SouthWestFest is looking for new Trustees

SouthWestFest Trustee Role

SouthWestFest is seeking new trustees to join the charity board, and support the ongoing creative and executive development and delivery of our annual cultural community festival for South Westminster.

Skills / Experience sought includes:

Accounting, bookkeeping or finance
Fundraising
Business development
Web design
Graphic design
Inclusion
Community work
Event producing

The Role of Trustees

Trustees take ultimate responsibility for the work that the organisation does, and the way in which it spends money raised by the charity through income and donations to achieve its aims. The Trustees are responsible for the strategic direction of the organisation, agreeing plans and budgets, and holding the Festival Director to account for the delivery of the plans.

It has a legal dimension too, with Trustees legally responsible for ensuring that the organisation operates to standards set by parliament and the Charity Commission.

Commitment

The full board meets once a month on weekday evenings in Pimlico; there may be other meetings and events such as our AGM and Launch event for which you will be asked to attend. We also ask our trustees to commit to attending and volunteering at one of more of our Festival events which take place each year between June and July mainly on weekends.

The time commitment to the charity is approximately 90 hours per annum.

Key Responsibilities

With other Trustees to hold SouthWestFest ‘in trust’ by

Ensuring that SouthWestFest has a clear vision, mission and  strategic direction, and is focused on achieving these.
Ensuring that SouthWestFest complies with all legal and regulatory requirements.
Acting as guardians of our assets, both tangible and intangible, taking all due care over their security, deployment and proper application.
Ensuring that SouthWestFest governance and performance is of the highest possible standard.
To work in partnership with other trustees, the Festival Director and other contract staff.

Duties

To agree the vision, mission and strategic plan for the charity.
To ensure that the operational plan and budget reflect the agreed strategic direction and are appropriate.
To agree the measures for objectively monitoring the progress of the charity towards its strategic goals.
To monitor the achievement of SouthWestFest against the key measures from the operational plan and budget..
To hold the Festival Director accountable for the achievement of the organisation’s goals, and provide them with regular, constructive feedback on both management and overall achievement.
To agree the charity policies and ensure that they will assist in the achievement of the strategic and operational plans.
To ensure that the charity has satisfactory financial control systems and procedures, and to review the level of risk annually.
To safeguard the charity’s reputation and other intangible assets.
To reflect annually on the Board’s performance and your own performance as a trustee and participate in the AGM.

Tasks

To participate in strategic planning for the festival.
To attend trustee meetings once a month, read relevant papers and be prepared to make a contribution.
To support the contract staff when requested, sharing expertise, as a member of a working group or in other appropriate ways.
To be prepared to act as a spokesperson for SouthWestFest when asked by the Festival Director, and to work within an agreed brief.
To attend events as an ambassador for SouthWestFest, to network and promote the work of the organisation.
To assist with fundraising by speaking, networking and otherwise seeking donations in conjunction with staff and volunteers as appropriate.

How to Apply:

Please send a CV and a covering letter stating why you are interested in applying for the role, how your skills and experience are relevant to the role, how you can add value to the board and any other relevant information. Email: festivalcoordinator@southwestfest.org.uk