Volunteer General Trustees

What will you be doing?

 Person Specification  Essential 

Experience of governance of a charity or public sector organisation A commitment to STAR’s values An awareness of issues affecting both STAR and the wider refugee sector, the ever shifting landscape of refugee policy and media coverage, or a willingness to learn and stay abreast of these current topics and new developments.  A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort to prepare for and attend regular STAR meetings for at least 2 years Integrity and good independent judgement Strategic vision and an ability to stay focused on strategic objectives Willingness to take part in STAR discussions, contribute constructively and listen to others Understanding and acceptance of the legal duties and liabilities of trustees of a charitable company Ability to work effectively as a member of a team Ability to maintain confidentiality A commitment to the principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the Equal Opportunities Policy Willingness to undertake training required to allow them to fulfil their duties.

Desirable  Five years experience in one or more of:

Working with people seeking asylum and refugees; Other work with the asylum/refugee/migrant sector; Charitable fundraising; Voluntary sector issues, such as trends for charities and partnership/network formation; Organisational development, growth or change; Human resources; Financial management/accountancy; IT; Negotiations; Marketing and public relations; Lobbying, advocacy and campaigning regarding social justice or social policy; Management and administration of a charity, for example as a director or trustee; Campaigning; Social Media/ Communications 

What are we looking for?

Essential 

Experience of governance of a charity or public sector organisation A commitment to STAR’s values An awareness of issues affecting both STAR and the wider refugee sector, the ever shifting landscape of refugee policy and media coverage, or a willingness to learn and stay abreast of these current topics and new developments.  A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort to prepare for and attend regular STAR meetings for at least 2 years Integrity and good independent judgement Strategic vision and an ability to stay focused on strategic objectives Willingness to take part in STAR discussions, contribute constructively and listen to others Understanding and acceptance of the legal duties and liabilities of trustees of a charitable company Ability to work effectively as a member of a team Ability to maintain confidentiality A commitment to the principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the Equal Opportunities Policy Willingness to undertake training required to allow them to fulfil their duties.

Desirable  Five years experience in one or more of:

Working with people seeking asylum and refugees; Other work with the asylum/refugee/migrant sector; Charitable fundraising; Voluntary sector issues, such as trends for charities and partnership/network formation; Organisational development, growth or change; Human resources; Financial management/accountancy; IT; Negotiations; Marketing and public relations; Lobbying, advocacy and campaigning regarding social justice or social policy; Management and administration of a charity, for example as a director or trustee; Campaigning; Social Media/ Communications 

What difference will you make?

STAR is a dynamic and exciting national charity which makes a huge impact on a small budget. We are looking for individuals who are passionate about creating a culture of welcome in the UK for refugees ,who believes in the power of young people as changemakers and who wants to empower refugees to reach higher education  A previous Chair of Trustees, Dave Garratt, shares his experience of guiding STAR's work over 8 years. "Being Chair of STAR has been the most wonderful, rewarding experience.  For a small charity, STAR’s reach is phenomenal – not only in providing hundreds of volunteers to help refugees and people seeking asylum, and inspiring a generation of students to support and understand refugees, but also in its ground-breaking campaign work to ensure equal access to higher education…I can’t praise the passion and skill of STAR’s staff, volunteers and my fellow trustees enough – whoever takes over as chair can look forward to seeing real change, working with wonderful people, and being inspired every day by our student network’s boundless commitment, energy and imagination."