Home volunteer volunteer roles in dudley, west midlands

Mental Health Professional Advisor
Business Development/Sales
Marketing/Merchandising
Construction/Facilities

Are you passionate about supporting the third sector? Do you want to ‘give back’, make a real difference and have the time to help us achieve our ambitious plans for growth? If the answers to these questions are yes, then we could be the organisation you are looking for and we would love to hear from you.

Better Pathways is a Birmingham based mental health charity that has been delivering support to people with mental health issues, learning disabilities and other neurodiverse conditions for over 60 years. We support our beneficiaries to build back and maintain good mental health and wellbeing, to access services in the community and to move into paid employment, education, training and volunteering opportunities. We do this through a Vocational Pathways Programme delivered in our social enterprises onsite in Digbeth, and through statutory sector contracts delivered in the community.
We are a relatively small charity, with a current turnover that hovers around the £1m, but with big ambitions to grow. Our agenda is broad and complex, and we are looking for Trustees with the right experience to provide advice, guidance and practical support to help us achieve our aims.

Mental Health Professional Advisor
We have recently recruited a counsellor and psychotherapist into our team and want to build on this, innovating our mental health offer for the future. For example, we are having initial discussions with a key industry about the potential to provide mental health support/counselling services for their large workforce. We are also committed to improving the way in which we measure and evidence the impact of our work. You can come from any mental health clinical profession, but we imagine that a senior clinical psychologist or counsellor would add real value to our trustee team.

Business Development/Sales
If you have knowledge of, or experience and networks in, the parts assembly & packing business, preferably in the manufacturing, industrial engineering and parts & retail distribution sectors, and/or experience of the signage business, and would be energised by the prospect of advising our team on business growth/sales strategy, then we have just the opportunity for you across our three social enterprises:

Better Packing: Parts assembly and contract packing
Better Pathways is the legal operating name of Birmingham Industrial Therapy Association Limited. Founded in 1963.
Better Signage: Business signage services (interior &exterior signage, wide format vinyl printing, flat bed printing, laser cutting and engraving, name badges, vinyl graphics). We are looking to developed personalised products for direct to consumer and b2b sales
Better Woodwork: Products for the home and garden made from reclaimed timber

Marketing/Merchandising 

We have updated our branding and website, are reaching out on LinkedIn, attending networking events and more. As we start to concentrate on new product development, especially in our Signage and Woodwork enterprises, but seek to consolidate our existing offers at the same time, expertise in how best to reach the right markets would be a much welcomed addition to our trustee skillset.

Construction/Facilities 

We own our building. We love it, but it leaks when it rains, is difficult and expensive to heat and maintain. We have ambitious plans to ‘Raise the Roof’ (ie, build a new one), to build in a mezzanine floor to create capacity for growth, and to remodel our front of house. We are working with a team to produce Stage 2a design plans for submission to planning and then will be raising funds and exploring options to work with constructors. If you can help with this important part of our agenda, we’d love to hear from you.

Time Commitment
Board meetings: once a quarter for two hours
Strategy session (4 hours): once or twice a year
Other commitments: occasional ad-hoc meetings, again kept to a minimum

2025 is a pivotal time for our small, family centred Charity as we move into our 22nd year. This year our Board will be defining our new mission and preparing for implementation. We're seeking new trustees to join us to contribute to our new mission and define the Charity's direction as we conclude our first mission in late 2025.

The Muscle Help Foundation (MHF) is a small multi-award winning, family-centred charity, delivering both in-person and virtual interventions and experiences in the UK - these moments-in-time are called Muscle Dreams, designed specifically for children & young people (8-28yrs) with the muscle wasting disease, Muscular Dystrophy (MD).

MHF’s impact is felt by beneficiaries and their families across the UK – from improved confidence, greater self-esteem, and an increased sense of hopefulness to a powerful shared identity that connects families, giving a platform to share knowledge, memories and establish lasting friendships.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

We are looking for Trustees who have a passion to take the charity forward, to grow impact, to leave a personal legacy and to feel the sense of personal fulfilment from the time they volunteer.

AS A TRUSTEE, YOU WILL

• Have an opportunity to help improve the lives of children, young people and their families
• Contribute to the governance of our small, well respected, national charity
• Have strategic responsibility for a specific skill area
• Act as an advocate/champion in promoting the charity's work across your network
• Receive induction, support and training
• Bring your lived experience, in using and further developing your skills for the benefit of others
• Be a part of the team that will help the charity achieve its overarching 657 Muscle Dream mission

REQUIREMENTS + KEY CRITERIA

Commitment to the charity’s values, bags of enthusiasm, an understanding and passion for our work, great comms skills and a real desire to want to make a difference to the lives of our vulnerable community. You may have experience of living with muscular dystrophy, other disabilities or life limiting conditions, but this is not essential.

