Trustees Volunteer Roles in Berkshire

Are you passionate about mental health and helping those struggling with body image issues and related disorders? Been There, a start-up mental health charity, is currently seeking a safeguarding trustee to join our dedicated team.

What will you be doing?

Job Summary:

As a safeguarding trustee, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and well-being of our service users. You will work closely with our staff and volunteers to implement safeguarding policies and procedures, provide guidance and support, and help to create a safe and inclusive environment for all individuals.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic

• Consider the organisation’s strategic plans and make sure they reflect safeguarding legislation and expectations of the Charities Commission.
• Work with the CEO and DSL regularly to review and ensure charity policies are creating a safer culture and keeping people safe.
• Check the organisation’s risk register reflects safeguarding risks properly and plans sensible measures to take.
• Make sure there is space on the agenda for safeguarding reports and help trustees understand and challenge those reports.

Effective policy and practice

• Make sure there is a 6 monthly review of safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Understand the monitoring your charity does to see whether policies and procedures are effective.
• Learn from case reviews locally and nationally, to improve your organisation’s policies/procedures.
• Oversee safeguarding allegations against staff or volunteers, together with CEO and DSL.
• Be a point of contact for staff or volunteers if someone wishes to complain about a lack of action in relation to safeguarding concerns.

Creating the right culture

• Champion safeguarding throughout the organisation.
• Attend relevant safeguarding training events (virtually)
• Support the trustees in developing their individual and collective understanding of safeguarding.
• Support regular safeguarding updates for staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.
• Make sure you have ways of gathering the views of staff and volunteers in relation to safeguarding and sharing these with the board.

What are we looking for?

• Qualifications and Experience:

- 5+ years experience in safeguarding, ideally within a mental health/charity setting (essential)

- Previous trustee/governance experience is not essential but would be desirable.

- Knowledge of relevant safeguarding legislation/policies/procedures.

- Commitment to promoting positive body image and mental well-being.

- Understanding of the unique challenges faced by individuals with body image issues and related disorders would be beneficial.

- Skills: Strong strategic thinking, leadership, and decision-making abilities. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.

- Commitment: Ability to commit time for board meetings, committee involvement, and preparation work. Expected to attend quarterly board meetings and contribute to special projects as needed

What difference will you make?

Been There is a charity in the form of an app that connects people aged 18 and over with a vetted and trained mentor to help with any body image issues they may be experiencing. This gives them the opportunity to speak to someone who has ‘Been There’ themselves. Our Mentors are here to support, empower and, most importantly, listen.

The Trustees are a core part of the team and very hands on. We have a tight knit team, and your governance support will ensure we are always acting in the best interests of our service users and team.

How to Apply:

To apply for the Safeguarding Trustee position at Been There Mental Health Charity, please submit your CV and a cover letter outlining your relevant experience and interest in the role.

We look forward to welcoming a dedicated individual to our team and making a difference in the lives of those we support.

Been There is looking for an enthusiastic and experienced individual to join a small, supportive and dynamic team as a Trustee and Secretary of the board.

What will you be doing?

Main Responsibilities:

● To liaise with the chair and chief executive to plan, arrange and produce agendas and supporting papers for trustee meetings and for drafting the subsequent minutes

● To act as charity secretary and ensure that charity law, and regulatory requirements of reporting and public accountability are complied with

● Ensure that all meetings comply with the requirements of the governing document

● Arranging and administrating trustee meetings and any sub-committees in line with legal, and other regulatory requirements, and in accordance with the governing document

● Advise and guide the board on any legal and regulatory implications of the charity’s strategic plan

● Acting as the custodian of the governing document, in liaison with the trustees, reviewing its appropriateness and monitoring that the charity’s activities reflect the objects set out in the governing document. Also, to act as the holder of statutory registers and books, and other legal and important documents such as insurance policies

● Supporting the trustees in fulfilling their duties and responsibilities, organising trustee induction and ongoing training

● Ensuring that trustee decisions are implemented in accordance with the charity’s governing document or other internal operational procedures

● Ensuring the charity’s stationery, including electronic communications (emails, websites etc), orders, invoices, cheques and other relevant documents include all the details required under company law and, if applicable, charity law and/or VAT law

● Plan and prepare the committee meetings and AGM with others as appropriate (planning dates, booking rooms, sending out minutes and other papers

● Minute committee meetings or ensure another minute taker is available

● Accurately record decisions and actions in the minutes and report to the next committee meeting on the progress of actions and the result of decisions

What are we looking for?

