This role involves leading and overseeing the Trustee board in ensuring the effective performance of its legal, regulatory and governance responsibilities. As Chair, you will ensure that you comply with your charity’s governing documents, charity law requirements and other laws that might apply to your charity. You must act in your charity’s best interest, including doing what you and your co-trustees decide will best enable the charity to carry out its purpose, as well as making balanced informed decisions.

It is also an essential part of the role to work with the Organisational Development Coordinator to support them to achieve the vision/objects of the food bank and to ensure there is a positive relationship between the trustee board, food bank staff, volunteers and any other stakeholder.

Key tasks:

Chairperson Responsibilities:

• Chair trustee meetings so that the board functions effectively and carries out its duties.
• Ensure the board sets an overall direction for the food bank with clear objectives.
• Ensure that the business of meetings is dealt with and decisions are recorded and implemented.
• In consultation with the rest of the board, to recruit board members with relevant expertise and experience when required.
• Manage your charity’s resources responsibly, including ensure the charity’s assets are used only to carry out its purpose, avoid undue risk and not over-commit the charity.
• To ensure the board regularly reviews its structures, roles, relationship to staff and implementing changes if and when necessary.

Objects of the food bank:

• To ensure the Trustee board develop a long-term strategy for the food bank with clear objectives which can be monitored and adapted.

Ensure an effective relationship between staff, volunteers and stakeholders:

• To plan with the Organisational Development Coordinator, an annual schedule of any subcommittee/steering group meetings and other key events which board members should attend.
• To work alongside the Organisational Development Coordinator to ensure there is appropriate communication between the trustee board and staff, volunteers and any other stakeholder.

Other responsibilities, along with the board of trustees, include:

• To work alongside the Treasurer and the trustee board to ensure the organisation’s financial dealings are systematically accounted for and on time, independently examined (on income over £25k) and made publicly available when necessary.
• Ensure your charity is accountable, actively complying with statutory accounting and reporting requirements and the law.
• To ensure appropriate financial plans are in place for future budget allocations as well as looking after contractual agreements with external partners that award money for core costs and additional projects.
• To help promote the organisation to a wider audience of potential funders and beneficiaries.
• To ensure the foodbank has appropriate procedures to: comply with current legislation and good practice; including employment, health and safety, equal opportunities, safeguarding & GDPR compliance/data protection etc.
• Act with reasonable care and skill, giving your time, thought and energy to your role.
• To serve as an additional promoter of the foodbank in the community.
• To support the foodbank operation where necessa