Trustee Volunteer Roles

As a Fundraising Trustee, be part of our growth journey and join MediCinema at a really exciting time of strategic expansion.

MediCinema: Fundraising Trustee Brief

Founded in 1999, MediCinema is a national UK charity dedicated to improving the well-being and quality of life for NHS patients, their families, and carers. We achieve this by creating a transformative experience. We build state-of-the-art cinemas directly within hospitals, offering free film screenings and film-related bedside activities for patients of all ages. Studies consistently show the positive impact of MediCinema's work: reduced feelings of isolation, anxiety, and stress, alongside improvements in emotional, mental, and even physical health.

Be Part of Our Growth Journey and Help Us Reach Even More People

This is an exciting time for MediCinema. We're in the midst of a strategic expansion, aiming to reach more beneficiaries by growing our network of in-hospital services. We're also developing new partnerships and building new cinemas, with the first one opening at Alder Hey Children's Hospital later this year. Fuelling this growth is our success in fundraising, with our income reaching a significant £1.3 million in 2023.

Trustee of MediCinema

All trustees have the following generic responsibilities.

· 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 trust deed, constitution or memorandum and articles of association), charity law, company 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 Charity. 

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

· Ensuring the financial stability of the organisation, and

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

In addition to the generic responsibilities, we are looking for specific insights and leadership from you relating to fundraising.

• To have a substantial background as a senior charity fundraiser, with a comprehensive understanding and experience of fundraising at a strategic and operation level.  
•  To bring overall leadership and drive as the Fundraising Trustee, developing the knowledge of the board and exec regarding modern fundraising practices, new income channels, and bringing wider sector insights.
• Bring knowledge and support to ensuring that there is overall the right level of governance to our fundraising and related communications functions, working closely with the CEO, Director of Development and Director of Communications. 
• Via your insights, support our team to enable the growth and diversification of MediCinema’s core income.

Your background will be in fundraising, and you will have ideally played a significant role in growing small to medium size charity c £1.5m - £5m. Experience of working closely with public health or related sectors is of interest to us.  We are specifically interested in those who can demonstrate a track record of delivering a step change and diversification of income sources and which are currently an active practitioner with success in the modernisation of fundraising streams within the third sector. 

Time Commitment

The standard term for a Trustee is 3 years, with a maximum of 9 years (consecutive or non-consecutive). MediCinema's board currently meets five times per year, including one fully online meeting and four hybrid meetings held in a central London location. We strongly prefer that trustees attend at least 50% of the hybrid meetings in person.

Join Us and Make a Difference

Being a MediCinema Trustee is a rewarding opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of patients, families, and carers. You'll collaborate with a passionate team, contribute to the growth of a unique charity, and bring the magic of film to a growing network of hospitals across the UK.

Our Board believes the best teams not only share common goals and values, but they also need a diverse set of skills, perspectives and experiences to truly succeed. We actively seek to engage diverse employees, Trustees and supporters to promote inclusion and diversity.

We look forward to hearing from you!

About Us

With Jesus. With each other. To the edges.

We are passionate about God’s mission and eager to see more and more people become followers of Jesus. For 225 years CMS has been at the forefront of global mission, living out the gospel of Jesus, seeing lives changed and communities transformed across the globe. Often in ways we could not have anticipated. 

Founded by William Wilberforce and other members of the Clapham Sect group of activists in 1799, today CMS supports hundreds of people and partners in mission working together across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. We also train UK Christians for creative, ground-breaking mission in Britain. 

Context

With mission no longer being a “West to the rest” endeavour, and as Christianity has flourished in parts of the majority world, we have undertaken a prayerful review of our organisation, in order to discern our mission call for this generation.

We have rediscovered and been re-inspired by the pioneering spirit of our founders. We believe our calling for this time is to the “edges”: to the edges of society, the edges of church and to the edges of our comfort zones. To that end, we have been aligning our organisation and focus to play a catalytic role in facilitating movements of mission to and from these edges.

