Volunteer Chair of Trustees - Balloons Child Bereavement Charity

What will you be doing?

Balloons is a well loved and highly respected child bereavement charity working across Exeter, Mid and East Devon. We make a big difference to the lives of children, young people and families through providing bereavement support before an expected death, or following the death, of someone significant in their lives.  We like to think we are a small charity with a big presence in our local community. Our core work is delivering face to face, one to one, bespoke support sessions to 5-25 year olds through a trained team of volunteer ‘Grief Support Workers’. These sessions enable grieving children and young people to tell us how they feel–we are neutral, not a caregiver, not a teacher or other professional.  In addition, our young people have the opportunity to attend our Activity Days, participating in a range of activities to enhance their personal sense of wellbeing.  We also run a telephone helpline for families and training for professionals.  We are proud to have been awarded the Queens Award for Volunteering, as well as recent funding from Comic Relief and Children in Need, which has included being covered on TV. Our current Chair is due to retire next year, and we are now starting the journey to appoint someone new.  The Chair will share our values and work with a committed, friendly CEO, Board of Trustees and staff who motivate, inspire and support each other to make change and give assurance. It is important to us that you will have previous charity Board experience and marketing/income generation/fundraising background would be a great asset, adding to the range of experience at Board level. We are looking for someone who is credible and compassionate, is an active listener, will support healthy debate and empower the Board to be effective in carrying out its role. Our new chair will understand the difference between strategy and operations, will be a sounding board to our CEO and will be a proud ambassador for Balloons, comfortable representing us in a range of settings

What are we looking for?

We are looking for an individual, with previous charity Board experience, who shares our values, who will work with fellow trustees, and the CEO effectively to make a positive difference to the young people we support. A marketing/income generation/fundraising background would be a great asset and add to the range of experience at Board level. We are looking for someone who is credible and compassionate, is an active listener, will support healthy debate and empower the Board to be effective in carrying out its role. Our new Chair will understand the difference between strategy and operations, will be a sounding board for our CEO and will be a proud ambassador for Balloons, comfortable representing us in a range of settings. We are looking for someone who has a track record of chairing meetings effectively, ensuring that everyone who wishes to has a reasonable chance to speak and take part. They should be able to listen to and understand a wide range of views, present information clearly and concisely and get clarification of relevant points, thus enabling the board to make effective decisions. The board must demonstrate its leadership of the organisation. It is the Chair's role to enable the board to do that.

What difference will you make?

The Chair of Trustees is a key role in our organisation. Your leadership and commitment will ensure we continue to provide our range of much-needed support and services to bereaved children and young people in our local area.