We are looking for a Many Minds Member to join our Board of Trustees. As a member-led charity, we have reserved spaces for members on our Board. They get voted on by the wider membership at our Annual General Meeting. We currently have one space open for a new Board Member.
Our current Member Trustees, M and Tabs will be running a Member Forum in early October where you can find out more about what it is like to be on the Board. Olivia and Viki are also available if you want more information.
About the role:
The Member trustees will be responsible for representing the Many Minds members at Board level. You will have all the same responsibilities of the rest of the Board and equal say in decisions.
The trustee role is a voluntary position that helps oversee the running of a charity. The role requires between 5-10 hours each month. We have monthly meetings in Bristol that last for 2- 3 hours and an Annual General Meeting (AGM) once a year. You will get sent documents to read in advance of the meetings with updates and information to help you make decisions.
Many Minds will provide a mentor to support you in your role and you will also have a buddy from the current Board to help with ongoing induction. You will also be given training and support with any access needs you have. Many Minds cover out of pocket expenses for all trustees.
Trustees are elected at the AGM by the rest of the members to serve for a three year period. You can opt to leave the Board at any time during this period and in your first year, you will get an opportunity to review and check in to see if the role is working for you.
At every AGM those who have served three years shall retire from office or stand for re- election. Trustees can serve for a maximum of three terms (ie 9 years).
Member Trustee role description
- To plan, facilitate bi-monthly member sessions (with the support of staff), getting feedback from members about any changes or improvements they want to make to the charity. To plan ways to present this back to the Board.
- To attend Many Minds workshops and activities and represent the members at Many Minds external events and meetings.
- To ask questions and speak openly about members views during trustee meetings
- To ensure that Many Minds pursues its objectives as defined in its constitution
- To make sure Many Minds is spending its funds in line with its charitable objectives
- To set and maintain vision, mission and values, develop strategy, setting overall policy, defining goals and setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets
- To ensure that Many Minds complies at all times with its governing document, charity law, and any other relevant legislation or regulations
- To input on decisions including employment procedures, policies , equality and diversity, safeguarding and risk and respect the roles of staff/volunteers
- To support the general operational management of the organisation
- To promote Many Minds and actively seek funding opportunities for the charity
- To act in the best interests of the charity and its members, never in the interests of yourself or another organisation
Trustee person specification
All Trustees must demonstrate:
1. A commitment to the organisation, its cause and demonstrate an understanding of mental health and its impact.
2. A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort.
3. Strategic vision.
4. Good, independent judgment.
5. An ability to think creatively.
6. A willingness to speak their mind.
7. An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship.
8. An ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
9. A commitment to working within Many Minds’ values and principles of working.
How to apply
If you are interested in becoming a Member Trustee, please answer the short questions below and send them to us at info@many-minds.org or you can fill it out at a workshop. We will print some out and bring them to workshop sessions when they start up in Sept. If you need any support with this, speak to Viki or Olivia and they can help. If you would prefer to submit a video or audio to answer the questions, you can also do that!
Deadline for applications will be Wed 5th Oct.
Why do you want to join the Board? What excites you about being a Many Minds Trustee?
What skills, experience and personal attributes do you bring to the Board? (Include any experience you have in Many Minds workshop settings)
What challenges might you face as a Many Minds Trustee?
What support do you need to be a trustee of Many Minds?
We will send out a list of all Member Trustee applicants to the members before the AGM which will be held on 10th Oct 2022. Applicants will get a chance to say why they want to join the Board at the AGM. Many Minds Members can vote anonymously by ballot at the AGM for the people they want to represent them. Votes will be counted by an external party and the two people with the most votes will join the Board of Trustees.
Please get in touch if you have any access needs for the application process or wish to chat about the role. (olivia@many-minds.org / 07843 210272).