The Role

Taking a listening and reflective approach, as Chair you will draw out the diverse skills and wisdom among our trustees, ensure excellence in our governance, support the executive leadership in delivering our refreshed vision and play a role in strengthening our links with the Global Anglican Communion.

If you share our passion for following Jesus and making disciples at the edges, bring experience at board level, a highly relational approach and a global perspective, we would love to hear from you.

For more information see the job pack attached. Closing date 14 August.

We are looking for a dynamic leader to help steer Peace Direct in the years ahead. We are looking for someone who cares deeply about the importance of supporting local civil society, who has strong experience of charity governance, and is accustomed to working collaboratively with the CEO and the Senior Leadership Team, and across cultural contexts to build a strong organisation. This is no ordinary Board Chair role. Peace Direct has been at the forefront of thinking about how the international NGO sector needs to transform itself, including how to tackle structural racism. We are looking for a Board Chairperson who will embrace the challenge of leading a Board that will model the changes we hope to see in the wider sector. As part of our commitment to shifting power, we are open to the idea of a co-Chair arrangement, with one Chair based in the Global South/Majority World. 

The Chair will lead the Board in its role of ensuring clear strategic direction for PD, compliance with requirements for effective financial and people management, and sound corporate governance in line with PD’s own values and relevant regulatory frameworks. The Chair will also support and, where appropriate, challenge the Chief Executive and foster collaborative and constructive engagement within the Board and between the Board and Peace Direct’s management and staff. They should be willing to act as an ambassador and the public face of the charity as part of PD’s external communications efforts. The Chair will also line manage the Chief Executive in line with PD’s HR procedures. 

Solace is a Domestic Abuse Charity, this year celebrating 50 years of providing services to women and children. We are at an exciting time in our development with a new Executive Team. We are seeking new Trustees to contribute and define our role and maximise our impact.

Those using our services often have multiple and complex needs relating to their health and wellbeing, often experiencing multiple traumas in their lives.  We are unique in our offer, offering a range of services for women and children experiencing domestic abuse and sexual violence.

We are looking for people with skills, expertise and knowledge in the following areas:

Legal- We are looking for a dynamic legal professional to work closely with Trustees to maintain an overview of the regulatory environment and our contractual obligations and support strong governance. You will have strategic vision, experience and expertise in charity law, commercial law, property law or employment law.

Fundraising – We want to increase the fundraising and governance skills on our Board. We are looking for a dynamic individual who can bring their skills and expertise in fundraising to support Solace to build on our innovative fundraising strategy as well as managing risk appropriately and ensuring compliance.

NHS commissioning – We want to increase our knowledge and skills on the Board with an individual who has experience of   assessing needs, planning and prioritising, purchasing and monitoring health services, to get the best health outcomes.  We are looking for a dynamic individual with experience and understanding of Integrated Care systems to support Solace to navigate these commissioning and planning processes.

Digital technologies/ competencies- We want to increase our knowledge in digital strategy and digital infrastructure.We are looking for an individual who can support us to embrace digital changes and become more resilient as a charity. We are aware that digital advances could allow us to try new ways of working and new approaches to support survivors.

The Infection Prevention Society are recruiting a number of voluntary positions to join our Board of Trustees

Our charity is about to begin a period of transformational change.  We are in the process of recruiting our first staff-team, and are now looking for additional Trustees to join and work with the Board of Trustees and support our new six-strong team (which will include a CEO).

We are an organisation our new Trustees will be proud to be a part of. Our current Board of Trustees are excited for our future and our members are supportive of the changes to the Society’s management structure.  For the past year we have worked closely with our Interim Managing Director and our members, Branches, Special Interest Groups and Business Groups to develop our new strategy - Working together to prevent infection.  

The aim of the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) is to inform, promote and sustain evidence-based infection prevention policy and practice to create a health and care system where no person's health and wellbeing is harmed by preventable infection. 

Our broad membership includes infection control practitioners, scientists, clinicians and industry experts and we support our members via branches across the UK and Ireland.  We deliver educational opportunities to support best practice in infection prevention and control through an annual conference, study days, our academic journal, and research activity.  We support our members with a competency framework and credentialing system, international engagement opportunities and product evaluation services for industry.

