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Role Details

Title

Charity Trustee (training and matching provided)

Organisation

Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets

Distance from the search postcode

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What you will be doing

Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets is running the METs Programme - a training and matching service for people interested in becoming trustees for local charities. Trustees are the unpaid volunteers who lead charities and decide how they are run.

This fantastic leadership development opportunity is only open to Tower Hamlets residents from minoritised ethnic communities (all communities other than White British), aged 18 and over.

Maybe you have considered volunteering as a charity trustee but been unsure what is involved? Perhaps you’ve wondered if the skills and experience you have would be welcomed? Or have you been unsure how to find the right charity and cause to support?

Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets' METs programme is perfect for anyone who is keen to take on a leadership role as a charity trustee, but who would prefer doing this with training and support. It’s a chance to get your voice heard, share your lived experience, and ensure that diverse communities in Tower Hamlets are better represented at senior level on charity boards.

The METs programme will train you on the roles and responsibilities of trustees and some of the essentials of charity governance, so that you feel confident and empowered to take on a trustee role. After completing a short training programme, you will be introduced to local charities, representing a wide range of causes, all recruiting new trustees from global majority communities to strengthen and diversify their trustee boards.

Training for this round of the programme will take place in October 2024, online, on Tuesday evenings. You must be able to attend all 3 training sessions, as well as the matching event:

Training Session 1 - Tuesday 8 October 2024, 6pm-8.45pm
Training Session 2 - Tuesday 15 October 2024, 6pm-8.45pm
Training Session 3 - Tuesday 22 October 2024, 6pm-8.45pm
Matching Event - Tuesday 19 November 2024, 6pm-8.45pm

The training and matching event take place online on Zoom. You must have access to a laptop/computer, broadband, be able to use Zoom, and have a quiet space to participate in the online training.

Speakers of English as a second language are welcome. However, all trainees must be able to communicate fluently in English, as the training and trustee meetings are conducted in English.

Once you have been trained you will be invited to attend an online matching event. Here we will introduce you to 10+ charities in Tower Hamlets that are recruiting new trustees. The aim of the matching event is to align your interests, skills and lived experience to charities that appeal to you, and hopefully create a good potential match. After the matching event, some of the charities may invite you to interview to join their trustee boards.

Being a charity trustee normally involves volunteering for a few hours a month, usually in the evenings, so it is a role that fits well around paid work, studying or other commitments. This is a serious role that requires a long-term commitment so you should expect to volunteer for at least 2 to 3 years.

Applications will close in late September 2024. We expect to receive a high volume of applications, so please express your interest now. We will send you a short application form to complete, then invite you to a Zoom meeting for an informal enrolment interview and to answer any questions you may have.

Activities

Trusteeships & Committees

Skills & Attributes

Basic IT skills - internet & email, Managing People, Organising & Planning

Skills Description

You will not have been a trustee before. If you have previously volunteered in another role, this would be very helpful, but it's not essential. You must be from a Minoritised Ethnic Community (any community other than White British), aged 18+, and CURRENTLY LIVE in Tower Hamlets to be eligible. Speakers of English as a second language are welcome. However, all trainees must be able to communicate fluently in English, as the training and trustee meetings are conducted in English. You will have a genuine interest in taking on a serious leadership/governance role and will be willing to make a long-term volunteering commitment (approx 2 to 3 years) as a trustee for a local charity. Almost all participating charities hold their trustee meetings on weekday evenings, so you should be available to volunteer in the early evenings. You must be available to attend 3 x training sessions and 1 x matching event before you take on your trustee role. Training and matching sessions take place online in the early evenings (6pm-8.45pm). Please check you can make the dates provided in the description above. If you are not free on those dates, there will be another round of the METs programme in Spring 2025. You must have access to a laptop/computer, broadband, be able to use Zoom, and have a quiet space to participate in the online training.

What is in it for you

• A chance to get your voice heard and to represent your community • Free training in the essentials of trustee roles and responsibilities and charity governance • The opportunity to take on an unpaid leadership role in a local charity and make a real difference. • A practical way to gain strategic/leadership experience that may help your career plans • Be part of an ongoing supportive peer group of minoritised ethnic trustees.

Time Commitment

Training and matching phase = 11 hours over 4 x Tuesday evenings in October/November 2024 (see description for the dates). Once you become a trustee the time commitment will vary, depending on the charity your join, but expect somewhere between 3 and 8 hours a month (usually evenings) for at least 2 to 3 years. This role involves making a long-term commitment.

Driving Licence & Vehicle Required

Travel Expenses

Available in multiple locations

Further location details may be provided below.

Role Address

Various

Postcode (See Google maps below)

Directions

The training and matching events are all held online on Zoom. Once you are matched to a charity, you will attend Board meetings, either online or at their premises in Tower Hamlets.

Number of volunteers required

How to find out more

www.vcth.org.uk

Application Process

Application Form

ID Check

Disclosure Barring Service (DBS)

References

Informal Discussion (may include an interview)

Support you will receive

Wheelchair Access

Disability and Access Support

Everyone who meets the registration criteria is welcome to apply. If you have any access/support needs, please tell us what they are so that we can do our best to accommodate them.