Trustee with finance and accounting experience volunteer roles in toronto, ontario

About Been There

Been There is a fast-growing UK charity on a mission to change the way we support mental health. Right now, we connect people facing body image struggles and eating disorders with trained volunteer Mentors who truly get it because they’ve *been there* themselves.

But that’s just the beginning. Our big vision is to unlock the life-changing power of peer support across the UK, offering a safe, human alternative for people facing all kinds of challenges, including anxiety, OCD, depression, and grief.

Our unique online platform offers free, confidential, and compassionate support for up to three months, giving people a space to open up to someone who’s been through similar experiences. Whether they’re on a waiting list for treatment or just not ready for a clinical route, we’re here to make sure no one has to struggle alone.

By reducing isolation and shame, helping people feel seen and understood, and building resilience and hope for the future, Been There is redefining how we respond to mental health one conversation at a time.

About the Role

As Been There continues to grow, we're looking for a friendly and reliable volunteer bookkeeper to help us stay financially organised behind the scenes.

You’ll be part of a small, passionate team making a big impact in the mental health space — and your work will help us support even more people who are struggling.

This is a flexible, remote role that can easily fit around your other commitments. If you’ve got a few hours a week to spare and a head for numbers, we’d love to hear from you

Key Responsibilities

• Recording day-to-day financial transactions in our accounting software
• Processing payments in and out (accounts payable and receivable)
• Reconciling bank accounts and balance sheet items
• Preparing simple financial reports like profit & loss statements and balance sheets
• Keeping an eye on our cash flow and supporting budgeting and forecasting
• Helping with payroll and making sure things like PAYE and National Insurance are sorted

If you are interested, there will be opportunities as we expand to help with:

• Supporting grant applications with financial data or simple forecasts
• Helping us track restricted vs unrestricted funds
• Contribute ideas to improve our financial processes or policies
• Attending the occasional trustee meeting to provide finance updates
• Preparing figures for our annual charity return or independent examination
• Plus: if you want to advance your career, you will be supported and guided with our Treasurer.

About the Person

• Experience with bookkeeping or accounts (charity-specific experience is a bonus but not essential)
• Confident in using Xero accounting software
• A basic understanding of UK payroll and deductions
• Good attention to detail and ability to stay organised
• A good communicator
• Someone who’s happy to work independently and can manage their time well
• Trustworthy & discreet – You’ll be handling sensitive financial information, so it’s important you can keep things confidential and act with integrity

How to apply

To apply, please submityour CV and a short cover letter telling us why you're interested in the role and how your experience meets the criteria

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Closing date: 15th June 2025

We look forward to hearing from you!

Equal Opportunities

At Been There, we believe everyone deserves a chance to make a difference.

We warmly welcome applications from people of all races, religions or beliefs, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, ages, and backgrounds. We know that our strength comes from the diversity of voices and experiences in our team.

If you feel inspired to join us, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you and can help with any adjustments you may need!

ABOUT US

Somebody goes missing in the UK every 90 seconds. Missing People exists to ease the heartache experienced by those missing someone, and to help people who are away from home find their way back to safety. Our vision is for every missing child, adult and family left behind to find help, hope and a safe way to reconnect. We are a non-judgemental, highly skilled team of staff and volunteers working for everyone who needs us. We provide free, confidential support, help and advice by phone, email, text and live chat.

In our 30th anniversary year, The Trustees and Executive launched a new 2023-2028 Strategy – From Crisis to Hope in consultation with people with lived experience and key stakeholders. The three key goals are:

1. Going missing is understood as a crisis that can be a matter of life or death
2. All missing people and their loved ones get the right help at the right time
3. Fewer missing people come to harm.

THE IMPACT YOU WILL HAVE

Our Chair of Trustees is integral to the mission and purpose of the charity, holding the Board and Executive Team to account for delivering the mission and achieving our ambitious goals. The Board of Trustees is made up of an experienced team of individuals who bring breadth of background, a range of deep skill sets, lived experience of the issue of missing and demonstrable empathy and passion for the work of Missing People. The Chair of Trustees will be responsible for the effectiveness of the Board of Trustees, planning and guiding meetings to ensure broad dialogue, good decision-making and clear actions.

Our Chair will work closely with the CEO and the Board to develop the charity’s strategy and to oversee its implementation and progress against its business plan. As part of this the Chair will provide support and challenge to the CEO and their senior team. 

As the Chair of Trustees at Missing People you will be driven by a powerful mission to be a lifeline when someone disappears. You will work closely alongside the Board, Executive team and Chief Executive in a collaborative way to lead the charity. The role provides a good opportunity to be involved in strategic planning in an organisation grounded in the issue of missing with a diverse group of committed and motivated Trustees.

Trustees meet quarterly at online and in-person meetings (usually in London). The Board has dedicated Committees for Finance, HR, Ethics, and Safeguarding, and Advisory Groups representing people with lived experience of the issue of going missing, policing, fundraising and policy. The Chair will attend and be a member of other committees or working groups and ensure that the governance arrangements are working in the most effective way for the charity.

ABOUT YOU

The new Chair of Trustees must be passionate about Missing People, its purpose and its values. 

We are looking for a new Chair of Trustees who brings valuable experience, skills and expertise. This might relate to the issue of missing (including personal experience of going missing), senior financial experience, charity experience, policing, legal experience and safeguarding. We are keen to further broaden thinking and perspectives and welcome applications from all areas of the United Kingdom, from all communities, which is important as missing touches every community. We believe diversity is important, and we aim for our board to have a mix of people, talents and backgrounds..