The Infection Prevention Society has an independent Board of Trustees who are responsible for governance and risk management functions of the society.  These include developing long-term strategy, assuring financial stability and compliance with governing documents, and evaluating performance.  The Board works with the Management Executive Group (MEG) who are responsible for leading and managing the business activity of the Society. 

What are we looking for?

Our new trustees will have skills in one or more of the following areas:

· Strategic leadership

· Charity governance

· Corporate law

· Marketing

· Income generation (such as  fundraising from Trusts and Foundation, Corporate partnerships and or educational resources and events)

As a Trustee you will be able to contribute to the work of the society by:

· Shaping the strategic direction

· Making decisions that enhance its influence

· Assuring good governance of the society

We are looking for applicants who really want to make a positive impact on our organisation. They should have strategic vision and good judgement, an ability to think creatively, and willingness to contribute opinions and ideas.  A willingness to challenge is also desirable. An understanding of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship is desirable although Trustees induction and training would be available. Previous experience as a Trustee is also desirable but not essential.  Although the trustee positions are unpaid, reasonable expenses will be reimbursed. Trustees induction and training would be available.

The Board of Trustees hold a minimum of four meetings per year and trustees are also expected to attend the Annual General meeting which is held in the autumn. 

The IPS values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We are inclusive and we believe diversity of thought will help us to achieve our strategy to Work together to prevent infection.  We welcome applicants from all groups, in particular those who are internationally educated, and represent the global majority. 

Closing date for applications: 9am Monday 12th August 2024

Interviews: date TBC

Role profiles and terms of reference can be found in the application pack

WE'RE LOOKING FOR NEW TRUSTEES!

We have several trustee vacancies and are looking for passionate and enthusiastic people who want to be part of conversations about developing and leading our future.

Power2 is a fast growing and energetic children and young people’s charity that has supported 27,000 young people since 2001.We’re based in the North West of England and London and deliver early-intervention asset-based programmes to children and young people who have mental wellbeing challenges and are disengaged from school and more widely. We’re well-known for our award-winning Teens and Toddlers programme. 

In 2023, we launched our new five-year strategy, which entails growing our work so we can meet the needs of more children and young people. Now is an important time for our charity, and we hope that you will want to help us achieve our vision. 

As a Power2 trustee you’ll be an ambassador for the organisation and its work. You’ll share our vision of a world where all children and young people – no matter their background or challenges – can thrive and reach their full potential. 

We’re particularly seeking to appoint trustees with the following skills or background: 

• Chair (please see separate recruitment pack) 

• Finance 

• Child Safeguarding 

• People aged under 25.

A skills audit of our current Board showed that we would benefit from adding to the Board trustees with experience of education leadership, fundraising/income generation, programme impact and evaluation, and HR. 

We’re recruiting for potential so learning in the role is expected, and we will support you in this by providing induction and training. We also believe that diverse voices and perspectives are crucial to our decision-making being effective and equitable, and that our Board needs to represent the breadth of our work and the people and communities we work with.

We particularly encourage applications from:

• People from racialised communities 

• People who are based in the North West of England 

• Disabled people 

We’re always looking to recruit people who have lived experiences of the issues we seek to address (as a child, low family income, disengagement with school and learning, poor wellbeing/mental health, care experienced). 

Would you like to be the next Treasurer of the Infection Prevention Society and join our Board of Trustees?

Our charity is about to begin a period of transformational change.  We are in the process of recruiting our first staff-team, and are now looking for an excellent Treasurer to work with the Board of Trustees and support our new six-strong team (which will include a CEO and a Financial Controller who is an experienced and qualified charity accountant).

We are an organisation our new Treasurer will be proud to be a part of. Our current Board of Trustees are excited for our future and our members are supportive of the changes to the Society’s management structure.  For the past year we have worked closely with our Interim Managing Director and our members, Branches, Special Interest Groups and Business Groups to develop our new strategy - Working together to prevent infection.

