Trustees of Highcliffe Castle
Become a trustee of the Friends of Highcliffe Castle
We are pleased to say we have received some excellent applications to date, and we really appreciate the level of interest shown by Friends of Highcliffe Castle. Unfortunately despite further advertising we still have been unable to attract a wide enough cross section of applications to develop the Friends of Highcliffe Castle Charitable Incorporated Organisation (HC CIO) at this time.
We are also entering into a very busy period at the Castle with the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) works and Tea Room tender and have therefore decided to revisit this area of work next summer with a fresh relaunch.
We appreciate your expression of interest and will no doubt contact you again nearer the time with details of the relaunch.
In the meanwhile we have decided to close the current advert.
We nevertheless take the opportunity to highlight the aim of the HC CIO is to:
- co-ordinate and champion fundraising for Highcliffe Castle's conservation, education and other initiatives
- engage local, regional, national and international communities with an interest in the castle to become Friends and support the castle through volunteering, community fundraising and other initiatives to promote its long term sustainability
- help to inform the general public on the history, heritage and current life of Highcliffe Castle, its collections, galleries and environs through special events, guided tours, etc.
- promote the conservation and repair of the natural and built heritage of the Castle and its environs to the widest audience
Trustees
Trustees of the HC CIO will have overall control of the charity and be responsible for making sure it is doing what it is being set up to do. They will lead the charity and decide how it is run. Please see the newly published: Trustees and Funraising - A Practical Guide
In particular, trustees will aim to:
- manage HC CIO resources responsibly
- ensure HC CIO is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit
- ensure HC CIO is accountable
- act with reasonable care and skill
- comply with the HC CIO governing document and the law
- act in the best interests of HC CIO
The following is a presentation of the terms of references for the three lead trustees on the board.
Chairperson
The role of the Chair extends well beyond drawing up the agenda and chairing Board of Trustees meetings. The Chair has a leadership role of managing the HC CIO board, its resources and being its spokesperson. S/he will represent the Board of Trustees at functions, meetings, in the press and broadcasting media. The Chair is responsible for:
- planning the annual cycle of board meetings; inclusive of agenda setting
- planning and agreeing an annual events and activities programme with Castle Management
- monitoring progress on the annual programme and ensuring decisions taken are implemented
- acting as the main interface between the Castle Management and the Friends
- promoting and steering fund raising, and associated activities and events
- progressively building and managing strong relationships with donors/sponsors
The Chair is expected to display the following personal attributes and skills:
- good leadership, great presence
- diplomacy, tact and an appetite for negotiation
- good people skills; impartial and friendly style
- great communicator and able to respect confidences
- knowledge of the Castle, its heritage, its Council promoted objectives
- understanding of the Castle's position in the community and as a forward looking business
Treasurer
The Treasurer will oversee the planning for and management of all HC CIO resources. S/he will support other Trustees to perform their financial duties and secure transparency in all financial transactions. Knowledge of electronic spread-sheets and book keeping are essential.
Responsibilities of the Treasurer will include everything a Trustee does and;
- planning, preparing and presenting periodic financial reports for Friends, trustees and partners
- preparing and submitting annual returns to the Charity Commission and the HC CIO AGM
- liaising with auditors, donors, independent examiners and others on financial transactions
- planning for, preparing and administering agreed transactions with partners
- planning and recording all income & expenditure and developing procedures for managing same
- tracking and mitigating risks to HC CIO restricted and unrestricted resources
The Treasurer is expected to display the following personal attributes and skills;
- experience of financial management, fundraising & electronic financial record keeping systems
- ability to analyse financial proposals and undertake risk analyses
- willingness to inform the board of non-viability of proposals from a financial viewpoint
- ability to present financial information simply
- financial prudence
Secretary
The Secretary will ensure all meetings whether internal or with outside bodies are properly administered in accordance with the principles of the Charity Commission.
Responsibilities of the Secretary will include:
- plan and prepare for board, committee and other meetings
- accurately record and present decisions/actions of meetings to members, trustees and partners
- manage correspondence to/from members, trustees and partners
- prepare/disseminate periodic reports to members, trustees and partners (e.g. AGM annual report)
- liaising with other organisations as appropriate/required
- offering interpretation to members, trustees & partners on legal issues
- maintaining up-to-date records which can be scrutinised as necessary
- undertaking research to inform decision making as/when required
The Secretary is expected to display the following personal attributes and skills:
- organised and methodical
- experience in setting up and managing record keeping and retrieval systems
- experience, knowledge and understanding of charity commission record keeping requirements
We look forward to working with you in this exciting new phase of the Highcliffe Castle restoration journey.