Communications And Fundraising Volunteer Roles in South Bank, Greater London
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Could you use your social media, marketing and communications experience to raise the profile of a small charity? Help us to increase our social media presence and engagement, generate greatr content and help promote existing activities.
Our charity delivers a range of awareness campaigns and support services to patients, relatives, partners and carers who have been affected by a poorly understood pain condition; Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). We are looking for 2 experienced social media and communications volunteers who are able to develop posts and campaigns from design to inception, create fresh and engaging content, increase engagement and to increase awareness of the charity and of the condition we represent.
Even though we are a small organisation we have big ideas and would like to draw on your experience in the communications world to help the charity deliver engaging content and communications to help us spread our aims and message to all our audience.
What Will You Be Doing?
- Help increase engagement, improve the number of followers/likes, create & execute a content calendar
- Produce fresh, branded and engaging content for our social media channels
- Prepare graphics and text for sharing across channels
- Engage with our followers and encourage interaction
- Manage and maintain social media channels on a regular basis
- Support charity campaigns, marketing, events and fundraising activities by promoting them on our social media feeds
- Use your creative skills to devise games, competitions and other strategies to engage, grow, and widen our target audiences
- Develop publicity materials and communication techniques for social media to raise awareness of our chronic condition
You will be working with the charity’s founder and Chair as well as with other trustees and volunteers who will provide an overview of our existing social media content, our brand and how we have approached our social media content to date.
Experience
We are looking for a volunteer who has experience in:
- Different types of marketing and communications media, including electronic and social media
- Writing and editing marketing content for social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn
- Building strategies to increase social media following and /or build fundraising or awareness campaigns
- Developing a coherent brand voice for social media, from content creation to community interactions
- Using and setting up tools such as Buffer, Canva, Tweetdeck etc
- Creating and executing content calendars to help plan social media activity
Skills Required
- Excellent written communication skills
- Accuracy and attention to detail
- Creative writing and design abilities
- Good computer and digital skills
- Enthusiasm for communications and marketing and willingness to learn
- Ability to quickly understand the needs of our team / organisation / users
- Ability to transform small snippets of information into interesting and engaging stories suitable for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc.
- Understands the resource constraints of a small charity and is able to work with these
- Open to feedback
- An interest in helping Burning Nights CRPS Support achieve its aims
- Good organisational skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills, and able to work as part of a team
What Difference You Will Make
You will join the charity during a critical and challenging period and your expert knowledge and experience will be invaluable to our success. You will have a key role in ensuring we can maintain our support services and become a sustainable charity to allow us to fulfil our aims.
Benefits
You would be a part of our small, friendly and forward-thinking charity team, focused on reaching people who may not have heard about the charity or about the condition. You would have a key role in developing a socoal media strategy for a small charity. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to make a real difference to a rare condition.
You will further develop your communication skills, gain PR and marketing experience and develop your social media skills.
This is a remote volunteering role, volunteering from your own home.
To bring together the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) community to ensure people whose lives have been touched by this condition are not alone.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
As an Challenge Events Volunteer, you will play a vital role in ensuring the smooth and successful running of ellenor's busy events calendar.
Key tasks may include:
- Welcoming, signing in and registering participants
- Serving refreshments
- Preparing equipment
- Promoting ellenor campaigns and events
- Clearing away equipment
- Cheering on participants
Some key traits you will need as an Challenge Events Volunteer:
- Lots of enthusiasm
- Good communicator
- Knowledge of ellenor's services and initiatives
- Vibrant and cheery character
- Passion for ellenor
What you will receive in return:
- Training will be provided, including health and safety
- Reasonable travel expenses covered (to be pre-agreed with event fundraiser)
- Updates to ensure that volunteers are informed of ellenor services and initiatives
- Opportunity to meet new people and build friendships
- Being part of a fantastic volunteer group
- Raising money and the profile for an important local cause
For anyone looking to get into events management or the charity sector, this is a great way to get an insight as to what’s involved at sports events and also develop your experience.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Trustee Job Description
Organisation: Walk to Independence (WTI)
About Walk to Independence (WTI):
Walk to Independence (WTI) is an emerging charity committed to bridging the gap in support services for adults with special educational needs (SEN) transitioning out of formal education settings. Our mission is to establish a nurturing environment where SEN individuals can foster independence, empowerment, and community integration. At WTI, we prioritise upholding the rights of individuals with SEN, ensuring their autonomy, dignity, and inclusion in society.
