Volunteer Governance, business process and organisational development

What will you be doing?

Natural Neighbours delivers advice, resources, support and a connecting platform to urban communities wanting to collaborate to create networks of habitat for health-giving wildlife. We are particularly focussed on those most socially, economically and racially marginalised of communities that also tend to be those most experiencing ‘nature poverty’. We are urgently looking for an experienced organisational strategist and manager to work with us as our fledgling charity moves into delivery mode. This means we’re engaging local community members to build habitat on ‘hub’ project sites central to their neighbourhoods and then, via our ground-breaking app, extend the habitat creation into their private outdoor spaces. To do this it’s vital we optimise how we’re organised internally so that we can do the best job of presenting ourselves to and inspiring funders, stakeholders including housing associations, health partnerships and local governments, and communities themselves to work with and support us. We would like the volunteer to:

Help us hone our use of tech platforms used for organisational management and delivery, or identify new tools if and where appropriate Identify our key organisational development needs as a public-facing charity, prioritise these and make a plan for resourcing them and reviewing progress Map our diverse set of audiences and stakeholders and help generate and deliver an organisational strategy for engaging, supporting and reporting to them as appropriate Ensure organisational culture is hardwired from the get-go to make us a top-notch place to work or partner with, far exceeding statutory obligations and standard best practice concerning diversity, accessibility, data protection, security and healthy work culture.

You will be working with the director and relevant trustee/s who will provide an overview of our existing policies and approach, networks and systems.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for a volunteer who has experience:

Identifying and supporting the strategic development needs of a charity taking its first steps to maturity Working with organisational management tools including Google Workspace and covering accounting, CRM and other data management and planning needs, ideally with familiarity with AirTable Ensuring best practice governance policies are in place and in practice Supporting and working with trustees and regulatory bodies such as the Charities Commission and HMRC.

The volunteer should also have

Accuracy and attention to detail The ability to quickly understand the needs of our team, organisation and users The ability and confidence to ask key questions to enable us to clarify requirements An understanding of the resource constraints of a small charity, and willingness to work with these An open and relaxed approach to giving and receiving feedback A strong commitment to social justice

Ideally a passion for and interest in urban wildlife and nature-derived health & wellbeing.

What difference will you make?

This is a crucial time for us, a time at which your involvement will be, and feel, pivotal. We are underway with our pilot community engagement projects and our first significant grants and donations have already landed. You will play a hugely important role in helping us establish the systems, ways-of-working and outward-facing reputation upon which all our future work and impact will be founded. Being a part of this growth phase for Natural Neighbours will be a rewarding growth phase in turn for you and all the team involved in it.