Flexible Working

January 25, 2011 Leave a comment

Not one to blow my own trumpet but sometimes you have to – particularly if you want to win work – there’s a feature about me and how I got started as a freelance fundraiser on Family Friendly Working today (25th January).

Starting out in August 2008, there were two main motivations behind my decision – one was entirely personal and driven by my family circumstances and the desire to stop the long commute and make a few more events in the lives of my children.  The second motivation was that I wanted to use the skills and experience I’d gained over years fundraising for a range of organisations to work with smaller charities – particularly those who are either keen to start fundraising; want to make their fundraising more effective; or are trying to refocus or build their fundraising programme.

It’s been an interesting couple of years – smack bang in the middle of a recession has made it a bit nerve wracking to say the least – but I wouldn’t change my decision or go back to the day job.  I’ve met fascinating people; worked on projects as diverse as employability initiatives to children’s arts organisations; photography galleries to tourist attractions; and I’ve learned a huge amount along the way.

In fact, if you’re considering going freelance or setting up your own consultancy, and you love a challenge and meeting new people – go for it!

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Remember Trustee Week!

October 28, 2010 Leave a comment

As I mentioned in a previous post, this is Trustee Week, an initiative launched by the Charity Commission in England and Wales to encourage people to consider becoming charitable trustees and board members.  While the initiative itself only covers England and Wales, it is something worth considering no matter where you are based.  Charities need a broad range of skills and individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds in order to help them operate effectively, while board members themselves can gain a wide range of skills.

Becoming a trustee can help you to enhance your skills, gain new experiences, meet a broad range of people, increase your confidence and communication skills, all while giving you the opportunity to support a charity whose work you have an affinity with.

If you’re interested, you can start by looking at the SCVO and NCVO Trustee Bank websites for a list of trustee opportunities.

So why not give some consideration to becoming a trustee of a local organisation that you support? 

 

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Gain New Skills, Become a Trustee!

October 15, 2010 Leave a comment

Next week, 25th to 31st October 2010, the Charity Commission is promoting Trustees Week, which aims to encourage more people from all walks of life to get involved in supporting charities by becoming a trustee.

 Trustees play a crucial role in terms of charity governance and, given that charities represent all walks of life, it is vital that their boards are representative of people from different backgrounds too.  But it’s not just a benefit to the charity, trustees have an opportunity to develop their skills and experience, all the while making a difference to the organisation they support.

One of the areas they are promoting is Younger Trustees with a view to increasing the number of younger people who get involved with charity boards.  At the moment, 18 – 24 year olds represent 12% of the population but only 0.5% of the trustee population in England and Wales.  By having trustees with a wide range of backgrounds and ages, a charity increases the opportunities available for networking, ideas generation and trustee involvement.

While Trustees Week is an initiative specifically covering England and Wales it’s important for charities across the UK to encourage and promote opportunities for all to volunteer as board members, as well as more regular volunteering opportunities.  And charities could be creative in their recruitment of trustees, perhaps using social media to set up a recruitment campaign.

Whether you’re a charity looking for new trustees or an individual looking for a new challenge, increasing the numbers of people actively involved with charities can only be a good thing.

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