Trustee Role Description
Our trustees play a vital role in making sure that Longfield Community Hospice achieves its core purpose. They oversee the overall management and administration of the charity. They also ensure that Longfield Community Hospice has a clear strategy and that our work and goals are in line with our vision. Just as importantly, they support and challenge the Senior Leadership Team to enable Longfield Community Hospice to grow and thrive.
Board members have a collective responsibility. This means that trustees always act as a group and not as individuals.
General Duties
- Support and provide advice on Longfield’s purpose, vision, goals and activities.
- Approve operational strategies and policies, and monitor and evaluate their implementation.
- Oversee Longfield’s financial plans and budgets and monitor and evaluate progress.
- Ensure compliance with legal, statutory and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation.
- Ensure that key risks are being identified, monitored and controlled effectively.
- Review and approve Longfield’s financial statements.
- Provide support and challenge to Longfield’s CEO in the exercise of their delegated authority and affairs.
- Keep abreast of changes in Longfield’s operating environment.
- Contribute to regular reviews of Longfield’s own governance.
- Attend Board meetings, adequately prepared to contribute to discussions.
- Use independent judgment, acting legally and in good faith to promote and protect Longfield’s interests, to the exclusion of their own personal and/or any third party interests.
- Contribute to the broader promotion of Longfield’s objects, aims and reputation by applying your skills, expertise, knowledge and contacts.
Specific Duties
- Attending and actively participating in board meetings.
- Serving on committees and contributing to specific projects.
- Providing guidance and support to the staff and volunteers.
- Engaging with stakeholders and representing the charity at events.
- Assisting in fundraising and promoting the charity’s goals.
Personal skills and qualities
- Willingness and ability to understand and accept their responsibilities and liabilities astrustees and to act in the best interests of the organisation.
- Ability to think creatively and strategically, exercise good, independent judgement and work effectively as a board member.
- Effective communication skills and willingness to participate actively in discussion.
- A strong personal commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Enthusiasm for our vision and mission.
- Willingness to commit time and effort to trustee duties.
- Integrity and ethical decision making.
- Through trustee recruitment, specific skills will be sought and these will be set out in the recruitment information.
Terms of appointment
Terms of office
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Trustees are appointed for 3 years, and can be re-appointed for up to 3 terms.
- This is a voluntary position, but reasonable expenses are reimbursed.
- Trustees can resign at any time and may be removed by a vote of the Board if they transgress good governance practices or if they do anything which brings the charity into disrepute.
Time commitment
The board meets every quarter, as do each of our committees. Meetings take place both online and face to face and last approx. 2 hours.
Time commitment is meeting attendance, time before meetings to read papers and occasional ad hoc discussions, strategy and planning sessions or events.
Committee membership
Ad hoc and occasional support through working groups and / or support to the Senior Leadership Team.
The 6 main duties of a trustee (as set out by the Charity Commission)
- Ensure your charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit
- Comply with your charity’s governing documents and the law
- Act in your charity’s best interests
- Ensure your charity is accountable
- Manage your charity’s resources responsibly
- Act with reasonable care and skill
All trustees are expected to read the following,
Charity Commission The essential trustee what you need to know
Charity Commission 5 minute guides for trustees
Please mention ACEVO Jobs when applying for the role.