Trustees

Join the board of Christian Aid, a global movement of people, churches, and local organisations. We are the changemakers, the peacemakers, and the mighty of heart.

• Location: Christian Aid, 35-41 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL
• Time commitment: Circa 1-2 days a month
• Closing date: Monday 23rd September

Who we are.

Christian Aid has a vision – an end to poverty – and we believe that vision can become a reality. For over 75 years, we’ve fought poverty and turned hope into action. Although founded by the church and rooted in Christianity, we’ve always helped those in need, regardless of religion, ethnicity or nationality.

For over 75 years, we’ve worked with local partners and communities to alleviate poverty, fight injustice, respond to humanitarian emergencies, campaign for change, and help people claim the services and rights they are entitled to. We work with some of the world’s most vulnerable communities in 29 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 2022/23, we funded 275 projects in 14 countries, worked directly with 2.9 million people and indirectly with over 17 million people, and raised a total of £90.6 million, of which £47 million was used for humanitarian programming and £27.9 million for development programmes.

There is more to do. It is a challenging time globally and we are responding everyday with pace and innovation. More than 75 years on from our foundation following the Second World War, we have again faced a huge, forced movement of people in Europe, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We have rapidly mobilised fundraising and programme response, which has allowed us to work effectively with our partners across Ukraine and neighbouring countries.

We are living in a period when inequalities are widening, conflict and violence are leading to violations of rights, and environmental destruction threatens our homes. There is an urgent need to rethink our approaches to poverty, this demands deep structural change, but also a real change in ourselves as an organisation. Although we have experienced a decrease in institutional funding, the issues we work on are urgent, and the pressures facing our sector can be a challenge. But we have experienced gradual recovery of voluntary income, and there is more we can do. This gives us the space to continue to be strategic about rebuilding our institutional income and grow our programmatic work worldwide which includes emergency response, peace-building, health, land rights, tax justice, accelerating localisation through partnership, gender equality and helping communities adapt to climate change.

Who we are looking for.

We are looking to appoint four new Trustees who are passionate about the work of Christian Aid and have a personal commitment to our values. Trustees are responsible for setting the strategy, ensuring good governance, and determining our vision. Our trustees offer senior expertise, support and challenge to one another and our team whilst being critical collaborators and, at times, acting as a sounding board.

In this recruitment round, we are looking for up to four people to join our board. We are looking for two trustees with professional expertise in the following areas:

• Finance
• Fundraising or income generation

We want to welcome a Trustee onto the Board who brings experience and knowledge of fundraising and/or income generation and developing new ways of growing organisations. An ideal candidate may have a background in various sectors including, but not limited to, B2C Marketing, CSR, commercial and business, banking, investments, financial services, or someone with senior leadership and fundraising experience in the charity sector. This person can support us as we grow our income and focus our approach to development and engagement with our donor base.

We are looking to appoint a trustee who is a senior, financially qualified individual. We seek a commercial, strategic, visionary leader who can support and challenge us and has senior leadership experience, for example, as a CFO. With a new Finance and Corporate Governance Director and a period of change and development, we are excited to welcome new Trustees to the board who can bring their skills and experience to support us.

We are also looking for two additional trustees to join our Board. We would particularly welcome trustees with experience and skills in one or more of the following areas:

• Experience of living and/or working in the geographical areas we work in (Africa, Latin-American and the Caribbean, Asia and the Middle East)
• Humanitarian and development work
• Marketing and digital experience
• Youth engagement
• Pentecostal or Orthodox Christian denominations

The Board meets 4 times a year, which includes 2 residentials. The residentials usually require an overnight stay, and one may be outside of Central London. Our board meets annually for our AGM. All dates are decided in advance and planned for the year. Both the Finance and Fundraising Trustees will join our Finance, Fundraising and Investment Committee, which meets 4 times a year, usually virtually for 2-3 hours.

We expect the time commitment to be circa 1-2 days a month which varies throughout the year and is inclusive of attendance at Board meetings, membership of one or more committees, preparation for board meetings as well as ad hoc conversations with Board members or senior staff between formal meetings and attendance at events throughout the year. In addition, it has proved valuable for trustees to travel overseas occasionally to visit partners and see Christian Aid’s work at first hand. The term is initially 4 years which can be renewed. The successful individuals’ appointments will be ratified later this year.

Board members are expected to be active Christians to help lead, direct and develop Christian Aid. We value and encourage diversity of the Board and welcome people from all sections of the Christian community. We are also open to this person being based internationally or in the UK.

We are especially keen to invite applications from candidates with current lived experience in the Global South and candidates who will help to ensure that the Board is diverse.

Please click 'Apply via website’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the candidate profile and register your interest to apply.

Applications for this role close on Monday 23rd September.