Governance and policy officer volunteer roles

Equal Aqua is seeking a Trustee with significant fundraising expertise to provide strategic leadership and hands-on support to drive substantial income growth as the organisation scales towards a seven-figure annual income. The role involves actively leveraging networks to open doors to major donors, corporate partners and grant-makers, initiating high-value funding conversations and developing new income streams. The Trustee will help shape and oversee the organisation’s long-term fundraising strategy, support the cultivation and conversion of major funding opportunities, mentor the fundraising team and strengthen proposals and donor engagement. Acting as an ambassador for the organisation, they will also help raise Equal Aqua’s profile within influential networks while ensuring strong governance, accountability and performance through the Board and Fundraising Committee. The ideal candidate will bring senior-level fundraising experience, strong sector knowledge in areas such as WASH, climate or international development, and a network capable of unlocking significant new funding opportunities.

Equal Aqua is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in the UK; Equal Aqua Uganda is a registered Community Based Organisation (CBO) in Uganda (‘EAU’ refers to both). Both operate equally and in unison. The purpose of EAU is to enable communities in Uganda to have access to safe and sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities. EAU supports schools and communities facing the greatest WASH inequalities by providing water tanks and filters, running classes and workshops, and empowering young people to be WASH change makers in their community. The current Board of Trustees, consisting of 5 members based in UK and Uganda, provides guidance to the volunteer EAU management team as well as supporting the implementing volunteers based in UK, Uganda and other countries.

The objectives of EAU are, in Uganda, to:

1. To improve access to safe and sustainable WASH for those facing the greatest inequalities in Uganda

2. To strengthen the participation of local communities in WASH, in particular women and girls, and displaced peoples

3. To take action to protect the natural environment, reduce pollution and tackle climate change

The role of trustees is:

1. Sculpt and maintain EAU’s vision, mission, objectives and values.

2. Act as ‘critical friends’ in the development of EAU’s policy, programming and planning.

3. Actively champion EAU externally, opening doors to people and organisations that can support our cause, fostering awareness and engagement in the UK, Uganda and internationally.

4. Support in particular with income generation activities, advising and supporting delivery of major campaigns and helping to build EAU’s donor and partner base.

5. Establish and maintain systems for reporting and monitoring.

6. Ensure that the financial affairs of the organisation are conducted properly and are accurately reported.

7. Manage risk and ensure compliance and accountability with the governing document (EAU Constitution), external regulators and the law (UK and Uganda).

8. Safeguard EAU’s assets – both physical assets, including property, and intangible ones, such as its reputation.

Ensure EAU has the appropriate structure and resources to deliver the above.

Trustee Responsibilities:

1. To attend and contribute to EAU Board of Trustee meetings, held at least on a quarterly basis. To work with EAU management to set an agenda in advance of this meeting.

2. Currently, Trustees will hold the position for a maximum of 3 years. This length of trusteeship will be reviewed with the aim of staggering Trustee terms to ensure a smooth transition between board members.

3. To support the recruitment of additional trustees, from diverse backgrounds and providing a range of expertise.

4. To offer personal expertise and skills in select areas for the benefit of EAU. This may include legal, management, practical, fundraising, marketing or other relevant areas.

5. To offer advice and feedback on EAU’s main fundraising programmes, e.g. events and grant applications.

Additional Responsibilities of Trustee with fundraising expertise

To provide strategic leadership and hands-on support to drive significant and sustainable income growth for Equal Aqua, with the ambition of building towards a seven-figure annual income.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Fundraising Leadership
   Provide Board-level oversight and strategic direction for the development and execution of an ambitious, multi-year fundraising strategy aligned with EAU’s growth plans, ensuring clear pathways to seven-figure annual income.
2. Active Income Generation & Network Mobilisation
   Proactively generate income by leveraging personal and professional networks to:
   • Open doors to high-value donors, grant-makers, corporates and philanthropic partners
   • Introduce EAU to influential individuals and decision-makers
   • Initiate and nurture strategic funding conversations
   • Identify and pursue new income streams and partnership opportunities

This role requires active relationship-building and direct contribution to income growth, not solely advisory input.

1. Pipeline Development & High-Value Fundraising
   Support the identification, cultivation and conversion of major funding opportunities, including trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships and major donors. Where appropriate, personally lead or co-lead high-value approaches.
2. Committee Leadership & Support
   Provide experienced guidance to the Fundraising Committee and fundraising volunteers, strengthening capability, confidence and performance across the team.
3. Hands-On Mentorship & Quality Assurance
   Offer practical, hands-on support to fundraising volunteers, including:
   • Reviewing and strengthening proposals and pitch materials
   • Advising on donor strategy and positioning
   • Supporting preparation for high-stakes meetings and presentations
4. Visibility & Advocacy
   Act as an ambassador for EAU, raising the organisation’s profile in relevant networks, events and forums, and positioning EAU as a credible, high-impact partner.
5. Governance & Accountability
   Attend quarterly Fundraising Committee meetings (one of EAU’s management committees) and relevant Board meetings, ensuring clear income targets, performance monitoring and accountability for results.

