Head of supporter development volunteer roles

About Us

Cherry Trees is a charity. located in East Clandon (near Guildford, Surrey), providing home-from-home short breaks for children aged 0–19 with a range of complex disabilities, including learning, physical, and sensory impairments.

We are rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and care for more than 100 children and young people in a safe, stimulating, and fun environment. At Cherry Trees, we see the child first and the disability second, valuing every child for who they are. We are a dedicated community, enabling children to spend time with friends and enjoy new experiences while their families have a much-needed break from care.

It’s an exciting time to join Cherry Trees. We have recently recruited a new Head of Fundraising and Communications who will be building the team as we invest in a programme of service growth in conjunction with a new 5-year strategy which will be publicised in 2026.

What difference will you make?

Cherry Trees offers a lifeline to vulnerable children and their families. As a Trustee, you will play a key role in helping us to grow and develop and to enable us to continue to provide support and a critical lifeline to even more vulnerable children and their families in great need. Alongside a team of 8 trustees you will play a key role in ensuring we have the maximum impact we can for our community.

Role Description

The treasurer is an officer of the trustee board and not a paid worker. The role of the treasurer is to ensure that all the finances and the supporting financial control systems are kept in order.

Key objectives of the role:

• To provide strategic advice to the Trustees on financial matters as regards the operation and development of Cherry Trees within the direction set by the Chairman of the Trustees.
• To oversee the financial affairs of the Charity and ensure that they are legal, constitutional and within accepted accounting practice.
• To ensure that proper records are kept and that effective financial procedures are in place.
• To monitor and report on the financial health of the Charity.
• To oversee the production of necessary financial reports, returns, accounts and audits.
• The role requires active participation in board meetings and collaboration with fellow trustees and the executive team to support Cherry Trees’ mission.
• The will be a minimum of 8 board and committee meetings to attend

Principal Tasks

The responsibilities of the treasurer are essential for maintaining the financial stability and integrity of the charity, ensuring that it can continue to fulfil its mission and objectives. Specifically, these include:

Financial oversight

• Ensure that all financial records are accurate, up to date and compliant with legal and accounting standards.
• Ensure that effective financial procedures and controls are in place.
• Appraise the financial viability of plans, proposals and feasibility studies.
• Chair the Management and Finance Committee (M&F) quarterly, monitor performance against budgets and ensure that Capital Expenditure is properly controlled in line with the latest Capex Policy approved by the Trustees.
• Attend half-yearly meetings of the Investment Committee at which the Charity’s investment brokers report on their management of the Cherry Trees investments and measure performance against their benchmark.
• Liaise with the investment brokers as necessary to ensure that adequate liquidity (cash flow) is available and that Cherry Trees is able to meet its liabilities.
• Assist the trustees and management in ensuring that the financial reserves of Cherry Trees are maintained at an appropriate level.

Budget Management

• Oversee the production of the annual budget and propose its adoption by the board.

Financial reporting

• Work closely as necessary with the CEO and COO to appoint appropriate external auditors and to ensure that any audit recommendations are implemented in a timely manner.
• Oversee the production of necessary financial reports and accounts and present them, along with any audit recommendations, to the board.

Strategic advisory

• Provide strategic advice to the board on financial matters and help shape the charity's financial strategy.
• Work closely with the CEO and COO to ensure that a long-term financial strategy is in place, which can guide the organisation in achieving its objectives.

Board liaison

• Regularly report the financial position and ongoing financial viability of the charity at board meetings.
• Make fellow trustees aware of their financial obligations and take a lead in interpreting financial data.
• Assist the trustees in ensuring that appropriate steps are taken to manage financial risks that could impact significantly upon Cherry Trees.

Personal skills and qualities

• Knowledge of bookkeeping and financial management.
• Good financial analysis skills with the ability to think about the future as well as the present.
• Strong working knowledge of Excel.
• Be methodical, organised and consistent.
• Ability to communicate clearly.
• Have a strong commitment to the organisation.
• Some experience or knowledge of charity finance, fundraising and pension schemes would be an advantage.

Qualifications

• Strong skills and experience in Financial Statements and Accounting
• Proficiency in Financial Planning, Budgeting, and Finance
• An understanding of charitable organisations and nonprofit financial management is a plus
• Good communication and teamwork abilities
• A commitment to the vision and values of the Cherry Trees Charity
• Professional qualifications in accounting or finance are desirable

Safer Recruitment

Due to the vulnerability of our children and young adults, applicants will be required to complete a short application form and will require an Enhanced DBS check, which the charity will facilitate.