Person Specification:

Individuals are sought who have a strong empathy with any body image issues and related mental health concerns. Experience, skills and expertise in charity law, an interest in the well-being of people combined with an in-depth understanding of our work and ambitions are particularly sought.

Knowledge, skills and understanding:

• Record keeping, information retrieval and dissemination of Management Committee data/documentation to the trustees and relevant parties
• Writing agendas and concise minutes
• Knowledge of Charity law and the voluntary sector
• Commitment to the organisation and a willingness to devote the necessary time and effort
• Preparedness to make recommendations to the board and a willingness to speak their mind with diplomacy
• An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
• An ability to work effectively as a member of a team
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to promoting equality and diversity.
• Ability to organize time and work to deadlines.

See attachment for further details.

If this position isn't right for you then please take a look at our profile as we have a number of positions we are recruiting for :)

Share Psychotherapy is a long-standing psychotherapy charity providing long term, low cost therapy. We specifically aim to help people who cannot afford or cannot access therapy elsewhere. If you would like to joinn our board and help to guide and grow the charity as we move into our next phase we would like to hear from you!

We are especially interested in hearing from people with clinical, therapeutic or safeguarding experience but are looking for people with experience & skills in any of the following:

• Fundraising 
• Service user involvement 
• Web design and digital marketing
• Management and business systems
• Clinical management - especially in mental health
• High-level psychotherapeutic skills and experience
• Accounting, Budget Management & Financial Risk management  

Share Psychotherapy is one of Sheffield’s leading mental health charities. Established for over 40 years we offer medium to long term therapy at nominal fees, primarily to people on low incomes. This therapy is delivered through a range of psychodynamic & creative modalities. We therefore work at the vital intersection of psychological distress & poverty in the city, providing high quality, long term therapy to people who could not otherwise obtain such help, especially those on low incomes. 

Our clients are often experiencing serious mental and emotional distress, through anxiety, depression, difficulty with relationships or traumatic life events.

We are part way through a change process at Share - developing and strengthening our clinical services, improving our administrative and business systems and strengthening our financial position. We want to build upon our position as a centre of excellence in psychotherapy and make an even bigger contribution to improving mental health in Sheffield.

Would you like to help us in this venture? We are looking for people with specialist skills who are willing to help in a voluntary capacity; either as a trustee on our board, or as a specialist volunteer contributing on a project basis. We are willing to consider a wide range of contributions.

About BelEve UK

BelEve engages with girls and young women to support them in gaining skills, confidence, and self-belief to fulfil their potential, despite barriers in their lives that might suggest otherwise.

Through carefully crafted programmes, mentoring, events, and campaigns, bringing individuals and groups together helps to motivate them, reduce isolation, combat differences, and build strength across communities from the girls who are at the centre of these. Through the programmes, beneficiaries improve their social mobility, as well as their life and career prospects.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Chair who can lead our Board and support our Chief Executive to drive our charity’s long-term success, sustainability, and impactful growth.

Our new Chair will be an ambitious and visionary leader with a strong track record of governing complex organisations through change.

We are open to your professional background if you bring effective governance experience, strategic thinking and a good understanding of issues affecting the lives of girls and young women.

We are looking for a Chair with experience and expertise in the following areas:

• Experience of being a Chair
• Track record of relationship building, with stakeholders, partners, decision-makers, team, and Board
• Governance and organisational leadership experience
• Experience in creating strong partnerships with stakeholders and successfully influencing decision-makers
• Understanding of risk management and mitigation
• Ability to encourage positive change and innovation where appropriate.
• An understanding of the key challenges the organisation aims to tackle from issues impacting various communities of young women and girls
• Extrovert, Fun, Dynamic, and Engaging
• Values Led

For more information, please access the attached recruitment pack, our contact information can be located there.

How to Apply

If this role is of interest, please submit your CV and supporting statement via the link below.

