Volunteer Trustee of the Pelvic Radiation Disease Association (UK cancer patient support charity)

What will you be doing?

The Pelvic Radiation Disease Association (PRDA) wishes to recruit more trustees to help us address our key challenge of being a small charity - we need to grow our income and widen our influence. We are particularly looking for people with the following skills and experience:

Expert by lived experience  (person with Pelvic Radiation Disease or a carer for a person with PRD) Healthcare professional Marketing and communications Fundraising.

PRDA is a small UK charity but we have a big voice and are very passionate about advocating for people with Pelvic Radiation Disease. Without the PRDA charity, more people will struggle to cope with poor health and poor quality of life after their cancer treatment. We have the support of health professionals, researchers and other cancer charities from across the UK. However, PRD often gets little attention alongside the major issues of early cancer diagnosis, better treatments and end-of-life care. We are the only national organisation solely dedicated to people affected by PRD – we believe the only one in the world. People affected by PRD need to be given the best possible healthcare and treatment. For this to happen, the disease must be better understood, accepted as a serious problem and given the attention it deserves. For example, dedicated NHS services should be provided, and more can be done to inform and educate health professionals. PRDA needs your involvement so that the charity can grow and help more people live better beyond their cancer treatment. Please see the job description for more information 

What are we looking for?

Each trustee must have:

a commitment to the vision and aims of the Pelvic Radiation Disease Association  willingness to meet the minimum time requirement integrity strategic vision good, independent judgement an ability to think creatively a willingness to speak their mind an understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship an ability to work effectively as a member of a team and to take decisions for the good of PRDA.

Ideally, a trustee should also have one or more of the following:

Understanding of the impact of Pelvic Radiation Disease on people’s lives either through personal or professional connections, or be willing to learn about this; Prior experience of committee/trustee work; Knowledge of the type of work undertaken by PRDA (helpline, support groups, online support, health professional engagement, awareness-raising) and/or fundraising for a small charity, and Leadership skills.

The board of trustees collectively needs skills and experience in the following areas, and we are particularly interested in recruiting trustees with skills and experience marked **:

financial management fundraising** the NHS (any sector, but ideally cancer care)** private health care** voluntary sector  the needs of people affected by a chronic health condition (especially Pelvic Radiation Disease)** marketing, social media and websites** digital human resource management volunteering management collaborative partnerships.

What difference will you make?

Trustees use their specific skills, knowledge or experience to help the board of trustees reach sound decisions regarding the charity’s strategy, finances and governance. This ensures that PRDA is able to work as effectively as possible, and have the most impact it can for people affected every day by the symptoms and problems caused by Pelvic Radiation Disease. Trustees are a ‘critical friend’ and are able to identify key issues, lead discussions, provide advice on new initiatives and offer general guidance in all aspects of the charity’s work. Outside of board meetings, trustees can choose to become more closely involved in PRDA’s activities.