About the organisation
Sandhurst Counselling Service evolved from a drop-in service started in August 1990 by St Michael's church in Sandhurst, and provides a safe confidential space for anyone feeling anxious, stressed, depressed, hopeless or lost, to help people find their way.
The charity is “a counselling service with a Christian ethos”, an unincorporated Charitable Trust, is registered with BACP and now has an income of ~£65k p.a., so we're very small.
About the role
Our Treasurer works closely with the Chair and other trustees, our Administration and Clinical Managers, and leads liaison with the External Examiner for our annual accounts.
Although all trustees are equally responsible for our finances, our Treasurer maintains the overview and leads the Board in our discussions of financial matters. Our Board includes people with understanding of our counselling services, and we require all new trustees to have strong empathy with our cause and our delivery.
Although we would welcome a financial qualification, that’s not a prerequisite, as our finances aren’t too complex. An understanding of how charity finance works would be beneficial, and the ability to clearly communicate our financial information to other trustees is very important. Liaison with the Administration Manager, who deals with the general bookkeeping, maintenance of a statistical database and day-to-day matters, is important.
As well as a general understanding of finances and accounts preparation, management of Excel spreadsheets (primarily used for our statistical analysis) is important.
Our ideal candidate
Here are some of the skills and abilities our Treasurer will need, although we don’t expect ALL of these at once!
Understanding of the needs of our beneficiaries is desirable; an empathy with them is essential
Clear commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, valuing differences to make better decisions and deliver better outcomes
Experience and knowledge of managing finances, bookkeeping or similar
A recognised financial and/or accounting qualification would be highly beneficial but is not a prerequisite
Experience and knowledge of current practice relevant to voluntary and community groups, charities or SME finance would be useful
An outline understanding of the Charities SORP would be welcome, but is not strictly necessary as our charity’s finances are quite small and easy
Ability to communicate financial information clearly, especially to other trustees whose in-depth financial knowledge may be less than yours
Strategic vision; good, independent judgement; ability to think creatively, tempered by pragmatism and reality
Skills to analyse proposals, examine their strategic financial consequences and make concise recommendations as part of the trustees’ team
Ability to cooperatively work with other trustees, bringing impartiality and objectivity to decision-making
Skills and ability to listen, even to dissenting views
Willingness to speak your mind and to challenge other trustees with good intent; able to make unpopular recommendations to the Board, if necessary
Secure personal access to digital communication and able to competently use those resources
Commitment to the organisation; willingness and ability to devote the necessary time & effort
Experience of committee or similar work, with an understanding of the role of the Treasurer in effective (charity or corporate) governance, would be highly-valued
Good working knowledge of Excel spreadsheets and able to regularly update/extend these where necessary
Working knowledge of Sage accounting software would be useful but not essential
Having appropriate personal and professional contacts & networks, with willingness to draw on those as needed
What’s in it for you
An opportunity to exercise your strategic financial & planning skills, probably in a different environment or context
An opportunity to influence and collectively-lead an organisation supporting good mental health
Satisfaction of giving something back to your community
A chance to augment your experience of charities
A boost to your career and CV, if needed
Apply for the role
Please provide a short cover note setting out your motivations for volunteering for the organisation, any relevant skills/experience and why you think you might be a suitable candidate.
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