Do you want to help people experience first-hand the meaningful connection to self, land and others that immersion in a low impact way of life brings?
As we move into Summertime we’re starting the search for several new Trustees to join our current Board. We welcome interest from anyone who believes WWOOFing can help make a better, fairer and greener world. You don’t have to be (or have been) a member but you do need to have energy and commitment to help us grow and make WWOOFing the ‘go to’ organisation for people to experience and learn about sustainable ways of living and growing. Think you can help? Read on…
Being a Trustee of WWOOF UK (voluntary / unpaid position)
We are looking for several new Trustees to join our current Board. We welcome interest from anyone who believes WWOOFing can help make a better, fairer and greener world and has the energy and commitment to make WWOOFing the ‘go to’ way to experience and learn about sustainable ways of living and growing.
What do WWOOF UK Trustees do?
- steer the direction of the organisation (strategy)
- monitor progress against the strategy
- ensure WWOOF UK fulfils its legal, financial and moral obligations to members, staff and reporting bodies like the Charities Commission
- lend personal expertise gained in other areas of life
- get involved with specific projects
- act as an ambassador for WWOOF UK and foster kinship with like-minded organisations
International WWOOF Coordinators at the Canada global meeting, 2023
What kind of people are WWOOF UK Trustees?
They have:
- experience of being a WWOOF member and want to give back to the organisation / or;
- specific skills e.g. IT, fund-raising, promotion, social media, finance, legal and / or;
- life or work experience that would be useful to the organisation (e.g. a previous role as a Trustee or working in another charitable organisation)
They are people who:
- want to make a difference and give a positive contribution to the world
- are open-minded
- enjoy and are good at working in a team
- can bring ideas to the group because they are in touch with what’s going on in the wider world and, more specifically, the world of low impact living and growing
- can abide by group decisions
- are comfortable with hearing, celebrating and representing the diversity of opinion from the WWOOF UK Board, staff, membership and other interested parties e.g. minority groups we want to engage with
We are particularly keen to hear from people with relevant experience in legal issues and safeguarding. The Board is also ready to develop potential new directions for WWOOF UK, so we are interested to hear from people with fresh ideas, project management skills and fundraising experience. This said, we welcome interest from anyone and believe that diversity and balance will make our organisation stronger.
What does the role of WWOOF Trustee involve?
- coming to a maximum of three face-to-face meetings per year with fellow Trustees and WWOOF staff (assuming you are UK based). These could be anywhere in the country but to give an idea, previously there has been one overnight meeting in March in Buckinghamshire, a one-day meeting in July in Birmingham and a one-day AGM in autumn which moves around the country. This pattern of meetings may change in future but it’s very unlikely the frequency of face-to-face meetings would increase.
- attending monthly video calls with fellow Trustees (currently the 2nd Monday of the month, 6pm – 7.30pm)
- responding regularly and promptly to email and acting on tasks you’ve volunteered to do
- being prepared, according to expertise and interest, to take lead responsibility for guiding and advising on particular aspects of WWOOF UK’s organisation and activity (e.g. finance, IT, publicity, legal etc.)
- keeping up to date with WWOOF UK developments by reading and contributing to documents (usually via email and Google Drive)
- Being aware of wider developments (e.g. government policy changes, financial climate, immigration legislation, environmental issues) that might impact on WWOOFing and WWOOF UK as an organisation
What can WWOOF Trustees expect in return for their voluntary commitment?
- the opportunity to lead and shape the WWOOF movement
- an opportunity for regular contact with like-minded people
- reimbursement of reasonable travel, accommodation costs for meetings and other expenses incurred on WWOOF business
- opportunities to steer and get involved with key projects
- the possibility of representing us at other meetings, events and AGMs
- the possibility of attending relevant training courses
- free membership for the duration of their term
What’s the next step?
To express further interest email us heading the email “Trustee Interest”. Please attach a CV and give a brief summary (no more than 500 words) of what has motivated you to step forward, what you could bring to WWOOF UK, your experience of being a Trustee (or other governance) within other organisations and roughly how long you might be able to commit for. We’ll then set up an informal video chat with you to talk about next steps. Thank you for your interest!
WWOOF UK AGM 2023, Windmill City Farm, Bristol