Your statement should be up to 2 pages long (no more than 900 words), addressing the following statements:

• Please outline your demonstrable commitment to BelEve UK's mission and purpose and your motivation for applying.​
• Detail your previous experience and capabilities which you believe make you suitable for this Chair role.

Closing Date: Thursday 9th May 2024 at 23.59hrs

Our Commitment

BelEve is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from people from all sections of the community. We would like to encourage applicants from black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and those with disabilities.

Are you the new Chair-designate for Reading Community Learning Centre?

Do you have enthusiasm and skills to cooperatively govern and lead our charity that supports women learners?

You could be the Chair-designate of Reading Community Learning Centre, a charity serving the needs of local refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant women. We stand proudly for equality and women’s rights, and are looking for a woman Chair-designate to take on the role of leading our Board, supported by our outgoing Chair for a handover period of up to 12 months.
Although this is a voluntary position, the provisions of Schedule 9, Part 1, of the Equality Act 2010 effectively apply as they would for our employment of women-only staff.

About us:

Set up in 2007, we are a Charitable Company that helps often-marginalised women to achieve their individual potential, through helping them improve their English, build confidence, make friends, volunteer locally, gain qualifications or secure a job.

In the 2022-23 academic year, 420 women from 36 different countries attended classes at the Centre, and 874 women received information, advice and support, through our charitable spending of around £200k.

About the role

We’re looking for a woman to lead our Board, to work with other trustees and our Centre Manager to shape our future supporting and empowering women.

If you can think and lead strategically, and help us plan long-term, you have the primary skills needed to be our Chair-designate and eventual Chair. Support from our employees is always available, as they will be dealing with the day-to-day running of the organisation.

Experience of committee or similar work, an understanding of cooperative leadership and a strong focus to shape the forward-looking Board, are what we are looking for. You don’t necessarily need prior experience of charity trusteeship, as induction will be provided, plus specialist guidance as a new trustee, including access to external training.

This is a high-profile appointment, with strong commitment to the future of Reading Community Learning Centre an essential quality, and having a good understanding of the value for the women we help. Trustees make the top-level decisions for our charity: our Board includes women with understanding, skills and experience of our support, and we require new trustees to have empathy with our cause. 

We are a charity, not a business, but we apply business principles to governing our organisation. We encourage women from all backgrounds to apply, particularly Black, Asian and minority ethnic women, and those who have previous experience of engaging and working collaboratively with our beneficiaries.

The Board meets online every six weeks, and we ask you for up to sixteen hours per month; this includes all meetings, correspondence, communication, etc.

How to apply

This high-profile appointment is being managed for us by inVOLve Community Services, a charity-support organisation, who offer an informal no-obligation discussion by phone or video. A detailed Role Description and Skills Specification can be made available to you by request before that discussion.

Trustee appointments are subject to satisfactory references and satisfactory completion of an Enhanced DBS check.

Your CV and supporting statement will be read by our current Chair and trustees; an informal discussion followed by a more formal interview can be offered as soon as mutually convenient.

I need to know more

Contact Mike Allen via Quick Apply below for more information and arrange to have a no-obligation initial informal discussion (Teams/Zoom/phone) and explanation about this important role.

Join the EAUC board and help lead and empower the post-16 education sector to embed sustainability in everything it does: equipping learners for their lives and shaping society for the better.

This is a unique opportunity for someone to bring an external perspective to our charity. We are looking for someone who is passionate about sustainability and education. You don’t need years of experience - we’re seeking someone with a keen eye on what’s important to us: impact, quality, engagement and accessibility. We particularly welcome early-career candidates and those familiar with the further education and skills sector.

Position: Trustee and director
Location: Remote within UK and Ireland
Salary: Unremunerated with reasonable expenses paid
Positions available: One
Closing date: 16th May 2024

The EAUC is the leading body for sustainability in the post-16 education sector in the UK and Republic of Ireland. We represent 300+ institutions with collectively over 2 million students, nearly 400,000 staff and a spending budget of over £25 billion. We exist to lead and empower the post-16 education sector to embed sustainability in everything it does: equipping learners for their lives and shaping society for the better.

The EAUC board is made up of twelve volunteer trustees. We have one long-standing trustee who reaches the end of their tenure at the July 2024 AGM so we have ONE available trustee position.

