ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
MANORGARDENS WELFARE TRUST
TRUSTEE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
TREASURER
September 2014
CONTENTS
Organisation
Governance and Finance Matters
Trustee Experience
Time Commitment
Appointment Process
Contact Details
Appendix
The Role of a Trustee
Organisation
The Manor Gardens Welfare Trust was founded by volunteers in 1913 as a ‘school for mothers,’ its purpose being to offer advice and support on matters of childcare to less privileged mothers in Islington. From the start the emphasis was on education and self-help and its services rapidly expanded. Today the Manor Gardens Centre is a thriving community health centre. It runs projects that are innovative and carefully targeted at the most disadvantaged groups, with more than 2,000 people of all ages using its excellent facilities each week.
Amongst the services or projects the Trust itself provides are these:
Community Kitchens – promotes healthy eating, makes healthy food more available, and creates training and employment opportunities.
Health Advocacy – aims to increase the health prospects of migrants and refugees with highly trained staff providing education, interpreting and screening.
Pre-School – caters for children under five years old, with 12 full-time places and 24 part-time. Five qualified staff offer excellent opportunities for learning through indoor and outdoor play.
Mental Health Well-being – an innovative project working to challenge stigma and discrimination faced by people experiencing mental health illness and promoting activities that contribute towards maintaining good mental wellbeing.
Heart & Stroke – aims to empower and improve the quality of life for stroke sufferers and others with long-term heart conditions.
Befriending – a Friendship Network giving companionship and support to isolated, disabled or older residents of the borough.
In addition Manor Gardens Centre’s Grade 2 listed buildings are home to twenty five organisations. These include Age UK Islington, Islington People’s Rights, and even the NHS which provides access to psychological therapies from its consulting rooms on site. Outside of all these activities a further fifty or so groups deliver services on a sessional basis at the Centre.
From the above it can be seen that ManorGardens is a well established and well supported charity. Its dedicated team of staff and volunteers ensure its work continues to play a vital role in what is a very diverse local community. Of interest, too, is the fact that some of the services have proved so successful that their provision might extend to other London boroughs, and possibly nationwide.
More about Manor Gardens, including the informative Annual Impact Report, can be found by visiting the website at
Governance & Finance Matters
Possessing, as it does, a significant real estate asset, places Manor Gardens Welfare trust in a much stronger position than many charities. It benefits from diverse income streams – local authority, NHS Islington, various trust funds, and commercial rentals – and has maintained the long-term support of some major funders. The organisation generated income and expenditure of around £1min 2013/2014. However, like most others in the sector it expects things to be tougher in 2014/15. A revenue surplus and cash reserves will help us weather any storm.
The Board of Trustees reflects the diversity of the community it serves. Currently there are nine Trustees on what is a gradually evolving Board.
Updated Articles of Association were adopted in September 2011 giving the Trust a governing document that is up to date and reflects current company and charity law requirements.
Trustee Experience
The Board have considered the skills and experience of the current members and have identified two areas in particular where there are gaps:
- Treasurer
The opportunity comes at a time when the organisation is keen to build on the increased profile it has achieved during our Centenary celebrations.. This, coupled with the broad range of services and the sheer scale of its activity, makes the Trust an interesting community to be part of.
Time commitment
The time commitment is not onerous. The Board of Trustees meets five times a year, on a Friday between 12.00 – 2.00 pm. In addition Trustees are expected to attend a one day planning session held annually in October.
Appointment process
Any discussion regarding this opportunity should be through the Chief Executive, Phillip Watson, in the first instant. Interested volunteers will be expected later to provide a CV together with a covering letter outlining their interest in and suitability to the role. A time will be arranged for short-listed candidates to meet first the Chairman of the Board, Alan Elias, then later other Trustees. It is to be hoped that an appointment can be made in the autumn, and ratified at the AGM in December 2014.
