Volunteer Trustees for Artemis Studios

What will you be doing?

Artemis Studios Performing Arts Schools is a Charity only Registered in March 2022, while our not-for-personal-profit organisation has been providing similar services in Bracknell since at least August 2014 and our roots go back locally to 2007. This, of course, means our charity Board of trustees is still growing, and needs new skills and abilities to achieve that growth. If you have specific interests or skills in funding, fund-raising, strategic planning or the legal duties of trustees, we’d really like to talk with you; in any case, if you’re interested in helping our organisation’s growth as part of our collective Board, please read on and apply.We’re interested in you if you’re interested in us! The role and what we are looking for in a new trustee Trustees are the people who make the top-level decisions for our charity. Our Board includes people with experience and skills in performing and creative arts, and we’d expect new trustees to have empathy with our cause and our beneficiaries.  Interest in young people, mental health support, education would be beneficial, but potential applicants do not need in-depth understanding of, or involvement in, our operational cause. If you have specific experience, skills or abilities in:

Funding and fund-raising Strategic planning for our charity Legal responsibilities in a Charitable Company

we’d really welcome your application. If you have interests other than those, don’t be put off: ask us! If you can think strategically and plan long-term, you have what our trustees primarily need; you’ll also need to work collectively with other Board members. Support from our paid employees is always available, under the leadership of our CEO, who works closely with the Board to develop and implement our strategic and operational plans. We are a charity not a business, but we apply business principles to governing our organisation. We are looking for people from a variety of backgrounds to join our charity. We want to expand the diversity of our Board, in all meanings, and strongly welcome applications from people from less-represented groups.

What are we looking for?

Here is some of what we would expect from our trustees. We know that you may also need training and support from our employees, from other trustees and from external organisations, and that that will be forthcoming, as necessary, to build on any area.

Understanding of the organisation’s operations in Performing Arts training, supporting children, young people and adults, will be most welcome but is not vital Your grasp of the benefit of music, dance and performance in a range of disciplines, in assisting and improving the mental and physical health of our beneficiaries is important; empathy with our cause is essential Clear commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, valuing differences to make better decisions and deliver better services for our beneficiaries Strategic vision; good, independent judgement; ability to think creatively, tempered by pragmatism and reality

Specific knowledge, skills and abilities to enable the Board to focus our funding and fundraising efforts would be welcome, but are not a prerequisite Specific knowledge, skills and abilities to enable the Board to focus on our legal responsibilities would also be welcome, but again are not a prerequisite for applicants

Ability to cooperatively work with the team of trustees, bringing impartiality and objectivity to decision-making Skills and ability to listen, even to dissenting views Willingness to speak your mind and to challenge other trustees and employees with good intent; able to make unpopular recommendations to the Board, if necessary Skills to analyse proposals, examine their strategic consequences and make concise recommendations Secure personal access to digital communication and able to competently use those resources Commitment to the organisation; willingness and ability to devote the necessary time & effort While experience and understanding of charity law and governance can be useful, we strongly welcome people without prior charity trustee experience in order to increase the diversity of our Board; training in those areas can be provided Having appropriate personal and professional contacts & networks, with willingness to draw on those as needed Willingness to be available to CEO & employees for advice and enquiries on a scheduled or ad-hoc basis

What difference will you make?

What do we get?   

Your strategic skills, knowledge, understanding or experience Your abilities to influence plans for our charity’s future Enhancement to our overall governance and the Board of trustees; improvement in our charity governance knowledge and operational growth    Your participation in our collective decision-making, contributing to all areas of our charity work    Your enthusiasm   

   What do our beneficiaries get?   

The ability to continue our support for children, young people and the preforming arts A forward-looking and agile organisation, with a well-informed and well-managed Board of trustees

  What do YOU get as a volunteer trustee with our organisation?   

An opportunity to exercise your strategic planning skills, probably in a different environment or context  An opportunity to influence and collectively-lead an organisation supporting the arts A chance to expand and implement your understanding of our work A chance to augment your experience of charities  A boost to your career and CV, if needed  Satisfaction of helping a charitable organisation, thus giving something back to your community  Induction training from us; training, support and assistance from local charity-support agencies