About the organisation
Together We Learn is a small international development charity with a vision to break the cycle of poverty in Ethiopia by enabling disadvantaged children to access quality education. We have been working closely with our Ethiopian partner for over 25 years to achieve this. Our UK team is a small, close knit team that supports the fundraising, international communications, and project delivery of the Ethiopian team.
Our approach targets access to, and quality of, education systems, as well as the wellbeing of the communities and students who use them. We work with state education infrastructure and systems, aiming to address a range of needs in a sustainable and impactful way.
Our work with schools includes school infrastructure projects - providing safe, local schools - and supporting teachers with training and resources to inspire children to flourish in the classroom. We also work closely with the children who attend state schools, their families and communities, to understand and address the issues they face at home and how these impact their ability to attend and succeed in school.
About the role
Together We Learn is currently governed by a board of five trustees. Many of the trustees have been involved with the charity for many years, starting as volunteers in Ethiopia or supporting students through the charity. The trustee board has overall control of the charity and is responsible for making sure it’s doing what it was set up to do.
Information is shared with the trustees at quarterly meetings with the CEO in order to support them in this role. The CEO represents our small UK staff team, presenting our work with our long-term charity partner in Ethiopia, which comprises 15 staff in two regions.
Our staff and trustee teams are made up of committed individuals who are dedicated to achieving the best for the organisation. We are collaborative, pragmatic and compassionate in our approach, keeping impact for the communities that we serve at the heart of our decision making.
Our current three-year strategy focuses on building the capacity of our Ethiopian delivery partner so that they can take a greater role in leading the organisation, which you can read more about here. This is part of a long-term approach to shift the dynamic between our organisations and invest in our Ethiopian charity partner, so that they can lead on our mission.
We are now looking to recruit new trustees to our board to add time, skills and a diversity of perspectives that will support our strategic aims, as well as positive governance of the organisation. One of the areas that we hope a new trustee can support is with are bookkeeping, admin or secretariate duties.
This may be someone with good organisational skills, sound basic finance management knowledge, and good attention to detail to support with our regular finance processes and treasurer responsibilities.
Supporting our bookkeeping, admin or secretariat roles enables us to maintain sound financial management and proper processing of trustee minutes. This underpins effective running of all our activities and ensures all staff have access to reliable and up to date information from our CRM system to inform their work.
We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of the Ethiopian or East African context, or from the African diaspora, for the knowledge of, and cultural insight they can bring to our work.
The role requires attendance at quarterly meetings and one annual strategy meeting requiring 20 hours a year, plus support in your area of expertise requiring around 4-6 hours a month.
Our ideal candidate
We are interested to hear from anyone who feels they have skills and experience relevant to supporting our work in the areas of bookkeeping, admin or secretariat. This may be someone with good organisational skills, sound basic finance management knowledge, and good attention to detail to support with our regular finance processes and treasurer responsibilities.
In addition, there are some competencies that we feel would be essential or desirable for trustees. Previous board or trustee experience is not necessary, and we welcome applications from all ages and backgrounds. We will consider experience gained from volunteering, education or extracurricular activities, as well as professional work.
General Trustee Expectations
- Passion for our vision and mission
- Shares our values
- Ready to uphold governance responsibilities according to Charity Commission requirements.
Desirable Skills or Experience
- Lived experience of Ethiopia, East Africa, or similar context is very welcome
- Experience volunteering, working with, or as a beneficiary of a small charity
- Understanding of human rights, children’s rights and/or gender equality
- Fundraising experience
What’s in it for you
Supporting our bookkeeping, admin or secretariat roles enables us to maintain sound financial management and proper processing of trustee minutes. This underpins effective running of all our activities and ensures all staff have access to reliable and up to date information from our CRM system to inform their work.
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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