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Age UK Portsmouth are looking for new Charity Trustees

We are looking to refresh our board by appointing new Charity Trustees.
You have the chance to join a highly motivated Board of Trustees who, working with our Chief Executive Officer and Executive Team, have made a huge impact to the lives of older people in Portsmouth and the surrounding areas.
We need fresh experiences, expertise and perspectives to ensure we maintain our momentum.
We want to build real diversity of thought and constructive challenge in our work as a board.  We want and will benefit from fresh, ‘outsider’ thinking and experience.

About Age UK Portsmouth

We are an independent, local registered charity, responsible for our own funding and services and a brand partner of the national Age UK organisation.  We provide vital contact within the local community, offering people a friendly face, a helping hand or companionship.

Our mission is ‘to help adults in Portsmouth and South East Hampshire enjoy a better quality of life, with a specific focus on all aspects of getting older.’

We have regularly responded to an ever-changing environment, including anticipated changes in commissioning, social care, society and not least, the changing expectations of older people. 

What we are looking for 

We are looking for a wide range of individual experiences that can add to the board’s perspective and thinking; we would love a wider range of leadership experiences in organisations of all types.

Trustees should have the ability to think strategically and to work collaboratively with others. Detailed knowledge of the voluntary sector is not essential. We are seeking diversity of your life experiences, both professional and personal.

Career paths could include experience in the business sector, developing a social enterprise, health and social care, marketing, company and employment law, charitable fundraising, finance, accountancy or IT development.

Specific requirements 

We are looking for the following experiences and approaches:

  • You are committed to the Charity and helping to make it the most effective it can be
  • You are collegiate, confident in your own opinions but able to blend into an effective team
  • You are willing to be open-minded, debate deeply and constructively, not always win but be able to rally round a decision once taken
  • You will bring and use your professional skills and life experiences, but be engaged and interested in all aspects of our work
  • You will have the flexibility to be able to attend our boards, but we will be as flexible as we can in what we ask of you beyond that

Your core duties 

We meet as a board for two hours in Portsmouth every other month to:

  • Approve strategic direction and priorities for the Charity
  • Ensure that the Charity complies with its governing document, charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation
  • Ensure that the Charity uses its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objectives, as defined in its governing documents
  • Ensure the financial stability of the organisation
  • Safeguard the good name and values of Age UK Portsmouth

The trustees provide additional support to the Executive team by drawing on their individual areas of expertise. This varies, but you should be able to commit a minimum of 1-2 days a month. In addition to your core governance roles, we would look to you to support the Executive Team in their work to deliver our programmes and services, as well as supporting at events.

How to apply 

Please download an application form below where you can tell us a little about yourself, why you are applying and what you feel you can bring to the board.

Download a trustee application form (Word document)

For more information

For more information about best practice in trusteeship, there is the Charity Commission’s guidance: The Essential Trustee or the Charity Governance Code.