About the organisation
Baby Umbrella is an award-winning small charity offering breastfeeding and early parenting support to families in West Kent. Our vision is for every family in West Kent to have access to skilled and compassionate support during their parenting journey. We are here to listen, support and empower parents to make the decisions that feel right for them and their babies. Our service makes a powerful impact on families right from the start of their journey.
Baby Umbrella was founded in August 2020 and has experienced considerable growth and development in the past 3 years, reaching £100k of income and supporting 1,100 families per year with 1,600 specialist 1-1 appointments and 600 social visits. We were recognised in 2022 as the Kent Charity Awards Start-up Charity of the Year, and in 2023 we were Highly Commended in the Kent Wellbeing Awards.
We are single minded in our determination to support local families and we are now looking for some passionate people who understand our purpose to join our board of trustees.
About the role
We are currently looking to recruit trustees with skills in the following specific areas in order to complement our existing board:
- Financial (Treasurer) - overseeing, approving and presenting budgets, accounts and financial statements; an understanding of restricted and unrestricted funds; supporting prudent management of cash flow and reserves policy
- Governance - an understanding of due process and charity procedures
- Health/ Clinical - experience working within Kent community health services or maternity services
- Diversity, Equality and Inclusion - experience and understanding of the challenges facing organisations with DEI work and a commitment to help guide and support our team
Core expectations
- Attend our 4 annual trustee meetings (held on Monday evenings on Zoom) and one Strategy Day (in person in West Kent) per year
- Read official correspondence sent by email in a timely manner and respond appropriately (approx 1 hour per month)
- Support the charity with our fundraising activities (this could include grant applications, corporate approaches, or volunteering at fundraising events as appropriate) (approx 1 hour per month)
- Visit one Baby Umbrella support session per year to keep connected to our purpose (½ day per year)
- Maintain compliance to our governance and that of the charity commission, including training and checks as appropriate (approx 3 hours per year)
This is a part time, voluntary role, mainly based from home but with occasional meetings in West Kent (Otford, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells).
Our ideal candidate
- A commitment to Baby Umbrella and a passion for our cause
- A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort
- Strategic vision
- Good, independent judgement
- An ability to think creatively
- A willingness to speak their mind
- An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
- An ability to work effectively as a member of a team
- A commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
What’s in it for you
We are a small and passionate team and together we make a huge difference to parents in our community. We seek to build a strong and dependable charity, that parents can rely on at a time when their world often feels upside down and they don't know where to turn. We see the impact that skilled and compassionate support can make at the start of a family's journey, building resilience for years to come.
In the words of our beneficiaries:
"It's wonderful to have such unconditional , non judgemental support, locally, often and free! I would highly recommend baby umbrella to anyone needing support locally!"
"Best support I have received so far. I felt no judgement or pressure from the specialist, was recommended a few options that may help with baby feeding, and felt listened to and encouraged even though I was very tearful through the appointment. Baby is now feeding so much better and we are both much happier."
Apply for the role
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