The Community Garden is looking for at least two Trustees to join our existing Board. This is a unique opportunity for a rewarding experience, helping to develop the garden while gaining skills, socialising, and getting exercise in our amazing outdoor setting.
What will you be doing?
The Board makes top-level decisions about how the garden is run and how we develop the resource for the future. As well as taking this strategic role you will be actively involved in the day to day running of the garden. We are open on a Wednesday and a Sunday between 11am and 3pm when you will support volunteers, organise activities and get stuck in to gardening tasks.
What is the time commitment?
You should be regularly available to attend either a Wednesday or a Sunday gardening session, at minimum two dates per month. In addition, you will attend a monthly Trustee meeting, which we aim to limit to an hour. Other input varies but this is unlikely to be more than an extra 2-3 hours per month.
What are we looking for?
The following are qualities that we would expect from our Board members.
- An interest in gardens and undertaking gardening tasks. (Specific horticultural knowledge is not required as others will provide guidance).
- Able to direct volunteers.
- Able to work cooperatively with others.
- Able to listen and have a willingness to challenge others, where this is appropriate for the good of the garden and done in a respectful manner.
- Skills to analyse proposals and to play an active part in decision making.
- Have a clear commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, valuing differences to make better decisions and to deliver better outcomes
We are particularly interested in people who have a financial background to fill one of our Trustee roles. If you are interested in the finance role, please note that in addition to the above qualities, we are looking for someone with financial qualifications and / or proven experience of working in a financial setting.
We are also looking for fresh expertise from people with a variety of backgrounds. We therefore welcome people without prior charity trustee experience.
How to express an interest
If you are interest in this role, please send an email to streathamcommunitygarden@gmail.com, with the subject header as ‘New Trustee’. You should simply state why you are interested in becoming a Trustee and how you meet the qualities above, no more than 500 words please! Please also provide details of two people who would be willing to provide a reference for you, ideally at least one referee should be a current or previous employer. The deadline for expressing an interest is 30th November 2022. After that date we will be in contact to answer any questions that you have or to have a short interview. This will be with two existing Trustees. Our aim is to make recommendation on trustee appointments at our AGM on 8th January 2023, with the intention that people start shortly thereafter. Please note that we may seek a current DBS certificate on people who we recommend for trustee appointment.