Finance volunteer volunteer roles in tonbridge, kent

About Us

For three decades, Forward Arts Foundation (‘Forward’) has been at the forefront of new poetry and now reaches an estimated 131 million people each year.  We are a national charity working across the UK and online to widen poetry’s audience, honour achievement and support diverse talent. Through our two flagship programmes, Forward Prizes for Poetry and National Poetry Day, we work towards a better society where individuals and communities can develop their innate creativity, their agency and their understanding through the making and sharing of poetry. 

Leadership and Management

Forward is led by its board of eight Trustees, chaired by Jamie Andrews. Jamie is Director of Public Engagement at the British Library and brings extensive experience as a trustee of several charities, including Oxford House. Other trustees are Forward’s founder William Sieghart CBE, responsible for the 2013 Sieghart Report on libraries and e-books; Kim Evans, former senior executive at BBC and Arts Council; Aoife O’Connor, poet and producer; Amelia Richards, culture and communications leader; treasurer and CFO Latinka Pilipovic; marketing manager Maya Ophelia and data scientist Mary Amanuel.

The organisation is led by Mónica Parle and Lucy Macnab, Co-Executive Directors.   Both have experience as directors of writing organisations (First Story and Ministry of Stories). Mónica is an award winning writer and Lucy brings national policy and strategy design experience from Arts Council England. With joint accountability, they each work 0.5FTE. The team also includes Jay Bhadricha, Head of Programmes, and Annalise Peters, Finance and Operations Coordinator. 

The team is supported by freelance specialists in education, communications, finance and fundraising. 

We believe poetry is for everyone. Our approach to recruiting trustees is shaped by a commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion. We particularly welcome applications for vacancies from D/deaf and disabled and black and minority ethnic candidates, as well as candidates from lower socio-economic backgrounds, as they are under-represented in the arts, and we commit to review our processes to ensure that our organisation more closely reflects the society it serves.

Chair Role

The Chair leads the board, ensuring that it governs the charity effectively, in service of the charity’s vision and mission. The Chair leads in an inclusive way, supporting the board to work together well, and providing support and challenge to the Chief Executive. The Chair is also an ambassador for the charity.  

1. Provide strategic leadership to the charity and the Board.
2. Work in partnership with the Co-Executive Directors and Vice Chair.
3. Lead the board in ensuring that it fulfils its responsibilities for the governance of the organisation.
4. Plan and chair the board meetings with the Vice Chair and Co-Executive Directors.
5. Act as a spokesperson and figurehead for Forward.

What we are looking for 

1. Experience of being a trustee. You do not need to have been a Chair before.
2. A keen sense of strategic purpose. 
3. An inclusive leadership style: able to inspire and support everyone to participate on an equal footing. 
4. The ability to listen and engage effectively. You are comfortable with challenge and debate and are able to encourage that in others whilst fostering a collaborative board environment. 
5. Advocate - be able and willing to champion Forward’s work through personal networks, social media, and other channels.
6. A strong personal commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. 
7. Be responsive. At a small charity, things sometimes ‘come up’ that require the Chair to advise, support or give consent to. It is very helpful to have a Chair who is available and responsive.

Trustee roles 

We are also looking for trustees with expertise in any of the below and a belief that your skills will contribute to the strong and effective governance and growth of a small charity. We are especially looking for experience and networks in: 

• Fundraising or philanthropy
• Governance/institutional/policy leadership
• Digital/data/design
• Education
• We’re also interested in applications from those under 30 or those seeking their first trusteeship, and offer support and guidance from an experienced ‘buddy’ trustee.
• Ideally, applicants should show interest in or understanding of the literature/arts sector and/or literacy and education.

Responsibilities of all trustees 

• Support and provide advice on Forward’s purpose, vision, goals and activities. 
• Approve operational strategies and policies, and monitor and evaluate their implementation.
• Oversee Forward’s financial plans and budgets and monitor and evaluate progress. 
• Ensure that key risks are being identified, monitored and controlled effectively.
• Provide support and challenge to Forward’s Co-Executive Directors 
• Keep abreast of changes in Forward’s operating environment.
• Applying your skills, expertise, knowledge and contacts to promote Forward’s work.

Essential qualities and attributes of all trustees 

• Willingness and ability to understand and accept their responsibilities and liabilities as  trustees and to act in the best interests of the organisation.
• Ability to think creatively and strategically, exercise good, independent judgement and work effectively as a board member.
• Effective communication skills and willingness to participate actively in discussion. 
• A strong personal commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Enthusiasm for our vision and mission.
• Willingness to lead according to our values of wonder, play and openness.
• Commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership

Terms and Commitment 

Location: All board meetings may be attended online. We will try to meet face-to-face when we can. But trustees are welcome wherever they live.  

We estimate you’ll need to commit around 30 hours over the course of a year. The board meets quarterly and we have a strategy day one afternoon a year. Trustees are appointed for a 3-year term, with a maximum of 2 terms.

Salary: Unpaid, travel expenses will be reimbursed if needed and where necessary.

Deadline for applications: 21 July

Interviews beginning w/c 28 July

To apply or find out more, contact Co-Executive Director Lucy Macnab explaining why you would like to be a trustee. If you are interested in being Chair, please make this clear. You may want to tell us what your previous experience is, and what knowledge and skills you have and what you would like to gain from the experience. Also someone we can talk to as a referee. We will accept applications in any medium.

For those applying for the chair role, you are welcome to have a call with Jamie Andrews, current chair, to find out more.