The new trustee we are seeking will be passionate and innovative with knowledge or experience in the further education sector, whether this is a college, adult education, employment-based learning or a community-based provision.

The Irish Chaplaincy is a leading social action charity, rooted in faith, providing high quality services and support to excluded, vulnerable and isolated Irish people in England and Wales. As we reach out, we hope we're contributing to a fairer, more just society, one person at a time. The Irish Chaplaincy is the oldest Irish Catholic welfare charity in Britain and our aim remains to galvanise the whole Irish community to work together to improve the lives of those most vulnerable of Irish emigrants and ensure that no member of our community is forgotten.

There are three main strands to the work we do:

Prisoners: A prison visiting, information and advocacy service for Irish prisoners in Britain and their families.

Travellers: Research, advocacy and education to improve the situation of Travellers within the criminal justice system.

Seniors: Pastoral outreach and befriending to alleviate the social exclusion and loneliness of older Irish people, and to offer a knowledgeable, compassionate and comforting presence for end-of-life issues and funeral arrangements.

To help us navigate the next stage of our charity's development, we are seeking to recruit two new trustees. We welcome applications from those with experience in our sector and beyond. In particular it would be beneficial if applicants have particular expertise in fundraising or with strong connections in the Irish community in the UK.

Please send your CV and covering letter to our Chair of Trustees by Friday 31st May 2024.

It’s an exciting time for the Employers' Initiative on Domestic Abuse: momentum is growing, with heightened public awareness of domestic abuse following the pandemic, increased government focus, and employers increasingly recognising their crucial role in enabling employees to recognise the signs of, and seek support on, domestic abuse.

The Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse (known as EIDA) is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in our mission to empower employers to act effectively against domestic abuse. 

Our aim is to ensure that all team members, volunteers, trustees, job applicants and the people we come into contact with are given equal opportunity and that our organisation is representative of all sections of society.

We want our board to be representative of our society and membership and particularly welcome applications from people with lived experiences of domestic abuse, people based outside the southeast of England and in the nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and from people with experience as a people manager or employer, large or small.

Who we are

We are a free-to-join members' network of employers and a registered charity supporting over 1,500 large and small employers to take effective action on domestic abuse.  Our members collectively employ over 25% of the UK workforce.

Our mission is to equip employers to support their employees affected by domestic abuse and to share best practice with other employers.

We endeavour to bring about constructive change, leading to a society where survivors thrive, and where domestic abuse is not tolerated.

Our Trustees are volunteer board members who play a vital role in making sure that EIDA achieves its mission.  As a group, they:

• Oversee the overall management and administration of the charity.
• Ensure that EIDA has a clear strategy and that our work and goals are in line with our vision.
• Provide support and challenge to the executive team, enabling EIDA to grow and thrive.

We are seeking up to four new Trustees to join the existing group of eight. 

EIDA has a UK-wide remit with a membership made up of employers, and we want to reflect that across our Trustees.

Trustee duties

Trustees are the people who lead our charity and decide how it is run.  We envisage the trustee duties broadly as:

• Support and provide advice on EIDA’s purpose, vision, goals and activities.
• Attend Board meetings, adequately prepared to contribute to discussions.
• Approve operational strategies and policies and monitor and evaluate their implementation.
• Oversee EIDA’s financial plans and budgets and monitor and evaluate progress.
• Ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation.
• Ensure that key risks are being identified, monitored and controlled effectively.
• Review and approve EIDA’s financial statements.
• Provide support and challenge to EIDA’s CEO.
• Keep abreast of changes in EIDA’s operating environment.
• Use independent judgment, acting legally and in good faith to promote and protect EIDA’s interests, to the exclusion of their own personal and/or any third-party interests.
• Participate in periodic appraisals of the performance of the Board of Trustees, collectively and individually.
• Represent EIDA at external functions, meetings and events.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for people willing to bring energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the role, and who will contribute to the diversity of thinking on our board.