The aim of the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) is to inform, promote and sustain evidence-based infection prevention policy and practice to create a health and care system where no person's health and wellbeing is harmed by preventable infection. 

Our broad membership includes infection control practitioners, scientists, clinicians and industry experts and we support our members via branches across the UK and Ireland.  We deliver educational opportunities to support best practice in infection prevention and control through an annual conference, study days, our academic journal, and research activity.  We support our members with a competency framework and credentialing system, international engagement opportunities and product evaluation services for industry.

The Infection Prevention Society has an independent Board of Trustees who are responsible for governance and risk management functions of the society.  These include developing long-term strategy, assuring financial stability and compliance with governing documents, and evaluating performance.  The Board works with the Management Executive Group (MEG) who are responsible for leading and managing the business activity of the Society.

Who we are looking for?

Our new Treasurer and trustee must be:

· Financially competent

· Willing to work with our staff team in managing the finances of the charity

· Willing to assist and support the IPS CEO and Audit and Finance Committee in monitoring the financial performance of the charity

As a Trustee you will be able to contribute to the work of the society by:

· Shaping the strategic direction

· Making decisions that enhance its influence

· Assuring good governance of the Society

We are looking for applicants who really want to make a positive impact on our organisation. They should have strategic vision and good judgement, an ability to think creatively, and willingness to contribute opinions and ideas.  A willingness to challenge is also desirable. An understanding of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship is desirable although Trustees induction and training would be available. Previous experience as a Trustee is also desirable but not essential.  Although the trustee positions are unpaid, reasonable expenses will be reimbursed. Trustees induction and training would be available.  View the trustee Role Description and treasurer Role Description.

The Board of Trustees hold a minimum of four meetings per year and trustees are also expected to attend the Annual General meeting which is held in the autumn. 

The Audit and Finance Committee hold a minimum of four meetings per year.  It is anticipated that where possible these meetings will be held virtually.

The IPS values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We are inclusive and we believe diversity of thought will help us to achieve our strategy to Work together to prevent infection.  We welcome applicants from all groups, in particular those who are internationally educated, and represent the global majority. 

Closing date for applications: 9am Monday 12th August 2024

Interviews: date TBC

Role profiles and terms of reference can be found in the application pack.

The Infection Prevention Society are recruiting a volunteer to join our Board of Trustees and chair our Audit and Finance Committee

Our charity is about to begin a period of transformational change.  We are in the process of recruiting our first staff-team, and are now looking for an excellent Treasurer to work with the Board of Trustees and support our new six-strong team (which will include a CEO and a Financial Controller who is an experienced and qualified charity accountant).

We are an organisation our new Trustees will be proud to be a part of. Our current Board of Trustees are excited for our future and our members are supportive of the changes to the Society’s management structure.  For the past year we have worked closely with our Interim Managing Director and our members, Branches, Special Interest Groups and Business Groups to develop our new strategy - Working together to prevent infection.  

The aim of the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) is to inform, promote and sustain evidence-based infection prevention policy and practice to create a health and care system where no person's health and wellbeing is harmed by preventable infection. 

Our broad membership includes infection control practitioners, scientists, clinicians and industry experts and we support our members via branches across the UK and Ireland.  We deliver educational opportunities to support best practice in infection prevention and control through an annual conference, study days, our academic journal, and research activity.  We support our members with a competency framework and credentialing system, international engagement opportunities and product evaluation services for industry.

The IPS has an independent Board of Trustees who are responsible for governance and risk management functions of the society.  These include developing long-term strategy, assuring financial stability and compliance with governing documents, and evaluating performance.  The Board works with the Management Executive Group (MEG) who are responsible for leading and managing the business activity of the Society.

Who are we looking for?

Our new trustee must have skills in both of the following areas:

· Finance

· Strategic leadership

The trustee will chair our Audit and Finance Committee and as such will need to be a qualified accountant with a CCAB recognised qualification. 