Forward Arts Foundation is a registered charity (charity number: 1037939) and a company limited by guarantee (company no: 02902864), registered in England and Wales.

This role is advertised as part of TPP's Free Giving Back Services. This volunteer advertisement copy has been supplied to TPP and applicants apply direct to the organisation. Please contact the organisation directly if you have any questions about this volunteer role.

Since 2002, we’ve delivered a structured, high-impact, programme of mentoring, a paid internship, skills masterclasses, and workplace visits for young people from under-represented backgrounds.

Our programme empowers them with new-found skills, confidence, aspirations, and support networks, boosting their life outcomes. It also enables employers to engage with and shape future talent, adding value to their organisation, and make a positive difference in their local communities.

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Our values

Our people are committed and passionate about changing the lives of young people. Our organisational values underpin how we work and are at the core of everything we do.:

· Trust

· Bravery

· Collaboration

· Empowerment

· Inclusion

We have 40 colleagues across the UK, and strong collaboration across a remote working environment is critical to our success. We champion flexibility and wellbeing, and strive to be a positive place work, both in terms of our mission and our culture.

Our impact and growth

Across the UK in 2024 we supported 4,238 young people across our two programme cohorts, with 4,395 volunteers supporting them. We worked with 374 employers to provide mentors and summer internships in 2024 and have 194 school and college partners. 

Thanks to the support of our network, we’re able to have the following impact for young people:

· 99% of programme graduates go into higher education, apprenticeships or work

· 90% of students said they felt more confident than before the programme

· Career Ready alumni have a professional network twice the size of their non-programme peers

· 90% of students rated their career skills a strength following their paid internship

Following a challenging couple of years in the charity sector and wider economy, we have just closed the 2024/25 financial year in a more positive position. We are set to embark on a new 2025-30 strategy which focuses around 4 key pillars:

· Income sustainability

· Digital enablement and adoption

· UK programme alignment

· People & Culture

We are looking for further brilliant people to join our Board of Trustees and help us excel our new strategic focus.

About the role

Role purpose

As a Trustee you will make a significant contribution to creating empowering opportunities for young people from under-represented backgrounds. 

The role of the Trustee is to ensure that Career Ready is carrying out its purpose, as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and that it complies with the law.

Trustees must always act in the best interests of Career Ready, with reasonable care and skill, whilst also ensuring it is accountable.  They must also ensure that Career Ready manages its’ resources effectively and sets the forward direction of the organisation.

Main responsibilities and accountabilities

· Ensuring that Career Ready functions within the legal and financial requirements of a Charitable Company

· Account for the work of Career Ready to Companies House, The Charity Commission, OSCR, funders

· Managing risks, protecting assets (reputation) and people 

· Ensuring that Career Ready strives to achieve best practice in all aspects of its work

· Determining the overall policy and direction of the Charity

· Fixing the annual budgets and approving accounts

· Recognising and dealing with conflicts of interest

· Appointing the Chief Executive Officer when required

· Agreeing strategic and work plans

· Collaborating with members of the senior management team in the development of strategic plans 

· Hearing membership appeals against the decisions of the Chief Executive Officer

· Ensuring that Career Ready maintains and complies with a policy of equal opportunities in respect of staff, members and stakeholders

· Act as a champion and ambassador for the work of Career Ready 

Person Specification

We are looking for 3-4 Trustees who have:

· A commitment to the mission of Career Ready

· An understanding of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of Trusteeship

· Integrity

· Sound judgement

· Strategic vision

· A willingness to contribute ideas and challenge

· Willingness to actively participate in developing the senior leadership team through sharing of skills and expertise 

As part of this recruitment exercise, we aspire to have greater Trustee representation from the following sectors/areas of expertise:

· Digital/technology/systems

· Comms/marketing

· Fundraising

· Finance

· Government/Policy

· Operations

In addition, we welcome applications from individuals from underrepresented groups, to align with the diverse range of young people we serve, for example, lived experience of social mobility.

Commitment

We’re looking for trustees who aren’t just interested—they’re invested. Our ambitions are big, and we need people who have the capacity and motivation to engage with us in achieving these.

At least four meetings per year plus AGM.  Usually held in person in London/other locations with opportunity to join remotely. 

Up to three-year initial term. 

Invitation to join Career Ready team at annual All-Colleague event. 

Encouraged to support and participate in Career Ready events.

Opportunities to join and influence other projects and governance committees.

Timetable

Applications close at 5pm on Thursday 31st July.

Please note that the closing date may be brought forward if we receive strong applications.

The Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK) was set up in June 2005 in memory of legendary campaigner, Sheila McKechnie.Campaigning is vital to a healthy society. We help campaigners to thrive. In a free and hopeful society, people need to know they have the power to make a difference: that they are able to envisage change and can push for that change to happen. For nearly two decades, we have helped all sorts of individuals, causes and charities to find their power as changemakers – as campaigners. We support, connect and champion these campaigners, equipping them to go after the social change they seek.

The Chair will hold the Board and staff team to account for SMK’s mission and vision, provide inclusive leadership to the Board and ensure that Board members fulfil their duties and responsibilities for the effective governance of SMK. The Chair will line manage and support the Chief Executive and ensure that the Board functions as a unit and works closely with the Chief Executive and staff team to achieve agreed objectives. They may also be asked to act as an ambassador and a public face of SMK in partnership with the Chief Executive and the Board.

For further information, see our website and the recruitment pack.