Whether you are an experienced trustee or are looking to take your first step at board level, we would like to hear from you. We ask for:

• Commitment to tackling domestic abuse and EIDA’s mission.
• 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.
• Effective communication skills and willingness to participate actively in discussions.
• A strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and EIDA’s core values of Collaboration, Empowerment, Versatility, Openness and Kindness.
• Time to commit to supporting the organisation, including attendance at Board meetings (2 hours, 5 times annually), virtual and in-person events (4-6 annually) and any sub committees.
• Ability to build and maintain a healthy network that promotes the aims of EIDA across the business community, to drive member growth, and to enhance EIDA fundraising activities.
• Some experience as an employer or people manager.

Terms of appointment

Position: Trustee

Location: This is a hybrid role, with occasional travel required to Board and network meetings held in central London

Terms: A maximum fixed term appointment of one three-year term followed by a further three-year term

This is a voluntary position, but reasonable expenses are reimbursed.

Time commitment: EIDA’s Board of Trustees meets 4-5 times a year within the working hours of 10-5pm.  Currently meetings are held in London and remotely (Zoom).

Closing date

9am, Monday 10 June 2024.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications are received, so early applications are appreciated.

Harlow & District Sports Trust 

We are seeking a Non-Executive Board Member to Join our Board of Trustees. The position is voluntary.

The leisure Trust was established in 1957 as a Charitable Company Limited by
Guarantee. The Trust currently operates Harlow Leisurezone which is a large
state-of-the-art Community wet and dry leisure centre, with annual attendances in excess of 1.5 million. The organisation’s mission is “To provide a high quality sport and
leisure experience that is sustainable and responsive to the needs of the community“. Our facilities are very popular within the local community and this trend continues and is reflected in our high attendance levels to date.

The leisure Trust was established in 1957 as a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee. The Trust currently operates Harlow Leisurezone which is a large state-of-the-art Community wet and dry leisure centre, with annual attendances in excess of 1.5 million. The organisation’s mission is “To provide a high quality sport and leisure experience that is sustainable and responsive to the needs of the community“. Our facilities are very popular within the local community and this trend continues and is reflected in our high attendance levels to date.

 The Trustee Board consists of 12 non-executive Board members. Due to retirement the Board is seeking to recruit a new trustee to fill our current vacancy. As a Board member, you will have the opportunity to take part in the Trust’s financial and strategic planning designed to drive the organisation forward, and the development of the future policy and strategy of an organisation which makes a difference in the local community, while at the same time developing your own skills working as part of a successful team.

Contract type: Voluntary role, expenses paid
Location: Remote working with meetings in GMT
Application closing date: Monday 27th May 2024 

Position Overview: 

SEED Madagascar is expanding its Board of Trustees and wishes to appoint a Fundraising Trustee to bring expertise in supporting its work in southeast Madagascar. 

SEED works in partnership with communities, integrating high quality community health, WASH, rural livelihoods, schools and conservation programmes to support long term, sustainable change. In addition, we add to International best practice through research and publication across all our programmatic areas. 

SEED is a growing Charity, and the new Trustee will join an established Board in playing an important role in SEED’s continued development. They will bring experience of working at a senior level in the field of fundraising and will ideally have worked on a charity board. We are looking for a passion for international development, along with strong people skills and an understanding of strategic planning. 

Do you have a passion to make a difference to the lives of children and families? Spurgeons Family Charity is seeking three or four new trustees to join our current Board in bringing prayerful wisdom and strategic guidance over the coming years.

Spurgeons is one of the UK’s leading children’s charities, supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged children and their families for 150 years. Inspired by Christian faith and our founder Charles Spurgeon, we’re here for all families. Together, we create Family Hubs in communities where we’re needed most, with counselling, early years and family support. We partner with local councils and churches to care for every family, putting children and young people first in everything we do. Our services also include helping young carers, providing parenting advice and working with families affected by domestic abuse, and imprisonment.

These services are needed more than ever, particularly as local authorities with tight budgets make difficult choices on where to spend their limited resources. As we prepare for the launch of our new five-year plan in 2025, we are ambitious and hopeful about how we can use our strong financial position and robust level of assets to make a significant impact on many more children’s lives in the future.

To support Board succession planning, we are seeking to appoint new trustees with experience and skills such as:

· Lived experience: we are particularly looking to hear the voice of young people on our Board and especially those with lived experience of children and young people’s support services. We will provide the necessary training, mentoring and support to fulfil the role.

