Trustee

Who Are We?

Springboard is a charity founded by a group of parent carers in September 1992 after they saw a lack of provision and opportunity for their children with special educational needs and disabilities during school holidays. Since then, the charity has expanded throughout Horsham, Crawley, and Worthing, delivering activities for children and young people aged 0-30 years with disabilities, achieving such notable awards as the Queens Award for Volunteering.

We aim to promote inclusion and diversity, improve physical and emotional wellbeing, increase life skills and independence, reduce isolation by helping to build relationships and friendships and provide accessible recreational and leisure opportunities.

The Role

Recruitment focus At this time, we are specifically seeking experience and expertise in the following areas:

• Contributing knowledge of income generation strategies whilst assessing risks in new fundraising directions.
• Coproduction and consultation, with a focus on understanding the needs of children, young people and families.
• Estates management or construction experience to provide strategic oversight for our physical assets and maintenance planning

What is a Trustee?

Springboard Project’s Trustees are legally responsible for ensuring the charity achieves its mission and charitable objects. The role of the Trustee Board is to hold the charity “in trust” for current and future beneficiaries by ensuring the charity has a clear vision and strategic direction and is focused on achieving these.

Trustees are responsible for the performance of the charity, its culture and values and for ensuring that Springboard complies with all legal and regulatory requirements. They must act as guardians of the charity’s assets, both tangible and intangible, taking due care over their security, deployment and proper application. Trustees provide strategic guidance and leadership to the charity, using their skills and experience to assist the organisation in continuing to make a difference.

The role of a Trustee

• To ensure the charity complies with its governing documents, relevant legislation and regulatory requirements.
• To ensure the charity pursues its charitable objects through setting and overseeing a long-term strategy for the charity
• To ensure the charity defines its goals and evaluates performance against targets.
• To ensure the values of the charity are articulated and reflected throughout the charity with its Trustees, staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.
• To ensure the charity applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its charitable objects and for the benefit of the public.
• To protect and manage the resources of the charity and ensure the proper investment of the charity’s funds.
• To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation, including having appropriate policies, procedures and controls in place.
• To safeguard and promote the good name of the charity.
• To take reasonable steps to protect from harm people who come into contact with the charity, including promoting a fair, open and positive culture and ensuring all involved feel able to report concerns, confident that they will be heard and responded to.
• To exercise effective overall control of the charity’s financial affairs and to ensure the financial stability of the charity.
• To ensure proper and formal arrangements are followed in the appointment, supervision, support, delegation to, appraisal and remuneration of the chief executive.
• To use any skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions.

What skills do I need?

What are we looking for? 

• A commitment to the ethos, purpose and values of Springboard Project.
• A willingness and ability to devote the necessary focus on practical issues.
• A willingness to participate in the collective development and training of Trustees.
• An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of charity trusteeship.
• Skill and sensitivity in dealing with people at all levels, both internally and externally.
• The ability to inspire confidence and build positive relationships with Springboard Project’s principal stakeholders.
• A willingness to speak one’s mind while at the same time committing to working collaboratively and towards consensus.
• A commitment to considering the views of beneficiaries when making decisions.
• A commitment to safeguarding the wellbeing of children and young people who are beneficiaries of Springboard Project’s work.
• A commitment to act in the best interest of the charity’s beneficiaries and to declare any real or perceived conflicts of loyalty or interest.

• A commitment to abide by the Code of Conduct for Trustees.

  We welcome Trustees with lived experience of disability and parents/carers of children and young people with a disability.