Position Overview:
WTI is in the process of establishment and is actively seeking dedicated and passionate individuals to serve as founding trustees. Trustees play a pivotal role in steering the strategic direction, governance, and oversight of the organisation, particularly in the crucial phase of charity registration.
Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership: Provide strategic direction and leadership to guide WTI in achieving its mission and objectives.
Governance: Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, as well as governing documents and policies, especially during the charity registration process.
Financial Oversight: Monitor and review financial performance, including budgets, financial statements, and controls, to ensure fiscal responsibility.
Fundraising and Development: Support fundraising efforts and contribute to the development of sustainable funding streams crucial for WTI's activities and growth.
Risk Management: Identify and mitigate risks that may affect operations, reputation, or financial stability, particularly during the organisation's infancy.
Advocacy and Networking: Represent WTI externally, advocating for the rights and needs of individuals with SEN, and establish partnerships with stakeholders, funders, and community organisations.
Support and Evaluation: Guide the executive team, staff, and volunteers, and participate in evaluating WTI's programs and services.
Qualifications:
Passion for the mission and values of WTI, including a commitment to the rights and inclusion of individuals with SEN.
Previous experience in governance, leadership, or management roles, preferably within the charity sector or relevant field.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills.
Ability to think strategically, analyse complex issues, and make informed decisions.
Willingness to dedicate time and effort to fulfil trustee responsibilities effectively, especially during the charity registration process.
Knowledge of fundraising, financial management, or legal matters is desirable but not essential.
Time Commitment: Trustees are expected to attend regular board meetings (approximately 4-6 times per year), participate in committee work or working groups as needed, and engage in occasional ad hoc tasks or events. The time commitment may vary but is estimated to be approximately 5-10 hours per month on average.
Location: The role of trustee is primarily remote, with occasional in-person meetings or events in London as required.
The Gold Standards Framework (GSF) charity are seeking new Trustees to join our Board to support the important work of enabling generalist frontline teams improve care for people nearing the end of life. We are seeking in particular, new Trustees who have business development, finance, charity or fundraising expertise or experience, who might be interested in this area, as well as others interested in social care, education or palliative or end of life care.
The Gold Standards Framework (GSF) Centre recently celebrated 25 years of work improving end of life care given by generalist frontline teams. GSF is the leading provider of training in end of life care for generalist front line staff across health and social care. We have trained and accredited thousands of teams, influenced national policy and practice and GSF has improved the care for many millions of people and their families.
Much has been achieved but there is still more to do ... We have a bold and exciting vision to ensure that everyone experiences Gold Standard end of life care. We want to see a big increase in the number of people that are trained, and we want to influence policy to make Gold Standard end of life care a requirement. We have recently become a CIO charity and as we enter a new chapter of our story, we are seeking new trustees to help us to achieve our vision and contribute to our strategic purpose.
Could you help us achieve these goals? We are a small team and value the contribution of our trustees, partners, associates and professional reference groups. Trustees will typically attend 4-6 online board meetings a year, along with other communications and support between meetings, plus occasional strategy away days.
For full details, read more on the Gov (dot) UK website.
