85 Volunteer roles

We are a small, established hospital charity which has rebuilt its governance following Covid, and has already restarted fundraising. We are now looking for someone to join us as a TRUSTEE to build the next stage of our fundraising capability.

Is this role for me?

We are looking for someone who wants to make a difference & who enjoys the challenge of fundraising. 

This role will excite you if like the prospect of making things happen; you will be someone who likes strategic ownership combined with practical involvement. Initially it will be about developing a fundraising strategy & a plan which will support the charity’s work. Ongoing the role will likely be more hands on e.g.; writing grant applications, promoting fundraising challenges & overseeing shaker tins located at the hospital & in public houses. 

Make no mistake, it will likely take some time as we work to get everything in place, so you would need to be ready to commit to this. Once things become established then it would be up to you just how much time you want to dedicate beyond keeping everything on track. 

Why are you recruiting now?

While we are proud that we have been supporting St Mark’s for over 50 years, after the pandemic we recognised that we needed to “regroup”. 

The charity identified 2 objectives; firstly, to introduce standards of governance which ensure we fulfil statutory obligations & achieve best practice within a small charity environment, & secondly, to develop our fundraising efforts as these had slipped since the pandemic. 

In the last two years we have appointed a new treasurer to strengthen our financial controls, a new secretary to focus on ensuring our governance meets best practice, & a further trustee with responsibility for developing our marketing effort. 

In the last two years we have moved our annual fundraising income from £zero (post Covid) to c£4 last year & c£5k this year. This has largely been achieved through grant applications, individual supporters nominating us as their charity, a local club that has supported us for many years, a large 1-off donor, & pub shaker tins. Our initial objective is to achieve income of c£18,000 as this would ensure we can maintain current activity without dipping into our reserves; longer term we would naturally want to increase beyond that. However, the trustees recognise that we are lacking the unique skills that a fundraising trustee would provide.

What sort of person do I need to be?

• Able to think strategically and turn ideas into practical fundraising opportunities
• Results driven
• A self-starter who is able to drive the changes needed
• Knowledgeable of charity fundraising regulations & best practice - or not frightened to find them out & go on to implement them
• A strong communicator & team player - the new team is super keen and fab to work with!
• Good at record keeping & reporting of funds raised in conjunction with the treasurer

How much time would I need to dedicate?

You would need to attend Trustee meetings; these typically take place in alternate months. One of these meetings will also include the AGM. Meetings are held in Maidenhead.

There will definitely be other activities which will require action between meetings. For example, creating a fundraising strategy, preparing grant applications or visiting the hospital to maintain shaker tins. While these activities are not onerous, they will be an important part of the role. 

One of the key features of this appointment will be the need to take ownership and drive action. Although we are looking for someone who can help move this forward at speed, we also recognise that “Rome wasn’t built in a day”! 

We anticipate an average commitment of around 3 hours per month for board & working group meetings. Further time would be flexible depending on the need & occasion.

What will I get out of it?

• the opportunity to shape a fundraising programme from the ground up;
• having genuine influence over the charity's development;
• working directly with fellow trustees;
• seeing the tangible impact of funds raised;
• using your professional expertise for a local cause

Is there anything else you think I should know?

Apart from attending our meetings in Maidenhead all other work should be able to be done from home. 

This is a volunteer role & necessary expenses incurred will be reimbursed. 

If you're looking for a rewarding volunteer opportunity where you can use your skills to support a good cause, we'd love to hear from you.