Secretary to the Board of Trustees

As a Secretary to the Stokenchurch Dog Rescue Board of Trustees, you will be able to donate your skills, time and attention to our worthwhile and rewarding cause. In return, we can offer the opportunity to be part of a small, friendly and committed team with a dedication and passion for its work and every dog that arrives in need of care and a brighter future. We would welcome someone as a trustee but it is optional for this role.

The purpose of the role is to assist the board in administrative tasks to ensure compliance with the charity's governing document as well as with the statutory and regulatory requirements. Typically this will include:

Assisting the Chairperson(s) of the board with the agenda for each board meeting;

Sending out notification of board meetings to charity trustees (and others where applicable);

Circulating board papers in advance of meetings and assisting with any issues charity trustees have regarding these;

Checking that a quorum is present (and that it is present throughout the meeting if required);

Taking the minutes at board meetings and maintaining the records of all meeting minutes;

Keeping a record of all issues discussed, decisions taken and any actions required to implement a decision;

Working with the Chairperson(s) to ensure that the draft minutes are accurate;

Issuing minutes to charity trustees after board meetings and dealing with any subsequent requests for corrections to be made before they are formally approved; 

Ensuring that minutes are stored safely and are accessible by the Chairperson(s) of the board and any other charity trustee if required;

Providing support in setting up and running any Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs) as required; 

Maintaining the register of trustees and members;

Being familiar with the charity’s governing document, the legal responsibilities of charities under the Charities Act 2009;

Helping to ensure that charity trustees file all relevant statutory returns and information with the Charities Regulator (e.g. annual reports, changes to the charity’s details and/or trustees’ details);

Making sure any correspondence for the charity trustees is brought to the attention of the board.

Person Specification:

Relevant secretarial or equivalentexperience;

Capable of producing accurate and reliable minutes;

Adept at managing the follow up actions to support the implementation of board decisions;

Organised and methodical, with an eye for detail;

Understanding of and adherence to matters of confidentiality;

Empathy for SDR’s purpose and work and a willingness to be an ambassador for the charity;

Integrity and good judgement;

Ability to work effectively as a member of a team;

Appreciation of the need for legal and corporate governance to ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements;

Understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship;