly interested to hear from individuals with a background in strategic educational leadership.

Key Responsibilities: As a Trustee, you will play a crucial role in shaping the strategic direction of our Trust. Responsibilities include ensuring clarity of vision, holding executive leaders to account, and contributing to financial planning for sustainability and growth. Our board meets once every half term (6 times a year), with additional opportunities to serve on our specialised sub-committees.

Benefits of Being a Trustee: Being a Trustee is a rewarding form of voluntary work where you can make a tangible difference in your local community. You'll have the chance to bring new ideas and perspectives to the table, helping us to continuously improve and innovate.

Who Can Apply: Candidates will ideally have experience at a senior manager/director level and live within a reasonable distance of the Trust or have a strong link to the region. You must be willing to support the Trust’s Christian ethos as well as our shared mission and values. We value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Abbey MAT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All Trustees are subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

If you are ready to contribute to the success of our academies and share our commitment to excellence in education, we encourage you to apply. 

Abbey Multi Academy Trust – In partnership to educate, nurture and empower.

We are seeking a new Secretary to undertake administrative duties to support the board of trustees of the African Bird Club in fulfilling its responsibility for the good governance of the charity and in delivering its strategy. You will be one of five executive officers and as such, have a key role in helping to progress ABC’s status and mission.

The African Bird Club is dedicated to conserving birds and their habitats across the continent of Africa and related islands and furthering ornithology in this region. We raise funds to make grants to support local conservation projects, produce a peer-reviewed journal and are developing a free birding app. ABC currently has over 1100 members from 70 countries and is governed by a board of twelve trustees.

The Secretary is expected to attend three board meetings a year and the annual general meeting of members of the charity, as well as ad hoc meetings of the executive officers and provide administrative support for the running of the charity, as required, with other trustees and contractors.

You must be eligible to be a trustee of a charity, have sufficient time to devote to the role and be committed to achieving ABC's objectives. You must also have strong communication and interpersonal skills, maintain constructive relationships (with other executive officers, trustees and the charity’s contractors) and deal with routine correspondence. Previous experience as a secretary or trustee of a charity would be advantageous but is not necessary.

Are you passionate about supporting people who have experienced homlessness? Do you believe in giving people a second chance?If so, then this opportuity could be for you!

Emmaus Leicestershire & Rutland, support people who have experienced or been at risk of homelessness, find a place where they can enjoy companionship and support.

We are about to embark on an exciting project to redevelop our Stockwell Head site based in Hinckely. If you enjoy a challagne and would like to be part of the new look Emmaus Leicestershire and Rutland - please get in touch.

The Quality of Life Foundation is looking for an experienced individual to join the Board of Directors of our wholly-owned trading subsidiary, QOLF Trading Ltd. We are particularly interested in candidates with a commercial or consultancy background. 

This is a great opportunity to join the board of a growing and impactful organisation, working with industry experts to bridge the gap between health and wellbeing and the built environment. 

The Quality of Life Foundation

The Quality of Life Foundation was established in 2019 and has been a UK Charity since 2022. It has a vision for a housing system that improves people’s quality of life in their homes and neighbourhoods over the long term.

We carry out independent research, share evidence, and support organisations to implement best practice in their work. We do this because having a decent, affordable home in a safe, well-designed neighbourhood is the foundation of a happy, healthy life.

QOLF Trading Limited

QOLF Trading Limited is a social impact consultancy that draws on the evidence and follows the standards of the Quality of Life Foundation.

We work at the intersection of social impact, urban design, community engagement and training, helping investors, developers, local authorities and housing associations to create health, improve wellbeing and generate positive social impact for residents and communities. We take a whole-life approach to the creation and care of homes and neighbourhoods, seeking to address local needs and to encourage long-term success.

 A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Quality of Life Foundation, QOLF Trading Ltd is a commercial entity whose purpose is to:

• provide income for the charity

• further the charity’s objects to expand the evidence base and promote best practice in the housing and development sector. 

The Role

The role of the Board of Directors is to set QOLF Trading Limited’s strategic direction, monitor the delivery of its objectives, and uphold its values and governance. 

For this role, we are specifically looking for someone with a commercial / consultancy background. The appointed Director will sit on the QOLF Trading Limited Board with the Foundation’s Director, Matthew Morgan, and at least one of the Foundation’s trustees. 

Key responsibilities of the Director:

• Set and monitor QOLF Trading’s strategic direction and business plans. 

• Monitor financial performance for sustainable growth.

• Approve and oversee annual budgets.

• Ensure legal and regulatory compliance, ensuring governance and performance are of the highest possible standard. 

• Manage risks, conflict of interests and internal controls.

• Assess and address conflicts of interest, ensuring QoLF Trading’s activities do not compromise the charitable status and reputation of QoLF.

• Represent QoLF Trading among key stakeholders, sharing its aims, findings and achievements to further establish its profile and business opportunities. 

• Work in close partnership with other Directors and QoLF staff.

You

You are a leading professional in your industry with the time and commitment to help accelerate our growth and impact. You are a strategic thinker, excellent communicator and team-player, able to demonstrate: 

• A commitment to the Quality of Life Foundation’s mission and vision.

• Knowledge and understanding of a commercial consultancy business. 

• An understanding or appreciation of issues around design quality or health and wellbeing.

• Understanding and acceptance of the legal duties and responsibilities of Directorship.

• The ability to quickly understand, explore and resolve strategic issues, and to set and prioritise objectives.

• Integrity, good independent judgement and the ability to think creatively. 

• The ability to convey ideas, information and opinions clearly and concisely including a preparedness to make unpopular recommendations to the Board.

• The ability to listen intently, carefully and objectively and work effectively and collaboratively with other Directors. 

• A good network and the ability to combine various specialisms. 

We are committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive board, containing a broad range of skills, experience and backgrounds.

The appointed individual will be offered induction and training as needed. 

Commitment

The QOLF Trading board meets online for one hour on the first Monday of every month. Directors are appointed for an initial term of two years. The position is unpaid, but reasonable expenses will be covered.

How to Apply

Please send a CV and covering letter via our website.

Applications will be considered by the Chair and Trustees of the Quality of Life Foundation. Suitable candidates will be invited to interview. 

There is no deadline for applications - however we reserve the right to close applications at any time upon appointment of a suitable candidate, therefore early applications are encouraged.

We are looking for an enthusiastic Clinical Trustee to join our friendly team of Trustees.

Essential qualities and experience

• An experienced professionally trained therapist (such as a Clinical Psychologist, Counselling Psychologist, Family Therapist, Psychotherapist)
• Ideally have some background and/or training in safeguarding and child protection to provide support to the Children and Young People's Co-ordinator on the unusual times when such concerns are raised.
• Will enjoy innovation, critical thinking and progress.