MAIN BOARD MEETINGS + EXPENSES

Trustee Board meetings take place virtually. They are usually 2hrs. Over and above this time commitment, trustees on average, depending on their role, may give additional time in being directly involved in occasional ad projects – MHF Trustees ‘own’ a ‘bucket’, in other words, an area of responsibility like HR, Fundraising, Safeguarding, Marketing, Finance, Digital, Risk or Campaign Management that allows an individual to bring their skills, experience and talents to the charity. Reasonable expenses will be covered.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR – PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Absolute belief in the cause
• Desire to learn the trustee role, previous governance expertise is an advantage
• Excellent communicators with great listening, responding and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to both empower and challenge supportively.
• Strong commitment to equality, and an understanding of disability and how for example this may impact on the quality of life and life choices for disabled people and their families.
• Commitment and time to dedicate to the role and responsibilities of being a Trustee.
• Commitment to the charity’s vision, mission and values.
• Strong desire to make a difference to the lives of our vulnerable beneficiary community.
• Understanding of the context/environment in which the charity works - it is estimated that some 96% of MHF's beneficiaries are those with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), the most severe variant of muscular dystrophy - it is life limiting.
• Understanding the importance of ensuring public confidence and trust in the charity.
• Collaborative working (part of a team), using sound independent judgement and collective decision making.
• The capacity to grasp issues outside ones personal experience.
• The ability to think creatively both in terms of high level strategy and development.
• Commitment to equality and diversity with other trustees, staff, beneficiaries and other stakeholders.

WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL YOU MAKE?

To provide strategic leadership in line with our values and goals. Trustees will use their knowledge, skills, passion and experience to ensure that the charity achieves its objectives – as a Trustee, you will represent the interests of all stakeholders and act as an ambassador. 

AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO BRING YOUR UNIQUE SELF

As an MHF Trustee, this is an exciting opportunity to bring your unique skill set to help the strategic progression of the charity in reaching its overarching goal to deliver 657 Muscle Dream interventions, that's one experience for every muscle in the human body, cherished moments-in-time that truly changes lives and give hope, and beyond as we reach this goal.

IN RETURN FOR YOUR COMMITMENT

• You will have an opportunity to help improve the lives of children, young people and their families
• Be part of a team all supporting the charity and rowing in the same direction
• Contribute to the governance of a national charity, that's worked tirelessly over the past 20 years
• Have your voice heard and listened to
• Attend events, meet beneficiaries & families and directly witness the impact of the charity’s work
• Have strategic responsibility for a skill area such as: HR, Fundraising, Corporate Partnerships etc
• Network with other like-minded individuals with common values
• Receive induction, support and training
• And much more…

INCLUSION - PROUD OF OUR BOARD DIVERSITY

Our greatest strength as a board and as an charity is in our community's diversity. We are particularly interested in hearing from applicants with diverse skills and experiences that reflect the diversity of our beneficiaries and welcome applications from first time Trustees.

Background:

Established in 2011, Kaleidoscope Trust is a UK-based charity fighting to bring about positive legislative, policy and social change for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and gender diverse (LGBTI+) people across the Commonwealth and beyond. We fund, fight for, and empower those upholding the human rights of LGBTI+ people by working with governments, changemakers, and civil society organisations to effect meaningful and lasting change in the lives of LGBTI+ people.
 

At this exciting time for Kaleidoscope Trust, we are looking to find a candidate who can take on the role as Chair of the Board of Trustees to build on the charity’s momentum, while handling the evolving opportunities and challenges of the organisation. The Chair provides strategic leadership of Kaleidoscope Trust in collaboration with the Board of Trustees and the Chief Executive Officer.
 

Overall purpose:

To provide Leadership of the Board as a team, to facilitate and drive the governance and strategic direction of Kaleidoscope Trust and to communicate its values, mission, aims, and objectives.
 

Key Responsibilities:

- Working in Partnership with the Chief Executive Officer

- Fundraising & Acting as an Ambassador

- Governance & Strategic Direction

- Communication and Culture

- Board Meetings
 

The post holder will seek to remain both well-informed about the opportunities, challenges, and risks facing the association’s services and will aim to contribute specialist knowledge/expertise to debate and decisionmaking.
 

The Chair of the Board is responsible for ensuring that the Board is effective in setting and implementing the strategic direction of the organisation and can act as a leading ambassador for Kaleidoscope Trust.

We know that diverse boards are the most effective, they can think creatively and hold each other to account, therefore we are particularly looking for applications from trans people, women, People of the Global Majority, people without a degree, working class people and people of faith.
 

Please refer to the Job Description attached for more information on the role.