We are looking for people with the same shared values and commitment to improving end of life care in our country. We need experienced and passionate trustees to help our excellent team to meet our vision. We are particularly interested in:
- Finance Fundraising Business management, especially in the charity or training sectors
- Marketing/communications
- Health and/or social care provision
- Palliative/End of Life Care/GSF in practice
- Senior board level/charity experience
- Integrated care systems/local authorities
- Health & Care Policy
Please email Keri Thomas, Sue Richards, or Julie Armstrong-Wilson if you’re interested in having an informal chat. More information on GSF can be found on our website
The Gold Standards Framework (GSF) is the UK’s leading training provider for generalist frontline staff in caring for people in the last years of life
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Our roaming tech volunteers provide one-to-one support to people with sight loss, visiting them in their own homes to help them get the most out of technology. They may help customers set up a new device, learn new features or trouble shoot tech problems. Roaming tech volunteers support people local to them.
- Good communication skills
- Customer focused approach
- Natural tech user
- Problem solving skills;empowering attitude
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Home visits and venues across your local area. Access to telephone and email is required.
- This role requires an enhanced criminal record check and 2 references.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
We have an exciting opportunity for someone with experience in social media to help create and deliver engaging and informative content across a range of platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.
The aim will be to highlight the life-changing services we provide to people with BPD, while encouraging prospective volunteers and supporters to get involved by fundraising or donating time.
What you will be doing
- researching and creating a range of content (text, images and videos) for different channels including Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube
- identifying opportunities to reach new audiences and raise our social profile
- engaging with followers and encouraging conversations
- running online campaigns
- promoting services, projects and volunteering opportunities
Who we are looking for
- experience of using, or a demonstrable passion for, social media including Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube
- strong communication/writing skills
- professional when communicating online
- basic photography or video skills would be a bonus but not essential (full training will be given on using Canva)
What you'll receive
- comprehensive induction and ongoing support
- the chance to be involved in our work and make a real difference to people in need
- valuable experience in social media, PR, marketing and communications
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Job Overview:
As our Volunteer PR and Marketing Manager, you'll be at the forefront of our communication strategy, making a real difference through your skills and passion. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced PR and marketing professional to bring creativity and enthusiasm to our organisation.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and implement comprehensive PR strategies to boost the organisation's reputation and visibility.
- Cultivate relationships with media outlets, journalists, and influencers to secure press coverage and interviews.
- Write captivating press releases, media pitches, and materials to convey key messages and announcements.
- Plan, execute, and evaluate marketing campaigns to promote events, programs, and fundraising initiatives.
- Coordinate with internal teams to ensure consistent messaging and branding across all marketing materials.
- Craft compelling content for press releases, blog posts, social media, newsletters, and other marketing collateral.
- Develop engaging visuals, videos, and graphics to support marketing campaigns and storytelling efforts.
- Oversee the organisation's digital marketing channels, including website, social media, email, and online advertising.
- Monitor performance metrics and analytics to measure the effectiveness of digital marketing efforts.
- Develop promotional strategies and materials to drive attendance and participation in organisational events and activities.
- Develop and enforce brand guidelines to maintain brand identity and reputation.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for media inquiries and interview requests.
- Prepare spokespeople and staff for media interactions, including message development and media training.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in public relations, marketing, communications, or a related field (preferred).
- Proven experience in public relations, marketing, or communications, with a focus on non-profit organisations or social causes.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling narratives and messages.
Benefits:
- Travel Costs and a mean will be provided.
- Opportunity to contribute to the growth and impact of a non-profit organisation.
- Gain valuable experience in PR, marketing, and communications in the non-profit sector.
- Develop and enhance skills in strategic planning, media relations, and brand management.
- Make a meaningful difference by raising awareness and support for important social causes.
At Children with Voices, we believe in the power of communication to change lives. Join us on this exciting journey! We cover transport costs and provide nourishing meals for our dedicated volunteers. Apply now to be part of our warm and welcoming family.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
As an event volunteer you will play a vital role by raising awareness of our services, assisting with fundraising and engaging with the local community.You will represent Magpas Air Ambulance at a wide range of events indoors and outdoors, come rain or shine. You may be assisting with car parking, meeting and greeting, setting up a stall, selling merchandise, engaging the public and answering questions. Magpas Air Ambulance have a presence at over 150 events each year and need reliable, friendly people like you to help us achieve this. At larger events you will be supported by an event lead and we'll always make sure you are prepared and confident, you don't need to have previous experience, just be willing to get stuck in!