You will need to be aged over 18 and have:

• A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort to your duties as the Chair of Trustees - approximately 2-3 days per month
• Leadership, strategic vision and creative thinking
• Ability to manage a trustee board and take decisions for the good of the charity
• Ability to chair board meetings effectively and manage diverse perspectives
• Strong communication, interpersonal and networking skills
• Independent judgment and be willing to speak your mind
• The ability to read, understand and question reports including financial plans and information
• The ability to follow the rules of governing documents and any professional advice
• The ability to work effectively as a member of a team and encourage team working
• A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices

WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE IN RETURN FOR YOUR COMMITMENT

In return for your commitment you will use your skills and experience to benefit society and to provide better services for missing people and the families left behind. You will receive training in your role as Chair of Trustees and learn new skills and confidence in a range of governance areas.

This is a voluntary role. Please note that Trustee roles are not paid. Reasonable expenses are reimbursed.

FIND OUT MORE AND APPLY

If you want to be a lifeline when someone goes missing, click apply. You will find attached a detailed role description and person specification, a letter to applicants, an overview of committees and a summary of Missing People's Achievements 2024.

To apply, please ensure you include your CV and a brief covering letter explaining the skills and experience you would bring to this role.. We look forward to receiving your application.

Closing date: 23:59 on 6th June 2025

Interviews: Mid June 2025

We are looking for individuals to join our Board in 2025. In recent years we’ve increased and diversified the membership of the Board including the launch of our Associate Board Member programme in 2023. We are looking to continue this work with dynamic and committed people to support further growth and development, building on our achievements.

We want to recruit new Board Members, alongside an opportunity for two Associate Board Members.

Being a Board Member

Board Members play an integral role in providing robust governance and stewardship, in externally supporting future development through advocacy with regional, national and international stakeholders, potential funders and partners from the public and private sectors. Board Members benefit from working with a small, creative and enthusiastic team on the strategic development of the organisation.

What is an AND Associate Board Member?

We have developed a 12 month programme for two Associate Board Members. These roles will work alongside the AND Board of Trustees, and have been designed as a development  programme aimed to support potential candidates who do not yet have (sufficient) board-level experience, or the required availability, but have the passion and potential to be a future AND Board member.

The Associate Board Member roles have been created to support individuals who are currently under-represented in the cultural sector, providing greater access to training opportunities, and to add further diversity and richness of perspective to the organisation.

Associate Board Members will:

• bring unique experience from their field of expertise 
• share our passion for new ideas and artforms
• place inclusion and engagement at the heart of our culture and vision
• be provided with relevant shadowing, mentoring or training opportunities to support their skills development over 12 months
• attend quarterly AND Board meetings (without legal responsibility or voting rights) 
• have the opportunity to apply to become a Board Member after 12 months

It is not necessary to have governance/board-level exposure or experience, but a general understanding of how boards work is required.

If you feel that you don’t quite meet the person specification in the recruitment pack but you’re excited and interested in the opportunity, please get in touch following the application process outlined below.

Joining the AND Board as a Trustee

We are currently looking for individuals to join the AND Board with experience in the following areas: 

• Strategic Regional Public Sector Knowledge
• Environmental Sustainability
• Charity Finance 
• PR / Digital Communications
• Regional commercial business knowledge across the creative sector, immersive and digital technologies

This isn’t an exhaustive list, and we’re interested in hearing from anyone who believes they have skills or experience to positively contribute to the organisation. We’re also looking for candidates interested in exploring a Vice Chair role with a view to future succession planning for AND Chair. We’re committed to opening up opportunities to people who are currently under-represented in the cultural sector, and we particularly welcome applications from candidates from ethnically diverse backgrounds, Disabled candidates and candidates under 30.

What is it like to be on the AND Board?

Read an interview with our Trustees Sam Bompass and Katie Moffat about being on the AND Board.

About AND

AND is an arts organisation known for creating radical, site-responsive projects at the intersection of art, technology and digital culture.

Working across the UK and internationally, AND commissions artists to explore the social, environmental and ethical implications of emerging technologies. Our portfolio includes large-scale outdoor artworks, exhibitions, research programmes, residencies, online projects and our flagship AND Festival — a nomadic biennial bringing cutting-edge digital experiences to diverse locations.

Our work often takes place in unexpected settings, from post-industrial towns to natural landscapes, creating space for bold experimentation and critical reflection. At our core, we champion interdisciplinary collaboration and are committed to inclusive, sustainable practices that challenge what is considered ‘normal’ in culture today

Practical Details

AND’s Board currently meets for a minimum of four times a year, through a mix of online, and in person meetings in Manchester (UK). There are additional, occasional meetings and sub-committee groups which can be attended via video call. We are particularly interested in hearing from North-based candidates, especially those with regional public sector or commercial business expertise, although we are open to applications from candidates from across the UK.

This is an unpaid role. You’ll need to commit around a day a month to the role. AND will reimburse reasonable travel expenses to meetings in full.

How to apply

• Read our AND Board Membership Recruitment Pack or our AND Associate Board Membership Pack
• If you’d like to speak informally about becoming an AND Board Member or Associate Board Member, you are welcome to request a conversation by Friday 30 May 2025
• Following this, we ask for a CV along with a short written statement (max 1 page) / video (max 3 minutes) to be submitted by Midnight Sunday 22 June 2025 with AND BOARD MEMBER ROLE or AND ASSOCIATE BOARD MEMBER ROLE as the subject field.
• Complete an Equal Opportunities Form (submitted anonymously)