Contact details
Phillip WatsonManorGardens Centre
6-9 ManorGardens
London
N7 6LA / Email:
Tel:
020 7561 5273
Appendix
The Role of a Trustee
Being a trustee is a great challenge. Becoming a trustee provides the opportunity to apply the skills and experience you have gained to a totally new environment and context. Many trustees find working as part of a team hugely energising and satisfying. As a trustee you could help a charity improve people’s lives, change the environment or transform a community.
Reach can help you by clarifying the role of a trustee and explaining the duties, responsibilities and the kind of commitment you will be expected to make. Suffice it here to cite what the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) regards as the twelve essential roles of a trustee board:
1. Set and maintain vision, mission and values
2. Develop strategy
The trustee board is responsible for establishing the essential purpose or mission of the organisation. They are also responsible for guarding its vision and values. Together, the board and chief executive officer develop long-term strategy. Meeting agendas reflect the key points of the strategy to keep the organisation on track.
3. Establish and monitor policies
The trustee board creates policies to govern organisational activity. These cover:
- guidance for staff
- systems for reporting and monitoring
- an ethical framework for everyone connected with the organisation
- conduct of trustees and board business
4. Set up employment procedures
The trustee board creates comprehensive, fair and legal personnel policies. These protect the organisation and those who work for it. They cover:
- recruitment
- support
- appraisal
- remuneration
- discipline
5. Ensure compliance with governing document
The governing document is the rulebook for the organisation. The board makes sure it is followed. In particular, the organisation's activities must comply with its charitable objectives.
6. Ensure accountability
The board should ensure that the organisation is accountable as required by law to:
- the Charity Commission
- the Inland Revenue
- Customs and Excise
- the Registrar of Companies (if it is a company limited by guarantee).
The board also needs to make certain that the organisation is accountable to donors, beneficiaries, staff, volunteer, and the general public. This means publishing annual reports and accounts and communicating effectively.
7. Ensure compliance with the law
The board is responsible for making sure that all the organisation's activities are legal.
8. Maintain proper fiscal oversight
The board is responsible for effectively managing the organisation's resources so it can meet its charitable objects. It:
- secures sufficient resources to fulfil the mission
- monitors spending
- approves the annual financial statement and budget
- provides insurance to protect the organisation from liability
- seeks to minimise risk
- participates in fundraising (in some organisations)
- ensures legal compliance
9. Select, manage and support the chief executive
The board creates policy covering the employment of the chief executive. It selects and supports the chief executive and reviews his or her performance.
10. Respect the role of staff
The board recognises and respects the domain of staff responsibility. At the same time, it creates policy to guide staff activities and safeguard the interests of the organisation.
11. Maintain effective board performance
The board keeps its own house in order. It takes steps to establish:
- productive meetings
- high standards of trustee conduct
- effective committees with adequate resources
- development activities
- recruitment and induction processes
- regular performance reviews
- partnership with consultants where necessary
12. Promote the organisation
Through its own behaviour, governance oversight and activities on behalf of the organisation the governing Board enhances and protects the reputation of its organisation. Board members are good ambassadors for the organisation.
Hon Treasurer Role Description
The overall role of the treasurer is to:
- Maintain an overview of the organisation’s affairs.
- Have a clear oversight of the financial viability of the organisation.
- Ensuring that proper financial records and procedures are maintained.
Duties of the Treasurer
- Overseeing and presenting budgets, accounts and financial statements (in the absence of Finance Director).
- Being assured that the financial resources of the organisation meet its present and future needs.
In conjunction with the Finance Director and the board (where appropriate) to:
- Ensure that the charity has an appropriate reserves policy.
- Ensure that appropriate accounting procedures and controls are in place.
- Liaising with paid staff and volunteers about financial matters.
- Advising on the financial implications of the organisation’s strategic plans.
- Ensuring that the accounts are prepared and disclosed in the form required by funders and the relevant statutory bodies, eg. The Charity Commission and/or the registrar of companies
- If external scrutiny of accounts is required, ensuring that the accounts are scrutinised in the manner required (independent examination or audit) and any recommendations are implemented.
- Keeping the board informed about its financial duties and responsibilities.
- Contributing to the fundraising strategy of the organisation.
- Sitting on appraisal, recruitment and disciplinary panels as required.
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