Trustees Volunteer Roles in North East

About us

Lipodystrophy UK is a dedicated charity, set up to support people affected by Lipodystrophy. Lipodystrophy is a rare disease which affects the body’s ability to store fat under the skin. This can lead to metabolic complications including insulin resistance, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, heart disease, kidney disease, fatty liver disease and many others. 

We are a small but growing charity and need help with our Trustee board, after some dedicated long-serving members have stepped down. 

We’re looking for a socially-conscious individual to help support our goals. This will be a fantastic opportunity to gain experience as a Board member and Trustee, facilitating the growth of the charity in its continuous efforts to support patients and their families. We welcome anyone affected by Lipodystrophy, rare disease, or anyone who wants to help our vibrant community.

Your role

You’ll be required to: 

• Attend quarterly Board meetings (virtually)
• Offer opinions and recommendations on charity projects and directions
• Support our actions through organisation of/support organisation of different projects, for example: 
  • Arranging the printing of information leaflets 
  • Being a point of contact to a collaborator/collaborating organisation 
  • Organising a patient support day, etc. 
• Liaise with and advise fellow trustees and other volunteers regarding assigned projects/tasks, keeping the Board up-to-date with any related developments
• Maintain a flexible approach in line with community engagement 
• Give regular updates (quarterly Board meetings and ad hoc, when required) to the other Trustees on the Board 
• Ensure that the organisation complies with its governing document, organisation law, and any other relevant legislation or regulations 
• Ensure that the organisation pursues its objectives as defined in its governing document
• Undertake, along with fellow trustees, actively to govern, direct and control the organisation through collective decision-making

We would also like to appoint a Trustee with relevant experience as a Treasurer. Additional responsibilities would include:

• Oversee the financial affairs of the organisation and ensure they are legal, constitutional and within accepted accounting practice
• Ensure proper records are kept and that effective financial procedures and controls are in place 
• Monitor and report on the financial health of the organisation
• Liaise with and advise fellow trustees and other volunteers on all financial matters to ensure the financial viability of the organisation
• Make fellow trustees aware of their financial obligations and take a lead in interpreting financial data to them
• Produce or assist with the production of all necessary financial reports and returns, accounts and audits
• Regularly report the financial position at trustee meetings
• Appraise the financial viability of plans, funding applications, proposals and feasibility studies and advise the trustees accordingly
• Ensure that funds are properly expended in accordance with any restrictions placed by the donor

About you

You’ll be comfortable communicating with others, discussing the merits and disadvantages for different approaches. You will be comfortable suggesting ideas to support patients and willing to take on responsibility for different projects, as required (expect no more than a few hours commitment a month). It would be great if you had an understanding and/or a personal connection to Lipodystrophy and/or rare disease, or a willingness to learn about Lipodystrophy and its challenges. You must be sensitive to the difficulties experienced by the lipodystrophy community. To be considered for a Trustee role you will have: 

• A friendly and cooperative manner
• The ability to communicate well with others
• Good organisation skills
• A passion to support our Lipodystrophy community

Additionally for the Treasurer position: 

• Knowledge and experience of current fundraising and finance practice relevant to voluntary and community organisations
• Knowledge of bookkeeping and financial management
• Good financial analysis skills

Benefits to the successful candidate

• A real sense of purpose - you get to make a real difference to people affected by lipodystrophy
• Work with like-minded people 
• Varied opportunities for creativity and development
• Flexibility to fit work in around your other commitments
• Development of a wide range of transferable skills that will boost your CV and be attractive to future employers

To apply

If you’re as passionate about community support, raising awareness and supporting rare disease communities as we are and you want to join us on our journey and help shape our future, we want to hear from you. 

To apply please submit your CV and a short covering letter explaining your interest in joining Lipodystrophy UK and the relevant experience that you will be able to bring to the organisation.