· Fundraising/marketing: this trustee will bring a clear understanding of best practice in fundraising and/or marketing.

· Children’s services: we are looking for someone with senior management or leadership experience in the children’s services sector e.g. within social services/ the care sector, health, education, local authorities or charitable contexts.

· Counselling: this trustee will have understanding and/or experience in counselling, bringing wisdom and insight at a governance level.

· Digital: we seek a leader with experience of digital transformations and entrepreneurship, to provide a strategic view of how Spurgeons can thrive in a digital, audience-focused context.

Given an occupational requirement for these roles to be filled by Christians, we are seeking candidates with a personal and active Christian faith who are comfortable and aligned with the statement of faith outlined on our website.

Spurgeons values diversity, promotes inclusion, and encourages applications from a diverse range of candidates, including those with lived experience of children’s support services. We recognise the need to increase the diversity of the Board, for example in terms of age, ethnicity, disability, gender and LGBTQ+ representation. Our goal, and a key priority in this recruitment process, is for the Board to become more closely representative of our service user community.

The time commitment required of a trustee is likely to equate to approximately 12 days per year.

This is a hybrid role: at present, Board meetings take place in London and committee meetings take place virtually via Teams.

For further information, including full details of how to apply, please see our Appointment Details Pack which can be downloaded in the Application Resources section of this advert.

Application is by submission of CV and cover letter to Laura Bagley at Macaulay Search by the closing date of Friday 24th May 2024. Please contact Laura if you have any questions about this opportunity (please see appointment details pack for contact details).

Our partner supports individuals and research institutions in the Global South to produce, share and use research and knowledge to transform lives, and provide support to researchers globally through their online community platform.

They are seeking a new Treasurer to join their existing board in leading the organisation through their next exciting period of change. While they are seeking someone with knowledge of UK charity finance and legal requirements, they are particularly interested to hear from candidates from the Global South, wherever their current location.

The Treasurer will monitor the financial administration of the charity and report to the board of trustees at regular intervals on its state of financial health, in line with best practice, and in compliance with legal requirements.

The Treasurer role will require approximately 10-12 days per annum, including three Board meetings, two of which are usually virtual, and occasional virtual meetings with the Executive Director, Finance Manager, and Auditor. In addition, the Treasurer will chair the Finance and Audit sub-committee.

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For more Trustee and Treasurer roles please visit the AfID website.

Our partner believes that stable, flourishing communities are based on thriving couple and family relations, and dedicates itself to the worldwide dissemination of knowledge about such relationships and to activities promoting their well-being.

They are seeking a Treasurer to take on a hands-on role in the monitoring and administration of the organisation's finances.

The role will include monitoring their online bank accounts, maintaining their income and expenditure spreadsheet, submitting an income and expenditure report to Trustees ahead of meetings, and assisting the Trustees with the preparation of an annual budget and the financial report to the Charity Commission.

The ideal candidate will be a competent Excel user with experience of preparing accounts. The time commitment required for the role is approximately 1 hour per week, with the Trustees meeting 3 times a year.

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For more Trustee and Treasurer roles please visit the AfID website.

Vision Action is a unique organisation, that works in low- and middle-income countries, supporting national governments to deliver and strengthen their eye health strategies. We work in partnership with local governments, civil society organisations, international and national NGOs, and the private sector. Our ambition is to increase equitable access to eye care services and glasses, and accelerate achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal.

The role of the Board is to oversee the overall direction and activities of the charity, including its policies and procedures, to ensure that they are consistently in accordance with the charitable purposes defined in the objects clause in its Constitution. The Board sets and monitors the strategic direction of the charity, although the implementation of strategy is achieved through the executive team. The Board must always act in the best interests of Vision Action, taking decisions as a group and not as individuals.

1. Terms of service

For Vision Action the Trustees are Members who have been elected to serve on the Board. Vision Action’s constitution allows for up to 12 Trustees, who can serve a maximum of three consecutive terms of three years. Vision Action is a company limited by guarantee and the Trustees are its legal directors. The Trustee role is voluntary but out of pocket expenses are paid.

