About the organisation
CIVA aims to find and support new solutions to social problems. The charity has several strands of work, including incubating social entrepreneurs, acting as fiscal host/support for individuals and emerging organisations, running a small number of donor-advised funds and CIVA:Invests, an early stage social investment fund. CIVA is an initiator and networker and we don’t run large projects ourselves.
In terms of areas of interest, we’re open to ideas, and in practice our main (often interconnected) themes have become young people, social mobility, mental health, food and farming, climate change and nature and wellbeing.
CIVA was founded in 1995 by Michael Norton CBE (who also set up the Directory of Social Change) as a vehicle for his passion for social innovation and entrepreneurship, and latterly his own philanthropy. There are currently 12 trustees from a variety of backgrounds and experience.
Michael is a trustee and volunteer Director. CIVA employs one member of staff, the Finance Manager, who works 4 days pw from home. In relation to its cash or near cash deposits, CIVA benefits from advice from a pro bono investment adviser Johannes Schulzberg, a former trustee with experience of the financial services sector.
In recent years CIVA has required an audit, and this is likely to continue.
CIVA’s board is diverse, and we particularly welcome women and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds to ensure our Board reflects the experience and skills we need to reflect the diverse groups we work with. We are open to applications from people with no previous trustee experience.
About the role
All Trustees have ultimate responsibility for the charity, and are jointly responsible for ensuring that CIVA operates within the legal and regulatory framework of the charitable and voluntary sector and in line with the charity’s governing document.
Following an analysis of the manager’s role, the trustees have identified a need for accountancy skills on the board, to advise trustees in carrying out their financial responsibilities and support the Finance Manager to ensure CIVA’s financial systems and procedures are fit for purpose.
We are looking for someone to work closely with the Finance Manager (FM), who carries out the bookkeeping and accounting function, with the following responsibilities:
· Keep financial policies and procedures under review and suggest adjustments/ improvements as needed
· Be available for accounting and related queries from the Finance Manager
· Review manual journal adjustments posted to the accounting system
· Review quarterly management accounts and bank reconciliations
· Act as sounding board for the preparation and scrutiny of the annual accounts, participate in the audit planning and follow up processes to ensure a proportionate approach
· Advice trustees on accounting and related matters
· Review and advise on risk register
· Participate in discussions about succession planning, particularly the financial implications
· Contribute to the monitoring of the finance manager’s performance
Time commitment
There are four board meetings a year (at least two are online) and an away day. The Investment Committee (IC - which oversees social investments through CIVA:Invests) also meets quarterly, and all trustees are invited to attend. The IC may be of interest to the Treasurer, and also forms a significant part of the Finance Manager’s workload.
The Treasurer should also be available between meetings for accounting and related queries from the Finance Manager.
Our ideal candidate
General
· Interest in charities, social enterprise and the causes supported by CIVA
· Enthusiastic about being part of a trustee board
· The time and availability to attend meetings and other input as required
Specific to this position
· Financial expertise, with a recognised accounting qualification and ability to scrutinise and probe financial statements, reports and balance sheet information
· Ideally an understanding of charity accounts
· Appreciation of the needs of small organisations
What’s in it for you
CIVA works with change makers, social enterpreneurs and donors who want to make the world a beter place. To do this we are flexible and responsive to what they need, providing practical services, support and access to networks. Many of the trustees are social entrepreneurs themselves, and may also bring their own projects and contcts to CIVA, as well as provide support to others. Examples of organisations we have incubated which have gone on become independent are the young people's financial education charity MyBnk https://www.mybnk.org/ and FoodCycle https://foodcycle.org.uk/ which reduces food poverty and food waste.
We would love our new Treasurer to get involved in what interests them. We also have a social investment fund, where we make (mainly) loans to early stage entrepreneurs, which would also benefit from additional financial expertise - organisations supported in their early days include Redemption Roasters (training in prisons and employing ex-offenders), Prison Voicemail (keeping inmprisoned parents in contact with their children and families) and School Space (connects community groups with school space for hire at evenings and weekend, returning income to the school so they can do more).
It's also a great opportunity to develop skills into charity accounting, if this is something you don't already cover.
Apply for the role
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