Refugee cafe volunteer roles

To ensure the smooth and efficient running of meetings,

providing assistance and support to the chair of the board of trustees.

To be responsible for legislative and regulatory requirements affecting the charity

and its’ activities, including ensuring all actions are in line with the charity’s

governing document

• Main Responsibilities

  • To liaise with the chair and chief executive officer 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.

  • To 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 of 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 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.

  Person Specification

  Individuals are sought who have a strong empathy with our mission to help

  refugees securing employment in the catering industry.

  Experience, skills and expertise in

  charity law, an interest in the well-being of refugees combined with an indepth

  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.

  • A positive and ‘can-do’ outlook as well as a sense of humour.

  • Commitment to promoting equality and diversity.

  • Ability to organize time and work to deadlines.

  Context

  The Board of Trustees are jointly responsible for the overall governance and

  strategic direction of the charity, its financial health, the integrity of its

  activities and developing the organisation’s aims, objectives and goals in

  accordance with the governing document, legal and regulatory guidelines.

  All trustees should also be aware of, and understand, their individual and

  collective responsibilities, and should not be overly reliant on one or more

  individual trustees in any particular aspect of the governance of the charity.

  The statutory duties of a trustee are:

  • To ensure the organisation complies with its governing document.

  • To ensure that the organisation pursues its objectives as defined in its

  governing document.

  • To ensure the organisation applies its resources exclusively in pursuance

  of its objectives - the charity must not spend money on activities which

  are not included in its own objectives, no matter how 'charitable' and

  'worthwhile' those activities are.

  • To contribute actively to the Board of Trustees' role in giving firm

  strategic direction to the organisation, setting overall policy, defining

  goals and setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed

  targets.

  • To safeguard the good name and values of the organisation.

• • To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation.

  • To ensure the financial stability of the organisation.

  • To protect and manage the property of the organisation and to ensure the

  proper investment of the organisation's funds.

  • If the organisation employs staff, to appoint the CEO and monitor his or

  her performance.

  In addition, with other trustees to hold the charity “in trust” for current

  and future beneficiaries by:

  • Ensuring that the charity has a clear vision, mission and strategic

  direction and is focused on achieving these.

  • Being responsible for the performance of the charity and for its

  “corporate” behaviour; ensuring that the charity complies with all legal

  and regulatory requirements.

  • Acting as guardians of the charity’s assets, both tangible and intangible,

  taking all due care over their security, deployment and proper application.

  • Ensuring that the charity’s governance is of the highest possible

  standard.

  • Trustees are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement at the time of

  joining the board.

  As well as the various statutory duties, any trustee should make full use

  of any specific skills, knowledge or experience to help the board make

  good decisions