Trustee with a facilities-focus

Do you want to help govern a charity that also runs Almshouses, alongside other trustees?

Do you have a focus on strategically-planning our accommodation for older people in Wokingham?

We are looking for a trustee to join one of our subcommittees, that looks after the provision and future of our Almshouses, as well as participate in our full Board of trustees.

As  the oldest charity in England (formed in 1451) we want a new trustee to join our Board, to cooperatively govern our organisation alongside other trustees. Wokingham United Charities has a mission to relieve poverty and enhance the quality of life of those people in need in our community. We do this by our Almshouse accommodation, as well as using our funds to help alleviate financial distress, hardship and poverty.

Our usual income per annum is ~£700k, but we’ve been managing funds to help to relieve poverty in the midst of this cost-of-living crisis, and recently our turnover has been ~£1.5m. Of that, some £160k p.a. is income and usual expenditure for our Almshouses.

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

Trustees are the people who make the top-level decisions for our charity. Our Board includes people with experience and skills in governing our charity, and we’d expect our new trustee to have strong empathy with our cause and our beneficiaries. If you can think strategically and plan long-term, you have the primary skills we need.

Our Westende subcommittee meets every two months, and we want you to join this group, as well as becoming a trustee and thus joining the Board. The subcommittee devises and analyses plans for the Almshouses, as well as overseeing the operational delivery that is managed by our Westende Manager.

You don’t necessarily need prior experience of trusteeship, as full induction to our organisation and operations will be provided, plus specialist support for a new trustee, including access to external training.

We are a charity not a business, but we apply business principles to governing our organisation. We are looking for people from a variety of backgrounds and we’d like to expand the diversity of our Board, in all meanings, thus strongly welcome applications from people from less-represented groups. 

We ask for approx. six hours of your time per month, which includes all meetings, discussions, etc.  You will need access to digital communications, as much of our charity’s business is run that way.

How to apply  

This 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.  

Trustee appointments are subject to satisfactory references, to completion of an online Safeguarding course and a Cyber-awareness training.

Your CV and supporting statement will be read by our trustees and Charity Manager; an informal discussion can be offered as soon as mutually convenient, potentially leading to formal interview.

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)