As a Trustee you will be able to contribute to the work of the society by:

· Shaping the strategic direction

· Making decisions that enhance its influence

· Assuring good governance of the Society

We are looking for applicants who really want to make a positive impact on our organisation. They should have strategic vision and good judgement, an ability to think creatively, and willingness to contribute opinions and ideas.  A willingness to challenge is also desirable. An understanding of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship is desirable although Trustees induction and training would be available. Previous experience as a Trustee is also desirable but not essential.  Although the trustee positions are unpaid, reasonable expenses will be reimbursed. Trustees induction and training would be available.

The Board of Trustees hold a minimum of four meetings per year and trustees are also expected to attend the Annual General meeting which is held in the autumn. 

The Audit and Finance Committee hold a minimum of four meetings per year.  It is anticipated that where possible these meetings will be held virtually.

The IPS values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We are inclusive and we believe diversity of thought will help us to achieve our strategy to Work together to prevent infection.  We welcome applicants from all groups, in particular those who are internationally educated, and represent the global majority. 

Closing date for applications: 9am Monday 12th August 2024

Interviews: date TBC

Role profiles and terms of reference can be found in the application pack.

Exeter Community Initiatives (ECI) is seeking new Trustees

Commitment: 2-3 hours per month

Location: Exeter/Hybrid

Contract: voluntary

ECI has an active board of trustees known as the ECI Council. The trustees set the strategic direction of the organisation and oversee the governance required to deliver innovative projects and programmes that meet the needs of people in Exeter and wider Devon.

We are seeking multiple trustees to strengthen and diversify our board. We are particularly interested in hearing from people who have skills and experience in the following areas:

• Using ECI’s services or similar services of other organisations.
• Have relocated to Exeter and/or have faced challenges finding a sense of belonging in their community.
• Child and/or adult safeguarding.
• Human resources, particularly employee relations/employment law
• Law/Legal services.
• We are keen to hear from younger applicants as we want to ensure we are including the
  perspectives of young people.

About the role

 As a voluntary trustee you will play an important role in the success of ECI as part of the board team. Your responsibilities will include:

• Contributing to the strategic direction of ECI.
• Advocating for the services we provide and the positive outcome they have for our community.
• Governance oversight to ensure we operate within legal and regulatory frameworks.
• Networking/utilising your skills to enhance our reach and impact.

The board of trustees meet bi-monthly, usually alternating between in person and online, with meetings taking place on weekday evenings. In addition, we will look for your engagement and support in areas of work that your skillset and experiences lend themselves to on an ongoing basis.

All reasonable travel and other associated expenses will be reimbursed in line with ECI’s travel allowance policy.

You don’t need to have previous experience as a charity board trustee – we will give you the support that you need to learn about us and your role.

ECI is an equal opportunities employer and we will provide reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the process. Please contact us to identify any additional support that you might require to enable you to make an application. 

We are looking to appoint two new trustees to our Board of Trustees.

As an appointed trustee, you will also have the opportunity to become an office holder as the Board will be looking to elect to a new posts, including to the role of Chair, in the near future.

We invite any eligible person interested to apply for the role. The trustees we appoint do not necessarily have to have a finance or charity sector background in order to apply.

We are looking for an understanding of the charity sector and finance, but you may have gleaned this in an unrelated professional field or role. We value diversity and believe everyone has a valuable contribution to make. 

For more information, please take a look at our recruitment pack (pdf).

The application deadline is Midday, 29 July 2024, with interviews to be arranged during August and early September. Appointments will be confirmed in October 2024.

About We Are Family 

We Are Family is an extraordinary peer support community for adopters and prospective adopters. We’re there for parents throughout their adoption journey. Online and in person, our parents’ groups, events, resources, podcasts and talks offer mutual support, information and inspiration to adopters and those considering adoption. We currently operate across Greater London and the Home Counties, with ambitions to scale nationally over the coming years. 

You can find out more about us here. 

The Role

We are looking for new trustees to strengthen and enhance our board. The key responsibilities of the role include, governance, overseeing policy and direction, financial oversight and assisting with the leadership and general promotion of We Are Family to support the organisation’s Vision, Mission, Values and needs.

This is a voluntary opportunity with associated Trustee expenses -  such as travel / childcare -  covered by We Are Family.  Trustees can be based anywhere in the UK. 

