Volunteer Finance Trustee | Friendly Food Club

The Friendly Food Club is growing and dynamic Dorset’s cooking & food education charity. We are looking for a professional to join as a Trustee with a particular financial oversight role.

What difference will you make?

You can read our Annual report on our website/our impact. During 2023/4 we engaged with 10,500 people this year over 475 events, travelling across the county. This is your chance to be part of a Dorset based charity that has a really positive future ahead of itself, make your mark and play an influential role in helping over 10,000 people per year. We have been awarded a 3 year Reaching Communities grant for development and building sustainability.

What are we looking for?

Finance qualification in accounting or auditing. Experience with managing budgets, reserves planning and financial record analysis. Capacity to provide support and guidance to the Board and CEO. We are looking for friendly, approachable people who want to share their financial skills. A can-do attitude, an ability to work with others, be able to listen, share and build on ideas in a constructive and inclusive manner. To provide support to the management team where needed and be visible to our team. We are looking for people with experience of being trustees to help guide and support the governance, but also welcome those with lived experience to help direct our activities.

What will you be doing?

Thank you for your interest - We are looking for a Trustee to join the Friendly Food Club, a well established (10 years+) and respected Dorset-wide, but newly registered charity. Ideally, we are looking for 1) Someone who holds a recognised financial qualification, ideally as an accountant or auditor.2) Previous Trustee experience and with capacity to provide financial support to the Chair and CEO. 3) lived experience of food insecurity and/or health inequalities who understands our service users, have local or regional connections, and can help direct the future direction of the Friendly Food Club. The Friendly Food Club, founded in 2003 by Tony Gibbons, a man of vision who dedicated his time to strengthening local communities, based on respect and genuine inclusivity, by bringing them together through cooking (encouraging lots of benefits including breaking isolation, strengthening local bonds and healthier lifestyles). We are grant-led and work with Dorset and BCP Councils, health groups and many Dorset-wide community groups. We deliver sessions in the community, varying from informal lunch clubs, cooking sessions and demonstrations. Our clients can include those recovering from addiction, young people, refugees and unaccompanied asylum seekers to lone parents and children, families and community events. FFC enjoys the solid support of our growing group of volunteers, self-employed tutors, experienced management committee and our trustees. We would love you to consider being part of our exciting new future. Trustee responsibilities you will share, to help make sure that everything we do is for the benefit of our clients through prudent governance, include Commitment to 4 scheduled meetings a year. These are usually face-to-face in an afternoon at varying locations in Dorset, with one per year via Teams. Take responsibility for financial planning and oversight – budgeting and management accounts, working alongside the CEO Strategic planning – determining external factors – monitoring progress across the year Joint sign-off on policies and ensure these are up-to-date and implemented Reviewing key documents, business planning marketing and communications plan There will also be the opportunity to join working parties, including team, tutors, volunteers and beneficiaries, to plan and implement plans directly.