Volunteer Director of CIC

What will you be doing?

Spring into Action launched in 2012 and is committed to creating a world where every individual, regardless of their abilities, feels valued and empowered to fully participate in life. Our focus is on nurturing positive, healthy relationships, fostering equity, and developing essential life skills. We are dedicated to providing opportunities for individuals to access the community, build lasting friendships, and enjoy services that are friendly, fun, and enriching.  Following a skills audit we have identified gaps on our board and wish to fill these gaps in order to expand the breadth of its skills, expertise and diversity.  We are looking for people with skills in Finance, Fundraising, Marketing, Legal, Strategy, Commissioning or a mix of these. We are looking for at least 2-3 people to join our board. We are seeking individuals who are passionate about our cause and who are willing and able to devote the necessary time and effort to the organisation, able to think creatively, speak up and have an understanding of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of the directorship (Please note that we are a CIC - community interest company registered with Companies House) Please note below the commitment we expect from our board: 4 board meetings per year, 1 away day, plus commitment to joining a sub-group (4 meetings per year) and/or taking lead on a specific area, which might include working closely with the managing director and/or staff members. Board meetings take place in BB5 in person so you must be able to travel to this location. Meetings normally take place in the evening, around 6pm - 8pm Additionally, if you have finance skills, we would like support 1-3 hours per month to support some of the day-to-day finances, this may initially include helping to recruit a volunteer to support this function, or this may be something you could take on. Experience in managing or overseeing grant funding / charity finances would be preferred.

What are we looking for?

We are ideally looking for people who have experience of operating on a board or committee in a charitable, public sector or commercial organisation, or who have worked closely with a board in their professional careers.  As well as the key skills we are looking here we are looking for people who can give a commitment to the organisation and a willingness to devote the necessary time and effort required. Due to a board member stepping down we have an immediate need for someone with finance skills as described but also have vacancies which skills and experience in marketing, fundraising and legal.

What difference will you make?

As part of our board you will support and shape our work and strategic direction, as well as help us achieve our purpose to ensure that people with learning disabilities can fully participate. This is a vital role, helping to ensure we can continue the support for our beneficiaries. Our largest service is Meet N Match, a friendship and dating agency for people with learning disabilities and autistic adults. We currently run seven monthly events with more planned to launch in 2024 and 2025, as well as an exclusive matching service plus sex and relationships education. Through this we engage with around 300 people each year. In addition to this we have undertaken work around inclusion and this is something we are also looking to expand on including developing our Expert Consultant services and inclusion and diversity training/workshops. As a director of Spring into Action, you will have a real opportunity to offer your unique skill set to help the strategic progression of our organisation. Your leadership and commitment as a director will ensure we continue to provide and extend our range of much-needed support and services to our beneficiaries. The finance skillset we are looking for is so important to us, to enable us to keep us on track financially and keep us viable, but even more significantly, we are looking for someone to help us formulate our vision for the future. However we are also keen to hear from people with skill in order areas in ensure that we have a broad skillset on the board. Please read our purpose on a page (attached) to have a small insight into our organisation values.