Trustee

Ashford Borough Citizens Advice provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. It values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination.

Our service aims:

To provide the advice people need for the problems they face
To improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives

What does the role of Trustee at Ashford Advice involve

 

Following an induction to acquaint you with Ashford Advice and helping you to settle in and giving you the information required for you to become a valuable team member. The role involves maintaining  an awareness of how Ashford Advice is operating, reading papers for board meetings and attend 4 meetings per year. Working on specific projects with other trustees or staff within Ashford Advice to further our strategic objectives and to take an active role during board meetings and work with other trustees to: 

 

·         set policy and strategy direction, set targets and evaluate the performance of Ashford Advice

·         monitor the financial position of the Ashford Advice ensuring that it operates within its means and objectives.

·         ensure that all the finances and supporting financial control systems of Ashford Advice are in order including that full financial records are kept for all transactions, that money is only spent for the purpose given, and that proper financial controls are in place to safeguard the organisation’s resources

·         seek the views of all sections of the community and monitor how well the service meets the needs of the local community

·         ensure that the service plans for the recruitment and turnover of staff and volunteers

·         review its own work and how effectively it operates including action for improvement

How will you benefit from acting as a Trustee for Ashford Advice

As a trustee for Ashford Advice you will

·         make a positive impact for people in your local area by ensuring that Ashford Advice is sustainable and meeting the needs of the community

·         meet people and build relationships with trustees, staff and other volunteers

·         build on your governance, leadership and strategy skills

·         increase your employability

 

What you will need for the role

 

You don’t need specific qualifications or skills but you’ll need to:

·         understand and accept the responsibilities and liabilities as trustees

·         be non-judgmental and respect views, values and cultures that are different to your own

Our Trustee board usually meets in the afternoon and you’ll likely need to give about 4 hours 4 times a year. You may need to attend other meetings if you’re involved in specific projects, or meet with volunteers and staff occasionally within Ashford Advice. We can be flexible about the time spent and how often you volunteer so come and talk to us.

Valuing inclusion

 

Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds and we particularly welcome applications from disabled people, people with physical or mental health conditions, LGBT+ and non-binary people, and people from Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.

 

If you are interested in becoming a trustee and would like to discuss flexibility around location, time, ‘what you will do’ and how we can support you please contact Diane Downing on 01233 626185