As an event volunteer, you will be expected to:
- Represent Magpas Air Ambulance in a respectful and friendly manner.
- Understand the work of Magpas Air Ambulance to secure basic knowledge and enthusiasm for our service.
- Wear your Magpas Air Ambulance ID badge while volunteering, ensuring it's visible at all times.
- Follow the leadership and guidance of the event lead, staff member or event organiser.
- Assist in all event activities in a flexible and friendly manner.
- Have good communication skills and be able to work with other volunteers and staff as part of a team.
- Process the sale of merchandise and take donations.
- Follow all Magpas Air Ambulance policies and procedures, including reporting any accidents and incidents.
- Recognise, respond to and report any safeguarding issues or concerns.
What you can expect from us:
- Regular support and advice from our staff team.
- Expenses covered in line with our volunteer policy.
- On-the-job training specific to your role.
- Events where you can meet other volunteers and share ideas.
- Impressive skills to add to your CV and a reference if/when you need it.
- The opportunity to meet a network of like-minded people.
- We are an equal opportunity organisation and welcome volunteers with diverse abilities.
As well as joining the Magpas Air Ambulance family, you will make new friends and be an important connection within your community representing the work of a lifesaving team.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
The Operations Assistant supports the Chair with all administration to enable Hidayah to function smoothly. Responsibilities include, but aren’t limited to:
- Providing administrative support to the Chair including scheduling meetings, managing calendars and responding to emails
- Creating process flows to enable service delivery and monitor progress
- Preparing meeting agendas, taking notes and sharing meeting minutes
- Maintaining accurate and up-to-date records and databases including documents on the Google Drive
- Aiding in the planning and execution of all operational projects and initiatives
- Preparing reports, presentations, and documentation as needed e.g., for annual reports
- Responding to inquiries and providing information to internal and external stakeholders
- Performing other duties and tasks as assigned by the Chair
How much time is required?
We are flexible around your schedule but we anticipate that the role will require around 4 hours per week. The following commitments are in place for all Hidayah volunteers:
- Aim to attend all relevant meetings, delivering a comprehensive report with updates and to complete actions as and when they appear
- Aim to attend all other planning meetings as necessary
- Attend Hidayah events (where geographically possible)
- Help to fundraise for, and advertise, any Hidayah events and fundraising drives
- Add to and maintain the administration of our file sharing system ‘Google Drive’ to ensure it’s up to date with clear records, templates and forms
- Check and respond to emails in a timely manner
- Contribute to the communications group (via Discord) and stay up to date with Hidayah developments
- Provide information, statements and data for the annual report
- Keep up to date with Hidayah communication and organisational developments
This role is subject to a 6 months probationary period with a 2 month notice period should you wish to resign.
What is expected from an Operations Assistant?
Knowledge:
- Educated to degree level or experience which demonstrates equivalent analytical ability
- Knowledge of quality assurance systems and their benefits for the voluntary sector
- Knowledge of good governance procedures for the voluntary sector
- Understanding of confidentiality, equality and diversity and safeguarding procedures
Personality:
- A self-starter who can volunteer with minimal supervision
- Friendliness, enthusiasm, dedication, responsiveness, flexibility and eagerness in supporting the aims, vision and mission of Hidayah
Personal Skills:
- Confidence taking the lead with plans and ideas at Trustee meetings
- Ability to resolving conflict situations if needed
- Professionalism in all situations
Administration Skills:
- A high degree of literacy in Microsoft Office and IT Applications
- Join Hidayah Membership and Hidayah Discord server
- Participating and contributing to discussions on the Hidayah Discord server
- Read all Hidayah policies, keeping up to date with any changes
- Read, understand and agree with the constitution of Hidayah (available on our website)
Please ensure you do not have a conflict of interest with your current role and check this prior to applying for this role.
