Treasurer for Sandhurst Counselling Service

Treasurer (trustee) for Sandhurst Counselling Services. 
Do you have financial skills and enthusiasm to help an organisation that supports good mental health?

You could be the next Treasurer for Sandhurst Counselling Services, a small and effective charity based in Sandhurst, Berkshire.

About us:

Sandhurst Counselling Service evolved from a drop-in service started in August 1990 by St Michael's church in Sandhurst, and provides a safe confidential space for anyone feeling anxious, stressed, depressed, hopeless or lost, to help people find their way. The charity is “a counselling service with a Christian ethos”, an unincorporated Charitable Trust, is registered with BACP, and has an income of c 70k p.a.

The role and what we are looking for in a new Treasurer 

Our Treasurer works closely with the Chair and other trustees, our Administration and Clinical Managers, and leads liaison with the External Examiner for our annual accounts. Although all trustees are equally responsible for our finances, our Treasurer maintains the overview and leads the Board in our discussions of financial matters. Our Board includes people with understanding of our counselling services, and we require all new trustees to have strong empathy with our cause and our delivery.

Although we’d welcome a financial qualification, that’s not a prerequisite, as our finances aren’t too complex. An understanding of how charity finance works would be beneficial, and the ability to clearly communicate our financial information to other trustees is very important. Liaison with  the Administration Manager, who deals with the general bookkeeping, maintenance of a statistical database and day-to-day matters, is important. As well as a general understanding of finances and accounts preparation, management of Excel spreadsheets (primarily used for our statistical analysis) is important

We are a charity not a business, but we apply business principles alongside our faith values to govern our organisation. We are looking for fresh expertise and experience from a variety of backgrounds to our charity.

The Board meets quarterly, usually face-to-face at our premises, GU47 8HN, on a mid-week afternoon (this timing can be flexible and can be subject to future discussion/negotiation), for up to three hours.

You will need to dedicate about six hours per month to the role, and more at times such as the preparation of quarterly reports, major grant applications, gift aid submissions, financial year-end and AGM. This includes preparation for and attendance at Board meetings; many of your duties may be carried out online and by phone/video, as well as at face-to-face meetings.

In addition to this regular time commitment, you will need extra time for induction and any training you may need or request.

It should be noted that the focus of this role is strategic and you will not be managing the organisation on a day-to-day basis; however, regular contact and close liaison with our Administration Manager, as indicated above, is required.

How to apply

This high-profile appointment is being managed for us by inVOLve Community Services, a charity-support organisation, who offer a no-obligation discussion by phone or video. A detailed Role Description and Skills Specification can be made available to you upon request.

You will need to be eligible to be a charity Trustee, which we will explain. Trustee appointments are subject to satisfactory references, and a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check.

Your CV and supporting statement will be read by our existing trustees; an informal discussion followed by a more-formal interview can be offered as soon as mutually convenient.

 I need to know more

Contact Mike Allen via Quick Apply below for more information and arrange to have a no-obligation initial informal discussion (Teams/Zoom/phone), explanation about this important role and any assistance in your application.