Commitment

Trustee capacity to devote the time needed for the following is essential:

• 4 Board meetings per year

• 2 Board away days per year (on a Saturday)

• Membership of at least one sub-committee (which also meet 4 times a year)

We estimate 8-10 hours for the charity per month. The duration of membership for a new Board member is for three years in the first instance, with the possibility of appointment for a further three year term.

Skills and Experience 

All applicants should be able to demonstrate the following:

• Be able to show high levels of professionalism and an ability to work collaboratively with others, including Trustees, our core team and the wider Volunteer network at We Are Family

• Be well-organised, with good written and verbal communication skills.

• Previous board/trustee experience is not necessary and we welcome applications from all ages and backgrounds. A thorough induction, and further trustee training as appropriate, can be provided. 

We are particularly interested candidates with the following experience:

• Working as a professional with or in the adoption sector,

• Advocacy and/or research work;

• Finance/charity finance

• Leadership within a charity

• Education 

• Legal.

Although many of our current trustees are adopters themselves, we are also keen to recruit suitably qualified people who are not, but who can demonstrate a commitment to the values and mission of We Are Family.

One of the great strengths of We Are Family is that we are volunteer and member driven, and we represent a diverse community of adoptive parents. We particularly welcome trustees from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds to ensure that the board can benefit from this diversity of experience. We would also welcome single adopters to the board. 

To Apply 

If the opportunity to join an exciting, rapidly growing charity appeals to you as someone able to make a valuable contribution, please get in touch!

Refer to our job ad for the Applications email address and email our team. If you would like an informal conversation about the opportunity, please let us know.

Please note that applications are received and reviewed on an ongoing basis, therefore an early application is advised.

NUS Charity’s mission is that every post-16 student in the UK has an amazing students’ union.

NUS Charity provides the foundations for SUs to thrive. We coach, fund, facilitate and advise to empower SUs across the UK. Our events, programmes and support are designed for members to expand reach, grow income and SUs to provide the best possible student experience.

We are seeking two new Trustees to join our Board to support this work. We’re looking for independently minded people who can offer insight and leadership scrutinize our work and champion what we do.

We are seeking two Trustees to join on a three-year term. The NUS Charity Board consists of 12 members in total, four member Trustees from students’ unions elected by NUS UK members, four members of NUS UK Board, and four Independent Trustees. Trustees would also serve on the board of our trading subsidiary NUS Services.

As a trustee you’ll attend board meetings, scrutinise finances, feed into strategy for the Charity and make sure we are fulfilling our Charitable objects.

We are seeking to recruit the widest possible pool of talent to be NUS Charity Independent Trustees.  We need people who can perform the role of a Trustee in overseeing finance, risk, and delivering our strategy, but we also need a bit more than that. 

Fundamentally, we’re interested in people who can support NUS Charity to be sustainable and thereby support the success of its members.  Some of the skills that we’re interested in are listed below – this is non-exhaustive and we wouldn’t expect one candidate to possess all of them!

· Experience in acting as Trustees or non-executive directors

· An awareness of the work of membership organisations and being led by members

· Commercial expertise and an interest in growing our commercial offer

· An excellent track record in supporting organisations to deliver positive outcomes on diversity, equality, and social justice

· Wide ranging knowledge in building links with public sector organisations

· Professional expertise i.e. accountant or lawyer

But we also need a bit more than that. As a Trustee you’ll be an active listener, someone who can interact with a range of stakeholders, holding to account and getting your point across with tact and clarity. We’re looking for people who actively live our values to be students’ union focussed, collective and anti-oppression in everything we do.

We want a wide range of applicants with a diverse range of skills who share a common belief in the ability of students’ unions to affect change.  This is open to anyone who believes they can volunteer to take NUS Charity on the next steps of its journey.

We’re totally committed to equality of opportunity for all. We welcome applications from individuals regardless of their age, disability, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation. We particularly welcome applications from black, asian and minority ethnic candidates, as they are currently under-represented as Trustees of NUS Charity and within the charity sector more broadly.

