Do you have financial skills and enthusiasm to help provide "a home for living life" for adults with learning disabilities? You could be the next Treasurer for Anthony Toby Homes, running two residential homes in Berkshire.
What difference will you make?
What do we get? Your strategic financial management skills, knowledge, understanding or experience Your abilities to influence plans for our charity's future Enhancement to our overall governance and the Board of trustees; our operational growth Your participation in our collective decision-making, contributing to all areas of our charity work Your enthusiasm What do our beneficiaries get? The ability to continue our support for people with learning disabilities A forward-looking and agile organisation, with a well-informed and well-managed Board of trustees What do YOU get as a volunteer trustee with our organisation? An opportunity to exercise your strategic financial & planning skills, probably in a different context An opportunity to influence and collectively-lead an organisation supporting adults with learning disabilities A chance to expand and implement your understanding of our work A chance to augment your experience of charities A boost to your career and CV, if needed Satisfaction of helping an organisation that supports local people with learning disabilities, thus giving something back to your community
What are we looking for?
Here is some of what we would expect from our trustees; we appreciate you may want to develop more in some of these areas. We know that you may also need training and support from employees, from other trustees and from external organisations, and that that will be forthcoming, as necessary, to build on any area. Clear commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, valuing differences to make better decisions and deliver better outcomes Understanding of the needs of our beneficiaries is desirable; an empathy with them is essential Experience and knowledge of managing finances, bookkeeping or similar Experience and knowledge of current practice relevant to voluntary and community groups, charities or SME finance would be useful; a grasp of the Charities SORP and FRS 102 would be welcome A recognised financial and/or accounting qualification would be highly beneficial but is not a prerequisite Ability to communicate financial information clearly, especially to other trustees whose in-depth financial knowledge may be less than yours Strategic vision; good, independent judgement; ability to think creatively, tempered by pragmatism and reality Skills to analyse proposals, examine their strategic financial consequences and make concise recommendations as part of the trustees' team Ability to cooperatively work with the team of trustees, bringing impartiality and objectivity to decision-making Skills and ability to listen, even to dissenting views Willingness to speak your mind and to challenge other trustees and employees with good intent; able to make unpopular recommendations to the Board, if necessary Secure personal access to digital communication and able to competently use those resources Commitment to the organisation; willingness and ability to devote the necessary time & effort Experience of committee or similar work, with an understanding of the role of the Treasurer in effective (charity or corporate) governance, would be highly-valued Familiarity with popular accounting software packages would be an advantage but not a prerequisite Having appropriate personal and professional contacts & networks, with willingness to draw on those as needed
What will you be doing?
Set up in 1974 to ensure that individuals with learning disabilities should have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else, our incorported charity opened its first home in 1998 and now runs two homes, for sixteen people with learning disabilities. With an Unrestricted Income of £1.1m in 2024, and a substantial Balance Sheet of £4m, the charity is poised to continue its mission; both homes achieved a Good CQC Rating. What we need from a new Treasurer Our Board includes people with experience and skills in supporting people with learning disabilities, and we'd expect our new Treasurer to have empathy with our cause and our beneficiaries. While your prior experience of managing finances, bookkeeping or similar is highly important, understanding of current financial practice for charities or SMEs would be useful; a grasp of the Charities SORP & FRS 102 would be welcome, but is not essential. Ability to communicate financial information clearly, especially to other trustees, is important. Support from our employees is always available, as they deal with the day-to-day finances. Full induction to our organisation will be provided, plus support as a new trustee, including access to external training. We are a charity not a business, but we apply business principles to governing our organisation. We want to expand the diversity of our board, in all meanings of the word, and strongly welcome applications from people from less-represented groups. Obviously, the focus of a trustee role is strategic, and trustees will not be expected to get involved in operations on a day-to-day basis; however, regular liaison with other trustees and employees is expected. We ask for up to ten hours per month, which includes all meetings, discussions, etc. Although the Board meets face-to-face (that arrangement can be reviewed with the new Treasurer), you will need access to digital communications, as much of our charity's business is run that way.