Trustees are appointed by the Vision Action Board of Trustees annually at the Board meeting following the Annual General Meeting. The time commitment in being a trustee involves attendance at four Board meetings per year, one of which will be an all-day strategy session. Otherwise, Board meetings are usually half a day in the afternoon of a weekday with at least half the meetings online. Papers are circulated for reading in advance.

In addition to this, it is expected that trustees attend the AGM held on a weekend and occasional Members’ Forums or other Vision Action events, which are usually arranged on the same day as a Board meeting in the evening. There may be other ad hoc meetings or online events to discuss specific topics. Trustees will be expected to commit time to receive a proper induction.

2. Main tasks

Charity Trustees have and must accept ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of the charity and ensuring it is solvent, well-run and delivering the charitable outcomes for the benefit of the public for which it has been set up. Each Trustee will be expected to join one of the three sub-committees (Fundraising and Investment; Programmes; Finance, Administration and Remuneration). The Committees meet (in person or remotely) at least four times per year, usually timed with or in advance of the board meetings.

3. General Responsibilities

• Ensure that Vision Action complies with its governing document (i.e. its Constitution and Byelaws), charity law, and any other relevant legislation or regulations.
• Ensure that Vision Action pursues its objects as defined in its governing document.
• Ensure Vision Action applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objects, i.e. it must not spend money on activities which are not included in the objects, however worthwhile they may be.
• Contribute actively to the Board’s role in the formulation and review of strategy, setting overall policy, defining goals, setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets.
• Safeguard the good name and values of Vision Action and maintain good relations with its members.
• Ensure that all policies are implemented, monitored and reports are acted upon, (including the policies on Harassment and Misconduct, Safeguarding, Recruitment of ex-offenders, Child Protection and Anti- Bribery).
• Strive for Vision Action to reflect the full diversity of society in all its activities.
• Ensure the financial stability of Vision Action.
• Protect and manage the property of Vision Action and ensure the proper investment of its funds.
• Appoint and support the Chief Executive Officer and monitor his/her performance.

In addition to the above statutory responsibilities, each Trustee should attend Board meetings and use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the Board reach sound decisions. This may involve leading discussions, focusing on key issues, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, evaluation or other issues in which the Trustee has special expertise; and then always upholding the decisions taken by Board. Trustees are also expected to support Vision Action’s fundraising initiatives.

4. Additional Specific Responsibilities

In addition to the above, we are looking for a Trustee who can be the Chair designate and assume the role of Chair in November 2024.

Vision Action is looking for a Trustee who will be able to support us in 3 key areas:

1) Provide advice and experience at the level of Chair so that they can provide leadership to the Board of Trustees as well as the CEO

2) Act as the Chair designate until they assume the role of Chair of the Board of Trustees in November 2024.

3) Provide insight, knowledge and connections to help us build our reputation and position as a worthy international charity in the eye health sector in the UK and Internationally so that Vision Action can grow its relationship with individuals, bodies and corporates in the sector.

Person Specification

Each Trustee must have:

• A commitment to the mission and value base of Vision Action.
• A commitment to the key policies of Vision Action – on Harassment and Misconduct, Safeguarding, Whistle-blowing, Recruitment of ex-offenders, Child Protection and Anti-Bribery.
• A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort.
• Integrity.
• Strategic vision.
• Good, independent judgement.
• An ability to think creatively.
• A willingness to speak his/her mind.
• An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of trusteeship (training/information will be offered in this area).
• An ability to contribute effectively to the workings of the Vision Action Board and any sub-committees or working groups.

In addition to the above, this specific appointment is looking ideally for Trustees who have:

• Previous experience of leading and Chairing at the senior level in an organisation;
• Previous experience of governing and managing at the Board level;
• Previous Board level experience in the charity sector;
• Willingness to undertake obligatory tasks with the Charity Commission on behalf of the organisation;
• Willingness to stay updated on changes to governance issues and policies that might impact Vision Action;
• A willingness to engage in activities in the vision sector as it relates to the work of Vision Action, including fundraising.

We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds as well as those who may have a connection to the vision sector either through personal or professional experience and those who might come from one of the countries that Vision Action is currently active in – Zambia, Ghana, Sierre Leone, and Ethiopia.