We are looking to recruit new Trustees to help us delivery our new exciting strategy.

We thrive on difference - sadly rape and sexual abuse affects everyone in all of communities - as a Trustee Board we want to reflect all those individual characteristics and life experiences so that we can respond most sensitively to the needs of everyone who uses or would like to use our services.

Where you live, how old you are, whether you work and if so what you do, whether you have been a Trustees before or whether you consider yourself a leader are not the characteristics that will make you a good Trustee at Birchall. Sharing our belief and having passion and energy to help the organisation achieve that, is what matters. 

Being a Trustee at Birchall is a rewarding and exciting experience. We currently have 44 team members - a mixture of employed and freelance across Cumbria, North Lancs, East Lancs, and the Fylde Coast, and numerous volunteers and people with lived experience involved in our services,

You'll join a strong team dedicated to supporting people affected by rape and sexual abuse. Each year we campaign, fundraise and offer educational programmes as well as wellbeing services and group work activity sessions.

At Birchall, we work in a trauma informed way, which means we realise the widespread impact of trauma and understand potential paths for recovery. Our services allow people to work on a deeper level and address the trauma they have experienced. We are committed to the highest standards of governance as a Trustee Board and we will ensure you have the training and support to participate fully and to feel prepared and empowered as a Trustee.

We have a challenging strategic plan but wow what a difference we can make to individuals and communities if we achieve that.

The main criteria we are looking for is someone who is enthusiastic about the work we do here at Birchall and is keen to get stuck into being on a board. We know that this will mean you will come with great ideas and thoughts. We all have different experiences from many walks of life and feel like there is so much that would be beneficial for us to learn from.

As a trustee, some of the things you could support us with are:

Championing our vision to live in a world free of rape, sexual abuse and sexualised violence

Be involved in various sub committees, bringing your expertise and knowledge

Support our financial planning and accounts

Monitor the risks to the organisation and ensure we are putting in steps to manage them Oversee our safeguarding processes

Grow the voice of people with lived experience within our governance

Understand and accept the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of being a trustee (we can organise training for this)

Lead on making sure the Birchall is well governed and complies with its constitutional and charitable objectives

We’re not expecting you to do all of these things, but if there is anything on this list that speaks to you or sparks your interest, and you feel passionate about what we do and want to get stuck in, We would love to hear from you. Don’t think you can’t make a difference – together we can! 

 If you'd like to apply, we just want to hear 2 things from you:

1. A bit about who you are and what experience you have (this doesn't have to be paid employment!). What are some interesting things you've done in your life?

2. A quick explanation of why you're applying for the role. What makes this sound interesting to you?

Becoming a Trustee for Herts Musical Memories

Herts Musical Memories are celebrating there 8th Year of becoming a charity and we are now at last, beginning to recover from the Pandemic. We urgently need to expand our board to ensure that the charity continues to grow – the following provides some background to our work and lays out what it means to become a trustee.

Herts Musical Memories purposes are:

• To facilitate structured group sessions designed around the principles of music therapy and group singing for people with dementia and their carers.

Herts Musical Memories objectives are:

• To provide activities for people with dementia and their carers that help stimulate memories

• To provide activities that incorporate social interaction and peer support for people with dementia and their carers

• To reduce feelings of isolation for families coping with dementia and to provide access to artistic and social stimulation

What Herts Musical Memories values are:

Health, wellbeing and equality will be at the core of all Herts Musical Memories activities relating to service users, staff and volunteers and the wider public.

In relation to our service users Herts Musical Memories will actively promote equality for people with dementia.  To free them from fear and isolation and to use our services to demonstrate to the wider public that people with dementia still have a place in society and should be treated with dignity and respect.

The Singing Sessions:

‘Thank you for Bringing the sunshine into my Mum’s week.’  Carer

Herts Musical Memories provides stimulating social activities involving music, seated movement and singing for people with dementia and their carers.  The charity runs 9  groups in 4 weekly blocks across Hertfordshire with an admin and song preparation session every 5th week.  There is an average of 25 people per session with sometimes over 30 people attending.  The sessions last 90 minutes with time set aside for socialising and light refreshments. 

