Finance Trustee for Cooking Up Charity

Cooking Up is a small dynamic charity teaching people living in hardship to cook affordable, nutritious meals to take home to their families.  

Our data to date shows that Cooking Up is having a positive impact on the lives of the clients we support who face challenging circumstances such as food poverty, disabilities. poor mental health and social isolation. After completing a 5-week course with us, clients report feeling more confident about cooking a meal from scratch and understand better how to eat healthily and shop on a budget. Our classes are fun and sociable and clients are supported on a 1:1 basis by our wonderful and growing team of local volunteers.

We are seeking a Finance Trustee to join our Board. The role involves all aspects of the charity's finances, including banking, preparing budgets, invoicing and payments, preparing annual accounts and reporting to the board. 

Cooking Up’s Board of Trustees shares ultimate responsibility for governing the charity and directing how it is managed and run. As a member of the Board of Trustees, you will help set the strategic aims, objectives and direction of the charity, ensure that the charity complies with charity law requirements and ensure the charity’s resources are responsibly managed.

In addition to fulfilling the duties of a Trustee, the Finance Trustee maintains an overview of Cooking Up’s financial affairs. The Finance Trustee ensures that effective and appropriate financial measures, controls and procedures are put in place and reports to the Board at regular intervals about the financial health of the organisation.

Specific Responsibilities of the Finance Trustee

●      Taking a lead in all aspects of the financial management of Cooking Up and providing financial advice as appropriate to the Board of Trustees on the financial implications of Cooking Up’s strategies and plans.

●      Overseeing the presentation of budgets, internal management accounts and annual financial statements to the Board of Trustees

●      Ensuring that proper accounting records are kept, and that appropriate accounting procedures and controls are in place

●      Ensuring that robust and comprehensive financial policies are in place and being implemented, and supporting the development of policies covering financial reserves, and cost management

●      Monitoring and advising on the financial viability of the charity

●      Overseeing financial controls and adherence to systems, regularly liaising with the Board

●      Advising on the financial implications of the charity’s strategic plan, including overseeing the charity’s financial risk-management process

●      Lead on the appointment of and liaison with external auditors

●      Ensuring that the accounts are prepared and disclosed in the form required by the Charity Commission

●      Keeping the board informed about its financial duties and responsibilities