Volunteer Trustee - Experienced Group Secretary

What will you be doing?

This role provides an interesting and rewarding opportunity to be part of one of the South East’s forward looking charities devoted to enabling those with disabilities to develop life skills and achieve personal ambitions while connecting with animals in the countryside.   All Trustees are responsible for:

the overall governance and strategic direction of the Group; developing the organisation’s aims, objectives and goals in accordance with the legal and regulatory guidelines; safeguarding the good name of the charity; ensuring financial stability; continually striving for best practice in governance.

  The individual we are keen to appoint will succeed a long standing and highly experienced person who is retiring.  Their primary focus areas will be:

Trustee meetings – agendas, notes at meeting, minutes after, booking rooms Charity Commission updates - changes of trustees – comings, goings, name changes, address changes RDA UK reporting - annual Trustee checklist, annual listing of Trustees in post, coach review log Sharing communications from RDA National and RDA Regional with Trustee Board Liaising with RDA UK for awards - long service pony awards and long service volunteer awards Correspondence - thank you letters, articles for local newspapers, miscellaneous general enquiries, forwarding to relevant members of the Group, handling Gift Aid documentation received Coordinate Insurance documentation received from RDA UK Ensure that the charity pursues its objects as defined in its governing document, charity law, company law and other relevant legislation/regulations

What are we looking for?

The successful candidate will work alongside other trustees to ensure strict attention to governance is applied at all times which inspires public confidence and trust in the charity. Ideally the individual will be able to assist the Board of Trustees with contractual documentation, lease queries, implications of charity law changes, and all types of matters arising from documentation with external parties.   In more general terms, the key specifications for the trustee role are: Essential:

Motivated and positive about the aims and objectives of Bradbourne RDA Group Keen to make a difference Flexible Willing to devote time and effort including attending promotional events Self-driven and with good team skills

  Desirable:

Experience of volunteering Awareness of the positive impact RDA activities can have on people’s lives.  

What difference will you make?

With no paid staff and every member of the team from trustees, to coaches, to helpers all being volunteers, everyone at Bradbourne RDA Group has chosen to join to make a difference and ensure each and every rider and carriage driver has the most positive, beneficial and enjoyable experience each time they come.   With ever increasingly busy lives and many of the volunteers who are interested to do so already doing extra activities over and above helping with a session of rides and carriage drives, it is not possible to take on additional initiatives or implement the range of ideas the Board has without over-committing existing helpers, without whom we cannot run rides and carriage drives.   There is considerable pressure on the Chairman of Trustees to lead on and undertake a wide range of  activities in addition to their workload at Bradbourne RDA Group, and with natural retirement of Trustees it is important the Board is strengthened with expertise from outside of the Group to assist Bradbourne RDA to continue to flourish and undertake those activities and projects which will enhance its offering to disabled people from the local area for years to come.