Call for a Fundraising Trustee
Are you an animal lover who would like to play an active part in the running of a local animal rescue charity?
The Greenwich Wildlife Network are currently recruiting a volunteer charity trustee to complement the board of trustees already in their role. This is a home-working role, with in-person attendance at our quarterly trustee meetings held in the borough of Greenwich.
Our charity
We are a small but rapidly expanding, volunteer-run registered charity based in Greenwich, South-East London. Our aim is to give injured, orphaned, and unwell wild animals in the Greenwich or Bexley area a chance at treatment, rehabilitation, and eventual return to the wild. We do this by directing members of the public to their nearest wildlife rescue centres, and by assisting with the rescue and transportation of animals in distress. Our volunteer wildlife rehabilitators also care for a large number of animals each year.
Our charity is made up of volunteers, there are no paid staff at this early stage of the charity’s life. We will be publishing our first annual return at the end of our first financial year (ending March 2023) and therefore the opportunity to fundraise - which has been so far limited mostly to donations from members of the public - will expand.
The role
This is a strategic role overseeing the effective governance, assurance, performance and development of the charity. Trustees hold ultimate responsibility for the charity. Day-to-day operational matters are managed by the charity’s founder and director, who leads a small team of volunteers.
The key strategic priority is now to raise money to finance the rental of premises which is the next step in the charity’s development. In addition, the charity needs to engage support for donations to cover medical products, pet food and other key items. This role is all about identifying grants and fundraising opportunities, making applications and following up.
More specifically:
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Assist the Board of Trustees to develop a new approach to fundraising and income generation.
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Ensure fundraising is of the highest standard and priority.
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Oversee fundraising and ensure it is carried out in legal, honest and accountable ways.
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Write bids and grant applications.
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Strategically assess where fundraising fits into the overall GWN strategy and work with the Director and Trustees to ensure effective income generation is being achieved.
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Contributing knowledge of fundraising techniques and strategies.
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Assessing risks in new fundraising directions.
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Support and encourage the Director in their fundraising work.
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Encourage an entrepreneurial fundraising culture.
Being a trustee is a hands-off approach. However, in addition to the responsibilities associated with the trustee role, there are opportunities to help out at all other levels across the organisation. All trustees are also expected to:
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To actively contribute to policy setting, strategic direction, goal and target setting, and evaluate performance against targets, budgets, plans and charitable objectives.
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To monitor the financial position of the charity and its operations within its means and objects, making sure that there are clear lines of accountability for day-to-day financial management.
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You are required to attend 4 trustee meetings annually.
Candidates profile
We would welcome someone who has proven experience of developing a fundraising strategy and taking it forward. This includes utilising social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram) so a team player with these skills would be welcome.
This is an exciting opportunity which may favour a person who has recently retired or has free time they wish to spend helping our charity. As an animal welfare charity all interested individuals need to be sympathetic to our vision and mission statement.
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Fundraising/income-generation knowledge and/or business development.
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An understanding of the UK grant sector.
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Experience of diverse income generation practices including Legacies, Individual Giving, Trusts & foundations .
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An understanding of the challenges facing budding charities such as GWN in securing funds.
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Experience in financial management and social media.
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Experience in the charitable or voluntary sector.
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Experience of charity law and governance.
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Working effectively as a team member.
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Comfortable providing hands-on support as well as strategic direction.
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Committed to the work of GWN.
As a trustee you will need to be:
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Able to give a minimum of two/three hours per week to the role.
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Able to attend quarterly trustee meetings.
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Able to make decisions that are in the best interest of the charity.
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In a position to acknowledge emails at least once a day.
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Strong relationship and influencing skills, with the ability to challenge constructively.
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Willing to represent the charity.
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A member of our local community, ideally living in the Greenwich / Bexley area.