What benefits do I get from this role?
- Volunteering with Hidayah brings a range of a benefits such as:
- Reference for your CV
- Contributing to Hidayah’s cause
- Supporting vulnerable communities
- Connecting with like-minded, passionate people
- Experience working strategically as part of a team
- Development of professional networking skills
Our mission is to provide support and welfare for LGBTQI+ Muslims
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
This fun and varied volunteer position requires great organisational skills, a passion for fundraising and animal welfare, creating input and multitasking As well as general computer skills and telephone skills.
You will be working closely with one of our volunteers, who produces the majority of our larger fundraising events as well as liaising with the wider team. The events will include musical concerts, theatre shows and community based fundraising events that will be run both online and in person. The locations of these events will be in all parts of the UK. You will be required to issue press releases, contact local radio and TV stations as well as help to organise and source prizes for the auction and Raffles. A basic knowledge of event planning and producing an event would be useful but this can be learnt within the role. Expect there to be periods leading up to the events where things are very busy but these will only be approximately 4 to 6 times a year. We currently require support with events in June, September and December. Moore may be added.
The role will require you to be present at the actual event you have helped to plan, being hands-on with everything from tickets on the door, helping to organise the raffle and looking after performers and special guests.
At Saving Strays we have a huge amount of fun at our events And the team are very welcoming and supportive. We look forward to receiving your application which will be followed up with an Initial email and zoom call interview. Thank you for your interest.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Ashden Trustees
Ashden is seeking two trustees to join our highly capable board. As well as governing the charity, successful applicants will join the other trustees in bringing powerful insights and extensive connections to maximise the systemic impact of our work.
About Ashden
Our missions is to accelerate transformative climate solutions and build a more just world. We boost climate innovation in the UK and Global South. Our support brings clean energy to villages and refugee camps, and fixes up cold and draughty homes. It makes schools more sustainable, and helps communities protect and restore the nature around them.
What we are looking for
With a couple of current trustees reaching the end of their terms and moving on we now have openings for two trustee. Specifically, those who can bring insights in policy and influencing, strategic communications and working with the education sector. Please read the person specification which can be found in the Application Resources below.
How to Apply
We use Applied, a behavioural science-backed recruitment platform that reduces bias, improves quality of hire and increases diversity. You can apply via Be Applied
Timeline
Interviews will take place the week of 6 May at our office in Victoria. We will reimburse your travel expenses. Please let us know if you have accessibility needs and/or require reasonable adjustments:
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Are you interested in marketing? Have you got experience of using Mailchimp? Help us engage our charity's audience by creating compelling email and newsletter content so that we can support more people affected by a complex, debilitating chronic condition as well as raise awareness of this rare disease. This is a great opportunity to assist a small but mighty charity.
Description
Our small charity delivers awareness campaigns and a range of support services to patients, relatives, partners and carers who have been affected by a debilitating chronic condition; Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). We are urgently looking for 2 experienced email marketing experts to join our communications team.
You will be a big link to our charity's clients who are vulnerable and isolated, to them learning more about events, our latest articles, fundraising events as well as ensuring they are aware of the services that we offer that be of help to them. You will also be helping us to raise awareness of this devastating chronic condition.
Even though we are a small organisation we have big ideas and having regular contact through emails and newsletters will show consistency and know they can rely on us to be there for them.
We would like the volunteer to help with:
- Email strategy: Help us plan and articulate how we can use emails and newsletters to strengthen our organisation, motivate our supporters and communicate with our sponsors;
- Email content: Develop our communication & marketing content calendar, write compelling regular email content, including calls for donations & support, that is relevant and has clear a call-to-action and high click through rates;
- Email content (membership): Create a regular email newsletter for our membership scheme
- Create automated email series
- Design and implement campaigns and promotional activity
What are you looking for in a volunteer?
