Five Talents UK: Recruitment of New Trustees, June 2021
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Five Talents UK: Recruitment of New Trustees, June 2021 We are seeking to recruit a number of new Trustees over the next 18 months (allowing transition time as a number of current trustees’ terms come to an end) to join our growing and ambitious charity. Demand for our work has increased hugely during the pandemic and we are determined to meet that demand. It is an exciting time to join us as we develop a new strategic plan (along with our sister offices in the USA and Kenya) and work to grow our income and outreach. Please watch this short video from our Chair, Neil Sandy, explaining more. We’ve recently conducted a Board skills and diversity audit and would particularly welcome applications from: ● Young people ● People living in the UK from minority ethnic groups ● People living in eastern and central Africa (where the majority of our programmes are located) ● A Bishop or senior Anglican leader ● People with fundraising experience and skills ● People with strong networking / influencing skills and access to new potential supporters of our work ● People with experience of PR, communications and marketing ● People with experience of working in international development (practically or academically) ● People willing and able to take on the role of Treasurer of the charity (a voluntary role focused on oversight and good practice; there is a book-keeper employed by the charity for the day to day work) We are keen to encourage greater diversity on our Board, recognising that hearing a range of voices and lived experiences enriches our discussions, improves our decision-making and enhances our impact. We recognise the worth in every person, and believe that Trustees should be different from another, as they all bring unique gifts and have different roles to play on the Board. It is the role of everyone at Five Talents (Staff and Board members) to create a culture where all feel valued and can contribute and be heard. Description of Five Talents The past 20 years have seen Five Talents International work with over 260,000 families across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan, DR Congo, Myanmar, Bolivia, Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Peru. The UK charity has grown significantly over the last five years, with income reaching a record £929,000 in 2020. Currently, we work in eight countries through local partners and alongside the Anglican Church, and provide business and financial skills training to rural households, helping them to form community Savings Groups. Members learn how to save, build a safety net for the difficult times, manage cash flow, invest in productive assets and develop a profitable business for the future. Bound by trust, members pool their resources and make loans to one another from their own funds. It’s a hugely sustainable and empowering approach to development. Five Talents’ programmes have enabled entrepreneurs and their families to nurture thousands of businesses, eat better meals, improve their homes, access medicine when they need it and build stronger communities. With 83% of Savings Groups members being women, empowering women is a key outcome. We incorporate literacy and numeracy classes, training on healthy gender relations and, more recently, trauma counseling where it is required into our Savings Groups curricula. Groups have stood up against FGM, reformed in IDP camps, cared for orphans and vulnerable children, and supported each other and their whole community socially, economically and spiritually in times of crisis. You can read more about us on our website www.fivetalents.org.uk. Registered Charity No 1113969 | www.fivetalents.org.uk [email protected] | 0203 8087 643 ‘I am able to feed my family from my business... Last month my daughter was sick with malaria and I took her to hospital. I lost my four other children because I could not afford hospital fees. I would have lost her too if I had not joined this programme’. Kondok, Trust Group Member, South Sudan Governance Structure Five Talents UK is a registered charity and company, and the Board of Trustees are also Directors of the Company, which is limited by guarantee. A copy of the governing documents and guidance on Trustee Roles and Responsibilities are made available to new Trustees as part of the Trustee induction. Five Talents UK is a member of Five Talents International (FTI), alongside Five Talents USA and Five Talents Kenya. FTI sets overall strategy and mission for Five Talents, and also has a Programme Quality sub-Committee to oversee and support the charity’s Savings Group programmes. The Country Offices in the USA, Kenya and UK are all independently registered entities and focus on fundraising within their own jurisdictions, as well as providing programme oversight and support. The UK Board has an Operations Group (sub-Committee) which handles Finance, Risk, HR and Operations issues. Some Board members also serve on the Five Talents International (FTI) Board or its Programme Quality Committee or other Working Groups. The Executive team consists of six dedicated staff who work out of a small office in central London / from home. Purpose of Trustee Position To provide leadership to the organisation in close co-operation with fellow Board Members and the Executive team, ensuring that all involved remain focused on achieving the Charity’s mission within its values and ethos. Principal Responsibilities - To be personally and visibly supportive of Five Talents’ Mission and Values. - To attend Board meetings regularly and if unable to attend, to provide comments / questions on the papers to the Chair and/or Staff as appropriate. - To contribute to setting the strategic direction and policies of the organisation, monitoring performance in meeting plans and key objectives. - To serve on one or more additional working groups or sub-committees, as desired / invited. - To ensure that the management staff team work effectively within a framework of clearly stated organisational strategies and policies. - To ensure Five Talents complies at all times with its governing documents, charity law, company law and other relevant legislation or regulations - To ensure effective and appropriate risk management. - To ensure financial stewardship, regulatory compliance and good practice. - To promote strong relationships between Five Talents and partner / potential partner organisations. Skills, Experiences and Profiles sought As set out on p.1 above. The Board has a comprehensive list of skills and voices needed around the table; this recruitment process is intended to help fill some of the gaps we have identified. Personal characteristics / behaviours All Trustees should be: Registered Charity No 1113969 | www.fivetalents.org.uk [email protected] | 0203 8087 643 ● Sympathetic to the Christian faith (Five Talents was founded by the Anglican Church and works closely with and through it. There is no requirement for Trustees to be practising Christians; Five Talents’ positions and programmes are open to people of all faith and none. But Trustees need to be sympathetic to the Christian faith and respectful of those who are motivated by it.) ● Passionate about fighting injustice ● Engaged and responsive (have enough time to offer!) ● Open, listening ● Good communicator ● Able to work cross-culturally Time Commitment Approximately 4 days / year minimum. The UK Board meets four times a year, typically for half a day, with a further half day required for pre-meeting and between-meeting reading and email correspondence. There is also the opportunity to serve on sub-Committees and / or on the Five Talents International Board. This would require additional time commitment for meetings (typically Zoom but potentially in person) and reading. Occasionally additional Away Days, strategy sessions or Study Groups are held to which all Board members would be invited, and Board members are also encouraged to attend some of the charity’s events for supporters, whether in person or on Zoom. As many meetings and events are now typically held on Zoom, Trustees may join from any part of the UK or abroad. Where Board meetings are held in person, reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed. Terms of Appointment This is a voluntary non-executive role. Term of office is four years, with a possible re-appointment for a second term of four years (i.e. maximum of eight years). All Trustees will be required to sign Five Talents’ Safeguarding, Data Protection and Confidentiality Policies, Code of Conduct and a declaration to confirm that they are not disqualified from acting as Trustees and there are no other reasons which would de-bar them from serving as Trustees. They are also required to declare any conflicts of interest at the start of each meeting. How to apply Please submit a CV and short statement of interest on Reach. Your CV and statement of interest will be shared with the Chair and a sub-Group of Trustees who, after reviewing your application, may invite you for an informal interview (via Zoom with 2-3 Board members present). Following that, if both parties remain interested, the Board would invite you to attend a Board meeting as an observer, so that you can meet other Trustees. After that, a formal appointment could occur, followed by our new trustee induction process. Deadline for applications: Friday 30th July. Interviews likely to be held in August (via Zoom) with a view to successful candidates attending a Board meeting in September to meet other Trustees. For an informal discussion or any questions, please contact send us a message on Reach. Thank you. Registered Charity No 1113969 | www.fivetalents.org.uk [email protected] | 0203 8087 643.