Trustee Vacancies

Trustees for St Luke’s Advice Service (SLAS)

• Up to three trustee vacancies
• Brighton and Hove based charity
• Circa 10 committee meetings per year (usually remote), plus annual strategy and vision day.
• Unremunerated
• Can be delivered mainly remotely or through hybrid working

Are you passionate about making a difference in your community? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you to join St Luke’s Advice Service (SLAS) as a trustee.

About us:

For over 21 years, we’ve been dedicated to providing practical support and advice to some of the most vulnerable individuals in Brighton and Hove. Our small team of paid staff and volunteers offers compassionate assistance to help individuals overcome financial hardship through budget management and debt advice, and to access essential welfare benefits. Last year alone, we assisted over 800 people, making a real difference in their lives. We are highly regarded in the City and work in partnership with other organisations with a shared agenda.  

Why join us?

As a values-based organisation, our trustees play a critical role in shaping the future of our charity. We’re looking for a trustee who can bring energy and enthusiasm to our Board. You don’t need previous trustee experience – if you have the motivation, transferable skills, and time to commit, we’ll provide effective induction and training to support you in this meaningful role.

Our trustees play a vital role in making sure that St Luke’s Advice Service achieves its core purpose. They have the opportunity to shape the direction of our organisation, advocate for those we serve and ensure that our mission is upheld with integrity and compassion. Just as importantly, our trustees have a collective responsibility to support the team of staff and volunteers that provide one to one help to people in need across the City of Brighton and Hove.

What we’re looking for:

We’re looking for up to three trustees who, along with their standard trustee duties, will actively oversee and contribute to a specific aspect of our work.  We are keen to hear from anyone with transferable skills and motivation to deliver on the trustee role (see role profile below) and in particular we are keen to hear from those with skills in:

• communications and/or stakeholder engagement
• fundraising
• strategy development and/or strategic planning
• human resourcing
• volunteer management

Our current intention is to appoint three trustees – one with responsibility for fundraising, with a particular focus on stakeholder communication and individual giving; one for strategy development, and one for HR and volunteering matters.  However we can discuss your transferable skills and experience and your specific interests and find a way to tailor these to add to our trustee skillset and range of accountabilities even if slightly different from our current thinking about specific trustee roles.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive board of trustees that reflects the communities we serve. We particularly welcome applications from women and from individuals from minoritised backgrounds, individuals who are disabled and/or who identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Whether you’re looking to gain leadership experience, apply your skills to a new sector, or give back to the community, we welcome individuals from diverse backgrounds, who share our commitment to making a positive impact.

Role profile: Trustee

Our trustees play a vital role in making sure that St Luke’s Advice Service achieves its core purpose. They oversee the overall management and administration of the charity. They also ensure that St Luke’s Advice Service has a clear strategy and that our work and goals are in line with our vision and is properly funded. Just as importantly, our trustees have a collective responsibility to support the team of staff and volunteers that provide one to one help to people in need across the City of Brighton and Hove.

Duties:

• Support and provide advice on St Luke’s Advice Service’s purpose, vision, goals, strategy and activities.
• Approve operational strategies and policies and monitor and evaluate their implementation.
• Ensure adequate funding is secured to deliver the service and oversee the charity’s financial plans and budgets, monitor and evaluate progress and review and approve financial statements.
• Ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation.
• Ensure that key risks are identified, monitored and controlled effectively.
• Provide support and challenge to our Director of Operations and Fundraising in the exercise of their duties.
• Keep abreast of changes in the charity’s operating environment.
• Contribute to regular reviews of St Luke’s Advice Service’s own governance.
• Attend Trustee Committee meetings, adequately prepared to contribute to discussions and making balanced and well-informed decisions, considering short- and long-term objectives.
• Use independent judgment, acting legally and in good faith to promote and protect the charity’s interests, to the exclusion of personal and/or any third-party interests.
• Contribute to the broader promotion of St Luke’s Advice Service’s objectives, aims and reputation by applying your skills, expertise, knowledge and contacts.

Each Trustee is usually assigned one or more areas of specific responsibility such as governance, finance, strategy development, fundraising, HR and volunteer management, policy management or business planning and /or to hold a specific role such as Chair or Deputy Chair, Complaints Officer, Charity Secretary and is asked to support the organisation in these aspects.

As a small charity, there will be times when the trustees will need to be actively involved beyond Trustee Committee meetings. This may involve scrutinising or preparing board papers, leading discussions, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, presenting externally, or directly supporting the Director of Operations and Fundraising on projects or aspects of operational delivery in which the trustee has special expertise.

Personal skills and qualities

• Willingness and ability to understand and accept their responsibilities and liabilities as trustees and to act in the best interests of the organisation.
• Ability to think creatively and strategically, exercise good, independent judgement and work effectively as a board member.
• Demonstrable enthusiasm for our vision, mission and objectives.
• Willingness to lead according to our values.
• Effective communication skills and willingness to participate actively in discussion.
• A strong personal commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion
• The ability to move easily from strategic thinking to operational delivery and the ability to mentor and advise others
• Specialist knowledge relevant to the specific trustee role and willingness to learn and keep up to date in this area
• Commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

Terms of appointment

• This is a voluntary and unpaid position.
• It can delivered mainly remotely or hybrid.

Time commitment

The time commitment can be flexible depending on the time each trustee has available and the needs of the charity. The following gives an indication of the expected minimum commitment.

• Preparing for and attending 10 Board meetings annually, currently on Friday mornings, lasting up to 90 minutes. Our meetings are held mainly remotely, with occasional ones in person at the Brighthelm Centre in central Brighton.

• Attending an annual strategy day, and our annual AGM. Both of these are in person.
• Preparing and providing project support/specialist area work – averaging approximately three hours a month
• Attending occasional events, such as training courses or networking opportunities, and visiting the SLAS team in our Brighton office.

Interested in joining us?

For informal inquiries or to discuss the role further before applying, please contact Kathryn Mountford at [email protected].

Please submit your CV and a short covering letter outlining your interest and motivation for the trustee role to [email protected] by midnight on Sunday 3 November 2024.  If shortlisted, there will be a more formal interview in November with the Chair and one of the trustees.