Desired Background and expertise of Trustee with Fundraising expertise.

 Senior Fundraising Experience

• A substantial track record (ideally 5+ years) in charity fundraising, with experience operating at a strategic level. This should include demonstrable success in securing significant income from one or more of the following: trusts and foundations, major donors, corporate partnerships, institutional funders or high-net-worth individuals. Experience supporting organisations through periods of income growth or scale-up is highly desirable. International development experience is strongly preferred.

• Sector-Relevant Knowledge
  Strong understanding of fundraising dynamics and donor priorities within one or more of Equal Aqua’s core thematic areas, including:
  • WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene)
  • Climate and environmental sustainability
  • Menstrual health and gender equality
  • Rural enterprise and livelihoods
  • International development

Familiarity with the funding landscape in these sectors – including trends, key funders and partnership models – would be a significant advantage.

• Network & Influence
  An established professional network that can be activated in support of Equal Aqua’s growth ambitions, with the credibility and confidence to engage senior decision-makers and prospective funders.

• Strategic & Commercial Acumen
  The ability to think entrepreneurially about income generation, identify new revenue opportunities, and contribute to building a diversified and resilient funding portfolio.

Role: Trustee 
Hours: Attendance at Board meetings six times a year, with reading and preparation before meetings
No Salary:  Unpaid volunteer role, expenses paid
Location: Meetings held on zoom or at our head office in London SE20
Deadline:  17th May 2026
Interviews:  In person in London SE20

ABOUT US

Bromley & Croydon Women's Aid (BCWA) aims to empower anyone suffering domestic abuse so they can make informed choices about their future. Our services are confidential, non-judgmental and respectful of diversity.

BCWA puts anyone who contacts us for support at the heart of decision making, so that they can gain the confidence, strength and self-respect needed to free themselves from abusive relationships

Our Ethos

BCWA believe in providing high-quality services to anyone fleeing domestic abuse. We have been working since 1975 to:

• focus on maintaining the independence, confidence and self-esteem of anyone we help
• be responsive to the needs of individuals in a culturally appropriate and sensitive way
• treat our residents, clients, staff and partners with integrity, honesty and respect.

Our Mission Statement

Our mission is to end all forms of domestic abuse in our community.  Our vision is to support and empower women to create change in their lives, so that they and their children can live free from domestic abuse and improve their quality of life.

OUR SERVICES

BCWA provide a wide range of services including:

Refuge

We provide safe accommodation for any woman and her children who is experiencing domestic abuse, or who is at risk of abuse.

Children are welcomed by Child Support Officers. Refuges have fully-equipped playrooms, where the project workers organise activities, after-school clubs, play sessions, fun days and one-to-one therapeutic activities.

BCWA is a registered housing provider with the Regulator or Social Housing (i.e. a Housing Association) and operates supported housing in a mix of owned and leased properties, some as managing agent for other housing associations, some operated independently.

Advice & Support

BCWA telephone Helpline supports women in the community who want to know what their options are around domestic abuse, or who need a non-judgmental listening ear. We run 12-week ‘Keys to Freedom’ support groups which offer a path to recognising abuse and peer support for recovery.

We offer advice to the friends and families of anyone experiencing domestic abuse. We give our expertise to legal and social services professionals, and we support women at appointments, accompany them to court, and also put them in contact with other services that can help them.

Our other services include:

Japanese service - BCWA, in partnership with the Japanese Embassy in London, offers outreach advice in Japanese to survivors of domestic abuse

NRPF/EEA service - Our specialist advisor works with migrant women without recourse to public funds (NRPF) and those from the EEA to regularise their immigration status and access benefits & support.

Men's service - All BCWA locations are women-only spaces, but men can be supported via our One Stop Shop service or by the IDSVA (high-risk) service in Bromley.

Our Approach to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Our work is based on building meaningful, supportive, enduring and respectful relationships with women from all cultures. We cannot do this without a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. BCWA’s approach is to try to make sure that EDI is central to everything we do and informs both our services and our organisational culture. 

Our goal is to develop and deliver consistently inclusive programmes, projects and services that support and bring together survivors of domestic abuse and their children and facilitate empowerment and recovery. We believe this enables best practice domestic abuse support, hope this will make everyone's experiences richer, and ultimately lead to more inclusive communities and sector best practice. 

BECOMING A TRUSTEE

What is a Trustee?

Trustees ensure their charity has a clear strategy, and that its work and goals are in line with its vision. A trustee's role in a charity is to be the ‘guardians of purpose’, making sure that all decisions put the needs of the beneficiaries first. They safeguard the charity’s assets – both physical assets, including property, and intangible ones, such as its reputation. They make sure these are used well and that the charity is run sustainably.

Why become a Trustee?

Being a Trustee can be very rewarding. As a Trustee you have the chance to support and shape the work and strategic direction of an organisation, and you can make a significant difference to a cause that matters to you.

