Participation support worker volunteer roles
CHASE Africa is a UK-based international NGO that supports local partners in East Africa to improve health and wellbeing in marginalised rural communities. We are looking for a Trustee with finance skills, to replace our current Treasurer. You will provide scrutiny and oversight of the work of CHASE Africa, with a particular focus on financial issues. You will use your financial knowledge and experience to monitor the financial administration of the charity and report to the Board of Trustees on its state of financial health and provide the board with the confidence and knowledge to make good strategic decisions.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone with extensive financial expertise, who is seeking a voluntary position where they can apply their skills to a meaningful mission.
Since its inception 12 years ago, CHASE Africa has grown from scratch to an income in 2025 of over £830,000 – delivering over 1.5 million healthcare and family planning services to often isolated rural communities. We have a strong and highly motivated staff team and a thriving network of local partners that has expanded from Kenya into Uganda and, later this year, Tanzania.
CHASE Africa’s projects have already brought healthcare and empowerment to tens of thousands of lives, particularly for women and girls, mitigating poverty and helping protect local environments.It has the capacity and opportunity to greatly extend its impact – both geographically and in terms of numbers reached.
We are a small but dedicated team based in Somerset, committed to a collaborative approach to partnership. We're currently going through an exciting period of transition and growth, with a new CEO in 2022, a new charitable structure in 2023, and a new Finance Manager at the start of 2026. Your role will be vital in helping us achieve our future goals.
The Role
- Liaise with CEO and Trustees to ensure the financial viability of the organisation’s strategy
- Advise on the financial implications of CA’s strategic plan (3 year)
- Present CA’s financial position and broader context at Trustees Board meetings
- Support the finance manager with the production of an annual budget
- Ensure that the Board is aware of its financial duties and responsibilities and the need to comply with all legislation
- Take a lead in interpreting financial data for fellow Board members
- Ensure that all financial policies, procedures and the appointment of external financial advisors are reviewed on a regular basis
- Ensure relevant financial policies are in place as required by the charity commission
- Be willing to be available to support the charity’s CEO and Senior Finance Manager as needed
- Review the monthly management accounts report and cashflow with the CEO and finance manager
- Liaise with senior staff to ensure financial reports are user friendly for non-finance trustees
About You
- Good background in financial management and analysis
- Able to communicate financial information clearly and to people with different levels of financial and data literacy.
- Knowledge and experience of finance practice relevant to voluntary and community organisations.
- Have an excellent ability to interpret financial information and the confidence to raise questions and challenge
- Have a good understanding of, or be willing to learn, the rules and regulation around charity finance
- Have the ability to think creatively and strategically, exercising good and impartial judgement
- Knowledge of current accounting processes, tools and procedures
- High proficiency in Excel, Powerpoint for analysis and presentation
- Understands and accepts the legal duties, liabilities and responsibilities of Trustees, and the difference between governance functions and management functions
- High level of integrity and sound judgement
- Commitment to CA’s vision, purpose and culture and its way of working
- Able and willing to devote the necessary time to the role
Additional Desirable
- CCAB/CIMA qualified professional or qualified by experience in financial management
- Awareness and understanding of the campaigning world and the health community in developing countries.
- An interest in international development and the issues we are supporting our partners to tackle in East Africa.
For full information, please see the attached information pack.
To apply for this post, please submit a CV and covering letter by email by the 27th March 2026. The cover letter should be no longer than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.
to support partner organisations, in Africa, that enable access to family planning, healthcare and rights, while protecting the environment.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Are you passionate about health justice? Medact is seeking a new Chair of the Board to help oversee our governance and support our work.
About Medact
Medact organises the health community to work towards a world in which everyone is able to live healthy, dignified lives, supported by political and economic systems that centre health justice. Our priority work areas are some of the most pressing threats to health and wellbeing, including ending state violence, housing & energy justice, and migrant access to healthcare. Medact seeks systemic solutions to major social problems, and is unafraid to hold decision-makers to account. We launched our new five-year strategy at the end of 2025, embedding our vision for how we win and how we grow.
We’re member-led, and our membership spans a range of people who work in health, including nurses, doctors, midwives and clinical researchers, as well as people from the wider health community.
We are now looking for a new Chair of our Board of Trustees. If you share our vision and passion, why not join our Board and help us fight for health justice?
About the role
Our Board of Trustees provides guidance, governance and final sign-off on major decisions on behalf of our membership. Trustees are collectively responsible for the governance of the organisation in line with the requirements of the Charity Commission. Trustees also contribute to the development of Medact's strategy and participate in a range of other activities to support the Director and staff with our work.
There are four planned board meetings per year, which are hybrid, and it is expected that each Trustee will attend most Board meetings. Trustees are also sometimes asked to give their views or sign off on issues between Board meetings if an issue cannot wait. It is hoped that each Trustee will have the capacity to use their unique skills to support the team more broadly with Medact’s work.
As Chair, you will support the Executive Director and staff to help build on our achievements and realise Medact’s vision. You will work with fellow Trustees to make up a strong and effective Board governing the Charity.
Acting as a Trustee is a voluntary role but reasonable travel expenses can be paid.
Who we are looking for
Our current Board brings a broad range of skills, but we recognise that we do not yet reflect the diversity of the health community. There are also specific types of experience and expertise we would like more of on the Board. In particular, we are looking for potential Trustees with one or more of the following attributes:
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Lived experience of an issue that Medact campaigns on, for instance the Hostile Environment, the health impacts of economic or housing injustice, the health impacts of armed conflict or UK security policies
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Experience as a frontline health worker of any sort, preferably current
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Legal and safeguarding expertise
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Fundraising expertise, particularly individual giving or major donor fundraising
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Human resources expertise
As Chair, you will be actively networked within the health community or broader social justice movement and highly experienced in governance or strategic leadership of a charity or NGO. You will have the skills to line-manage the Executive Director. And you will have the ability to advocate on behalf of Medact’s work, as well as helping to build the membership and public image of the organisation.
We hope all Trustees will:
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Share our vision for a fairer and safer world, and our analysis of the transformational change needed to get closer to it
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Approach Board discussions and conversations with the team with an open mind, able to listen to and genuinely engage with others’ views
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Display collaborative behaviours which promote harmony and good team working which supports Medact to be an effective, well-governed organisation
Previous experience on a charity board or in another governance role is useful but by no means essential. If you are interested in becoming a Trustee but aren’t sure you have the right skills and experience, or would like an informal conversation with an existing board member before applying, please get in touch.
Timeline
Applications are open until 9am on Monday 9th March.
We aim to interview candidates in March. Please let us know when applying if you are unavailable during this period.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
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.
We help to keep families together by providing home from home care for children with complex disabilities and a meaningful break for the families.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.


