Do you have financial skills to help an organisation that supports good mental health?We are looking for an enthusiastic person to be the next Treasurer for Sandhurst Counselling Service.
What difference will you make?
What do we get? Your strategic financial management skills, knowledge, understanding and experience Your abilities to influence plans for our charity's future Enhancement to our overall governance and the Board of trustees 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 good mental health, to enable people to find their way in troubled times A well-governed charity, sustainable for the future A forward-looking and agile organisation, with a well-informed Board What do YOU get as a volunteer trustee with our organisation? An opportunity to exercise your strategic financial & planning skills, probably in a different environment or context An opportunity to influence and collectively-lead an organisation supporting good mental health An opportunity to make and lead change, using your financial outlook New skills and expansion of your experience of charities Satisfaction of giving something back to your community A chance to augment your experience of charities Appropriate training and development, as needed A boost to your career and CV, if needed
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 other trustees and from external organisations, and that that will be forthcoming, as necessary, to build on any area. Understanding of the needs of our beneficiaries is desirable; an empathy with them is essential Clear commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, valuing differences to make better decisions and deliver better outcomes Commitment to the organisation; willingness and ability to devote the necessary time & effort Experience and knowledge of managing finances, bookkeeping or similar A recognised financial and/or accounting qualification would be highly beneficial but is not a prerequisite Experience and knowledge of current practice relevant to voluntary and community groups, charities or SME finance would be useful 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 other 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 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 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 accounting software packages would be an advantage but not a prerequisite Good working knowledge of Excel spreadsheets and able to regularly update/extend these where necessary Working knowledge of Sage accounting software would be useful but is not essential Having appropriate personal and professional contacts & networks, with willingness to draw on those as needed
What will you be doing?
About us Sandhurst Counselling Service evolved from a drop-in service started in August 1990 by St Michael's church in Sandhurst, and provides a safe confidential space for anyone feeling anxious, stressed, depressed, hopeless or lost, to "find their way in troubled times". The charity is a Charitable Trust with an income of ~£60k p.a., and a refreshed financial model, ensuring continued delivery for those who need it, as well as continuation of our small charity. The role and what we are looking for in a new Treasurer Our Treasurer works closely with our Chair, other trustees, and our Administration Manager. Although all trustees are equally responsible for our finances, our Treasurer maintains the overview and leads the Board in our discussions of financial matters. Our Board includes people with understanding of our counselling services, and we require all new trustees to have strong empathy with our cause and our compassion. Having refreshed our counselling delivery, we need your experience of managing finances to enable us to advance our charity's mission. We'd welcome your financial qualification, but that's not a prerequisite, as our finances aren't complex. An understanding of how charity finance works would be beneficial, with the ability to clearly communicate that financial information to other trustees being very important. Support from our Administration Manager is always available, as they deal with day-to-day matters. We are a charity not a business, but we apply business principles alongside our values to govern our organisation. We are looking for fresh expertise and experience from a variety of backgrounds to our charity, want to expand the diversity of our Board, in all meanings of the word, and strongly welcome applications from people from less-represented groups. The Board meets quarterly face-to-face at our premises, GU47 8HN, on a mid-week afternoon (flexible and can be subject to future discussion/negotiation), for up to three hours. We ask you for about six hours per month, which includes preparation for and attendance at Board meetings; many of your duties may be carried out online and by phone/video, as well as at face-to-face meetings.