Being a Trustee offers the opportunity for professional development. It can let you gain experience of strategy and leadership, and boost your CV. It will give you experience of being a non-executive director, such as setting a strategic vision, influencing and negotiation, and managing risk. If you already have significant experience in these areas, it can be stimulating to use it in a different and potentially challenging context. You will be part of a team and will have the opportunity to apply your unique skills and experience while learning from others. Working closely with a passionate team of people who have different perspectives is often one of the most enjoyable aspects of the role. Trustees often say that being a board member has been one the richest sources of learning in their professional lives.

Why join our board?

BCWA was founded by a group of local women in Bromley who wanted to do something practical to support women in their local community and has been run by women and for women ever since. Over the past few years the organisation has grown considerably but still operates very much in the spirit of grassroots feminist women’s movement of the 70s, out of which it was founded.

Many of our trustees, staff and volunteers have lived experience of domestic abuse, and the organisation actively welcome survivors at all levels. We are a supportive, warm and friendly group and we genuinely strive to foster great relationships. Our Board is made up of a diverse group of women with a broad range of backgrounds, skills and experience. This team operates on mutual respect and true collaboration in order to provide the best leadership possible to the charity. We are solutions oriented, creative, forward-thinking and passionate about working to end domestic abuse.

BCWA has seen sustained growth over the last few years and has increased its property portfolio to provide a range of dispersed ‘move on’ accommodation for women leaving refuge, with continued support.

The charity is also committed to an ongoing process of service improvement via stakeholder feedback and analysis of needs and gaps in provision. Our local knowledge and specialist expertise positions us very well to innovate in co-producing new services.

In addition to trauma-informed accommodation and community-based services, BCWA has developed a therapeutic service alongside, which encompasses child play therapy and a specialist in-house counselling service for women. This supports the health and wellbeing of survivors going forward as well as working towards the prevention of repeat victimisation.

A trusteeship with BCWA is an exciting opportunity to be part of a dynamic organisation, contribute to the local community and impact thousands of women’s lives for the better. It is a truly pivotal time to join the board at BCWA, as we develop and implement innovative new services that will add significantly to the breadth and impact of support available to survivors of domestic abuse in Bromley & Croydon.

What skills are we looking for?

We are looking for a range of new trustees with a range of different skills to shape and steer the future of this dynamic organisation, as well as bring wisdom, energy and new perspectives to our governance.  We would particularly welcome applications from women with knowledge of or experience working in the following sectors:

· Social housing, social investment, housing, company or charity or general legal background

· Provision of mental health services

· AI expertise

ROLE DESCRIPTION

We are looking for strategic-minded individuals with a variety of skills to join our board. Our trustees play an essential role in making sure that BCWA achieves its core purpose. They oversee the overall management and administration of the charity. They also ensure that we have a clear strategy and that our work and goals are in line with our vision.

Trustee duties

• To ensure the BCWA is carrying out its purposes, as set out in its governing document.
• To ensure the charity complies with its governing document, charity law and any other applicable laws.
• To act in the charity’s best interests, making balanced and adequately informed decisions.
• To contribute actively to the Board of Trustees in giving firm strategic direction, setting overall policy, defining goals and setting targets (including evaluating performance against set targets).
• To provide guidance using previous experience and expertise on a range of aspects of BCWA's business, including support to set up new initiatives.
• To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the Organisation.
• To monitor the financial, strategic and operational performance of BCWA.

In addition to the above responsibilities, each Trustee should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they possess, to enable the Board to reach sound decisions. This may involve leading discussions, focusing on key issues, scrutinising reports, providing advice and guidance on new issues, particularly where a Trustee has specific expertise. Our board meets bi-monthly and holds an Annual General Meeting.

Personal skills and qualities

• 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: working to end domestic abuse.
• Commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

What impact will you have?

You will be joining an organisation actively opposed to all forms of discrimination providing a service that is confidential, non-judgmental and respectful of diversity.

You will have the opportunity to showcase your skills as well as learn new ones.

We are a feminist organisation and recognise the gendered nature of domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls.

Time Commitment

• Attendance at board meetings which take place six times a year. Meetings are held in the early evening, mostly on-line, with one or two held in-person at our south-east London Head Office.
• Trustees will also need to carry out any pre-meeting reading and preparation and may be contacted occasionally for advice.

Further Information

We are very happy to have informal discussions about the role and warmly welcome candidates to visit us or observe a board meeting if they wish.

New Trustees are assigned an existing member who is responsible for their induction and support for a period of 6 months.

As our organisation works with extremely vulnerable clients, safeguarding is one of our key priorities. Please contact us if you would like more info or to view our SG policies. In light of this, offers are subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

Female applicants only: In light of the nature of work, the candidate’s gender is considered to be an occupational requirement in accordance with Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010. 

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion: BCWA is committed to supporting and promoting equality & diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. To achieve this, we seek to employ a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds to better represent the communities we serve. 

BCWA is an Equal Opportunities Employer. 

Reg. Charity No.1068007.