We are looking for 2 volunteers who have:
- Strong writing and editing skills
- Good computer skills and a willingness to be contacted via email and/or video chat
- Experience using email marketing software - specifically Mailchimp
- Marketing skills
- Experience of working on marketing strategies
- Ability to quickly understand the needs of our team, organisation and our services users (we are not expecting you to know about the condition we support)
- Can ask key questions to enable us to clarify requirements
- Understands the resource constraints of a small charity and is able to work with these
- Open to feedback
- A passion for marketing and email marketing
- Ability to work flexibly on your own or as part of a team with enthusiasm and commitment
- Ability to create email campaigns with little supervision (after initial support)
Skills
- Digital: Email Marketing
- Marketing and communications: Copywriting/Journalism
Making a difference
What impact will the opportunity have?
You will be joining a small charity during a challenging period and your expert knowledge and experience will be invaluable to our success. You will have a key role in ensuring we reach the patients, relatives, partners and carers who are in need of our support and inclusion on a regular basis. With your help we will expand our readership to ensure more people are aware of this condition, which will help those affected by it when they see a health professional.
What's in it for the volunteer?
You would be a part of our small, friendly, forward-thinking charity team, focused on reaching more people affected by this rare condition who may not know that we exist to support them. You would have a key role in developing a strategy to complement our awareness campaigns. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to make a real difference in someone’s life which is already isolated and painful, but who may not know there is support out there and to then realise they’re not alone.
About the location
Where will the volunteer be working?
The volunteer will be working remotely, online and entirely from your own home.
Travel Limit
This role will be completely remote.
When will the volunteer be working?
Volunteer availability
- Either in or office hours - however we are flexible
Estimate the time commitment
- 3-6 hours / week - but this is flexible however ideally it would be 4 hours or over to ensure email campaigns are going out at the right time
To apply for the email marketing volunteer please send by email your CV together with a covering letter saying why you think you would be a good candidate for this position, via the Charity Job 'Apply Online'
To bring together the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) community to ensure people whose lives have been touched by this condition are not alone.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
We’re a charity awarding £1,000 grants to people of colour based in the UK who want to bring a new creative project to life. We support creativity in all its forms including: poetry, paintings, fashion, zines, music, food, flowers, photographs, workshops, events or something else completely.
Brief:
We need a volunteer to help neurodivergent applicants or applicants with long term illness write their applications.
An important distinction is to be made here - your role is to help someone write a clear application. You are not here to help them develop their idea or to turn it into something it’s not.
Applicants answer these questions:
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What is their Grand Plan? (300 words)
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Why is now the right time to do it? (100 words)
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What is your budget?
These answers are then marked against a criteria which can be found on our website (which we can share with you).
Process:
We will ask applicants to come to you with bullet points for ideas of what their project is. This is the minimum; some may come with a written application that needs tweaking.
You will then read through what they have and help write clearer sentence structures. While we try not to judge on things like grammar and spelling, this does often help clarify the project’s ambitions.
The aim is to work in a collaborative Google Doc, but if that is not possible, we will explore other options.
Keep sentences simple and to the point. We need to be sold on your vision, but it doesn’t need to be overwritten. Using simple and straightforward language helps give us clarity on your project.
We will allow applicants up to two rounds of feedback - meaning you can work on the application a maximum of three times. We ask applicants to group their feedback.
Applicants
This will be open to applicants who are disabled, including those with dyslexia or dyspraxia. So it’s important to be patient and anticipate that they may not have the clearest written communication.
Skills
- Copywriting/Proofreading
- Desireable: Experiance of working with people who have long term illnesses or are neurodivergent
Please send us a short paragraph about why you're interested in this role.