Most of the participants are dealing with the impact of an early diagnosis and are usually accompanied by a family member, usually a spouse.  People who live alone often come with a professional carer.

Sessions are held at fixed dates and times in community centres or church halls. The venues are chosen carefully for ease of access, to be on regular bus routes, good parking and for having good facilities. This does mean that, sometimes the venue can be expensive, but the venue plays an important part in making the sessions a positive experience.

The sessions are structured to include a range of activities that are repeated each week providing the service users with a routine that becomes familiar with regular attendance.  Songs are chosen from popular music from the 1950s going up to the 1970s. The sessions will include; songs that require movement, singing rounds where people get a chance to sing in harmony, rhythm exercises using percussion instruments and exercises in dexterity using bean bags.

The service users are taught new songs – incredibly due to the way the human brain remembers music, people with dementia can cope with this and actively enjoy learning new things – this increases their confidence and boosts their self-esteem.

The sessions are delivered by a professional group leader with the support of volunteers. 

Finances:

Herts Musical Memories has no formal funding – we raise a contribution through fees which are £6 per session, we raise up to £10,000 per year through events held on our behalf another £5,000 through donations and the rest we have to fundraise for.  To run the charity effectively we need to raise just over £10,000 per group.  To help us achieve this we have developed a 5 year fundraising strategy.  Our goals are to achieve enough funding to recruit a part time administrator, create a reserve of 6 months running costs ensuring a sustainable future.

‘I’d like to thank you, you make me feel so happy’ - guest

What Does it Involve to Become a Trustee

Trustees share formal responsibility for the charity and must act in its best interests, regardless of how they're elected or appointed. Some trustees may take on specific roles on the board, such as chair, vice-chair, secretary and treasurer.

Herts Musical Memories meets 4 times per year mainly on Zoom but with some face to face in West Hertfordshire.  If a trustee has particular expertise in finance, fundraising, HR we do occasionally hold one on one sub meetings with the CEO.  No experience is necessary as there is plenty of training available – it is a commitment but it is a rewarding commitment.  Becoming a trustee is about taking on a position where you can make a real difference to the people who live in your local community.

Top five traits of a good trustee

· A good trustee is ready for a challenge – running a small charity is always a challenge and supporting the CEO in facing those challenges is a vital role of a trustee.  Whether it be support, advice or helping to access the necessary expertise that can support the charities development

· They are open and listen to many voices – there are many people prepared to offer advice and many voices to be heard, from the team running the charity to the beneficiaries.  Listening and understanding enables a trustee to offer advice and help the charity seek solutions that will improve and enable it to reach its goals.

· Trustees are team players – running a charity is a team effort which is relevant from the Board through to the beneficiaries by working together as a team a charity is more likely to prosper and grow.

· Trustees have expert knowledge – this expert knowledge can be in training, marketing, fundraising, HR, Law or it could be in a first hand knowledge of the charities services and the impact it has on families and the ability to use that understanding to enhance the charities service for people living with dementia.

· They exercise good judgement and care – this is essential, working with vulnerable adults comes with a lot of responsibility. We need to be sure we work within the parameters of Charity Commission’s guidelines to ensure good practice which protects all involved from the  trustees, staff and beneficiaries.

A good trustee also knows what they are doing within the framework of their role. At a basic level, they should understand and know how to act as described by The Charity Commission.  The regulator’s ‘The essential trustee’ guidance sets out six main duties:

· Ensuring that the charity is working for the benefit of the public

· Compliance with the law

· Acting in the best interests of the charity

· Ensuring accountability

· Financial responsibility

· Acting with reasonable care and skill

It may seem overwhelming to become a trustee but it is, as mentioned so rewarding and the satisfaction, that as a trustee you are truly making a positive difference to people lives.

 Please note Herts Musical Memories is based in Bushey, Hertfordshire (Hence why this is the position location listed), however meetings with trustees are typically held in locations within West Hertfordshire or remotely via Zoom.