Volunteer Trustees - Chair/Educational/Membership Development

What will you be doing?

Location: Hybrid Closing Date: 10th June 2024 Role type: Part-time, initially for a three year term Hours: 2-3 days a month Salary: Not applicable - this is a voluntary unpaid role, but expenses will be covered when applicable. Our mission is to build a community to share best practice and to work towards all schools in the UK having their own (or shared) staffed library to help all children and young people build their literacy skills and fulfil their potential.  We particularly want to hear from candidates with charity, business or membership development experience as we look to strengthen our brand, our membership reach, and financial growth. Our Board currently has a mix of Trustees from business and the school library and educational sectors which helps to strengthen the range of skills and perspectives the SLA and its CEO can tap into. We have recently invested in a new Association Management system, members portal, website and back office system which will substantially improve our ability to personalise our offering to members and our potential reach to new members. In advocacy terms, our involvement in the Great School Library campaign (our CEO is the joint chair) and Awards, has raised the profile of school libraries considerably in recent years and we wish to continue this journey in the coming years. The SLA has, over the last 5 years, made huge changes to its organisational and governance structure, Board strength, and employee skills base. Trustees joining us now will help to take us on the next stage of our exciting journey to reach more members and schools and help children achieve their full potential. 

What are we looking for?

A track record in delivering impactful business development initiatives or membership growth plans or educational leadership Financial acumen – analytical and commercial financial experience Leadership skills – engaging and developing the abilities of all Communication skills – an engaging style, an active listening approach, comfortable communicating to large audiences  Experience of working at Board level and chairing professional committees  A team player - willing to support the Board and SLA staff as required  Initiative and generosity – someone willing to both propose ideas and develop the thinking behind them Energy and enthusiasm – a passion for literacy and the lasting benefits this brings children from all walks of life An understanding of the role and potential of school libraries 

What difference will you make?

As part of our board of trustees you will be a core part of supporting the Association develop it's strategy and supporting us to help as many children through our school library members as possible.