Grand Plan is a fund run by creatives, for creatives. We award £1,000 grants to artists and creative people of colour.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Joining Respond as a Trustee - January 2024
Background Information
Founded in 1991, Respond is a national charity that seeks to transform the lives of people with learning disabilities and autistic people who have experienced trauma. We are committed to bringing about positive change for our clients and their families, enabling them to lead richer and more resilient lives.
Respond's services for children, young people and adults are:
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Survivors' psychotherapy
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Family support services
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Advocacy, including ISVA and domestic abuse services.
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Training, consultancy and reflective practice
Respond supports charities that campaign for equality and inclusion with the aim to prevent abuse and equip individuals and their families to come to terms with their experiences and live more positive lives.
Our specialist training, supervision, reflective practice and consultancy equips agencies and health / social care providers to deliver trauma-informed services. This includes responding to and providing consultancy and training for significant events such as institutional abuse.
Our income base is diverse with trust funds and grants continuing to be a vital part of maintaining core services Respond offers, alongside donations from trusts and foundations. We also continue to have larger ongoing or spot contracts for our work for NHS commissioners and local authorities.
It is a good opportunity to join Respond's Board at this time, following our restructure and as we move towards the last year of our current strategy for 2022-25. Following a challenging period due to changing funding landscape and closure of some services, we will be focused on consolidation and improving impact measurement to secure long-term financial sustainability.
The role of the Board of Trustees
The Trustees (or 'Board members') are trustees of the charity and directors of the limited company. They are responsible for the governance, setting the strategic direction and monitoring the implementation of the strategy. The Board ensures that the charity acts in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
The Board has responsibility for:
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ensuring the charity acts in accordance with its charitable purpose and is providing public benefit and meets its legal obligations;
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making decisions in the best interests of the charity;
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developing the multi-year strategy;
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monitoring the management of the finances and resources of the organisation (operations, budget, property, workforce and tenders);
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monitoring performance, quality and impact;
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appointing and appraising the CEO.
Who we’re looking for
Following a recent skills audit within the current Board, the Board is seeking trustees with the following skills or experiences;
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Finance - This person will have a financial qualification and will enable the Board to ensure the sound financial health of the charity. The person will collaborate with the Finance Director to ensure that the organisation has systems that meet sector best practice and ensures financial accountability. This trustee will be the Treasurer and chair the Finance Committee.
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Human Resources (HR) - This person will have experience in working in HR roles, preferably in the voluntary sector. This person will help review and strengthen Respond’s HR policies, set up and lead the people committee and guide the Leadership team in dealing with complex HR issues including change management.
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Fundraising, Marketing and Comms – This person will work closely with our Head of Development and Commissioning on our income strategy and communications strategy.
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Psychotherapy /working in a trauma informed setting – As an organisation providing psychotherapy and arts therapies for autistic people and people with learning disabilities, we are looking for a trustee with experience of working as a therapist with a systems-psychodynamic approach.
The Board wants to ensure that the charity's 'beneficiaries' are represented in its governance. We encourage applications from people who have lived experience of autism, learning disabilities and/or trauma-informed work (either directly or through family members). How the Board carries out meetings will also be reviewed to accommodate adjustments requested by new trustees with learning disabilities or who are autistic. (Please refer to a separate document if you or someone you know with lived experience may be interested)
Person Specification
The following knowledge, experience and skills are essential for the role:
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a commitment to the mission of Respond;
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senior experience, ideally including one or more of the following areas – finance, human resources, fundraising/marketing, legal, compliance, hard-to-reach communities, caring/social care, psychotherapy, commissioning.
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ability to identify creative solutions to problems within limited resources;
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good analytical skills;
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ability to think strategically;
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independence and flexibility in thinking;
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ability to communicate efficiently and connect with a wide range of people, internally and externally;
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a willingness to meet the minimum time requirement (see below);
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an understanding of the legal duties of trusteeship set out in the Charity Commission's 'The Essential Trustee'; and
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an ability to work effectively as a member of a team and to make decisions for the good of Respond.
