Trustee

​The Feminist Library is a non-hierarchical organisation, run by our Organising Team, which is comprised of volunteers, paid staff and trustees. We want the library to be a space of learning, growth, care and community. Everyone (trans, cis and intersex), who remains attentive to the community policy is welcome in our space and can volunteer with us. We do not police gender in our spaces. We believe that feminism is a political framework that we can use to end all gendered violence. We understand gender and sex as constructed categories that increase proximity to violence for all those read as women. We recognise that experiences of womanhood are diverse and that traditionally, whole swathes of women have been locked out of this category. We also recognise that experiences of gender are diverse – feminism as a political project necessarily includes non-binary and gender non-conforming people and always has.

Role of Board members

When you become one of our Trustees, you agree:

• To help the Library fulfil its aims and objectives
• To provide oversight of the Library’s governance and administration
• To perform your volunteering role to the best of your ability and work in partnership with other volunteers
• To follow, support and respect the Feminist Library’s procedures, policies and standards
• To maintain the confidential information of the Feminist Library and our volunteers
• Meet time commitments and standards agreed to and give reasonable notice so other arrangements can be made when this is not possible
• To act responsibly and within the law
• To ensure all staff and volunteers are adequately trained in issues of Health and Safety and risk assessment
• To let the Library know first if you have any problems or complaints so that we find a solution together

Our Board works together with the collective to ensure our work is sustainable and accountable by exercising good governance and following all necessary policies and procedures. In addition to their statutory duties, each Board Member should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have, to help the Board reach sound decisions. This may involve scrutinising Board papers, leading discussions, focusing on key issues, and providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, or other issues in which they have special expertise.

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to developing The Feminist Library strategic vision
• Provide support and advice to our paid staff, volunteers and Organising Team
• Monitor the organisation’s performance and suggest improvements so we can improve access and reach more people
• Be a champion of The Feminist Library and get the word out about what we do
• Ensure The Feminist Library remains financially sustainable
• Fulfil all legal requirements expected of Trustees
• Plan and deliver the Library’s AGM and annual report

Specific skills and experience

We are currently particularly seeking people with any of the following experiences. It is not a requirement to have experience in all of these but you may wish to highlight them in your CV and cover letter if you do.

• Financial management and forecasting, particularly for a small charity
• Legal knowledge, particularly in relation to charity law, upholding the charity commission code
• Previous experience working with Trustees/Trustee Boards
• Fundraising including grant applications and management
• Personnel/HR

Additionally, we are keen to ensure that our Board and Organising Team is led by our local community and is diverse so we encourage applications from members of the global majority, particularly people of African or Caribbean heritage, as well as young people (18 – 30), trans people and disabled/differently-abled people.

More information and how to apply is here: https://feministlibrary.co.uk/news/we-are-looking-for-new-trustees/