Trustees will be expected to demonstrate the following personal attributes:
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good interpersonal skills including listening;
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commitment to excellence and high expectations of self and others;
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values people and the contribution of all stakeholders;
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sound judgment;
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team-oriented with a supportive approach.
Respond is dedicated to developing opportunities for Trustees to be appointed reflecting greater and varied diversity among our Board of Trustees, so we welcome applications by suitably qualified candidates irrespective of gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, marital or parental status, age, sexual orientation or gender identity. We particularly welcome applications from Black and minority ethnic candidates who are under-represented on the board.
What we offer
New trustees will:
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Receive induction and training;
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Develop new skills and competencies;
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Meet new people and develop professional networks;
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Contribute to ensuring that the charity offers high quality effective services to autistic people and people with learning disabilities who have experienced trauma, who are in need;
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An annual appraisal
Time requirement - What is involved?
Trustees attend eight Board meetings per year approximately every six-eight weeks currently on a Tuesday evening 5:30pm to 8pm. Meetings are in London, and remote access is available for trustees who live/work outside London.
Each Trustee is expected to be an active member of the Respond community, committing 5 to 10 hours per month to the charity which may also involve being on a sub-committee such as; Finance Committee, Clinical Governance and Safeguarding Committee each of which meets four times per year, typically during normal office hours online or in London.
Trustees are expected to attend an induction session at Respond prior to their first Board meeting. Trustees are expected to attend all Board meetings. Other meetings are away-days over a weekend.
Trustees are invited to the annual general meeting, which takes place typically in November.
Trustees may claim expenses incurred in effectively carrying out their duties, in accordance with Respond’s Trustee Expenses Policy.
Papers are distributed one week in advance of meetings. In addition, Trustees are expected to review documents and communicate with other board members and senior staff between meetings. Every effort will be made to ensure that trustees with learning disabilities or who are neurodiverse have access to documents in formats that they can understand or have the support available for them to fully participate as trustees.
Occasionally, circumstances may require urgent meetings (either face-to-face or virtual) to examine strategic issues or items requiring Board approval
Duration of the role
Board terms are for a five-year term following which the person can be elected to serve another three years.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Our trustees play a vital role in making sure the National Emergencies Trust has a clear strategy, achieves our goals, and demonstrates excellence in all areas of governance.
Key duties
- Demonstrate an interest and commitment to the work, values, and vision of the National Emergencies Trust
- Understand and enforce legal duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of trusteeship (training and mentorship is available)
- Devote the necessary time to the role
Key tasks
- Act at all times in the interests of beneficiaries, considering guidance from our Advisory Groups
- Participate in quarterly board meetings, reading papers in advance
- Work jointly with other trustees, attend the Trust’s Committees and/or Advisory Groups as applicable (usually online) and/or directly support the Chair, Chief Executive or team, in line with your background and skills to achieve their objectives
- Provide advice to the Chief Executive and other board members according to your expertise and in line with the Trust’s Constitution
- Sign off the Trust’s annual financial accounts, safeguarding the good name and values of the charity, and acting within the law
- Support the Chief Executive and team in the event of a national emergency.
The Charity Commission for England and Wales’ summary of key trustee responsibilities can be read here. Or alternatively you can find this information from the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) here.
Who we are looking for
We’re looking for someone who can:
- Demonstrate an interest and commitment to the work, values and vision of the National Emergencies Trust
- Understand and enforce legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship (training and mentorship is available).
- Devote the necessary time to the role.
We’re looking for someone with skills or experience in at least one of the following areas:
- Campaign creation and management
- Significant experience at board level
- Social media & emergent technology
- Financial and associated financial services
- Fundraising
- Public Affairs
How you will benefit
Being a trustee can be very rewarding. You will have the opportunity to:
- Shape the strategic direction of our charity
- Gain new skills
- Network with senior professionals
- Influence key projects
- Crucially, have the chance to improve the lives of disaster survivors