Chair of Trustees

Community Chaplaincy Norfolk (CCN) Trustees meet six times a year. These meetings are in the odd numbered months. In addition, we meet once a year in the Spring to discuss and formulate strategy, in the Summer for a social event and in the Autumn for some training. Trustees generally serve between 3 and 5 years. We welcome applications from all sectors of the community.

Main tasks

• To lead the Board in ensuring that it fulfils its responsibilities for the governance of CCN by ensuring that CCN acts in accordance with its Constitution and by managing its activities.
• To work in partnership with the Manager to achieve the mission of CCN.
• To optimise the relationship between the Board and staff/volunteers.
• With the Manager, to take a leadership role in promoting CCN, representing CCN effectively to external stakeholders.

In more detail

Board members

• In close consultation with the Manager, to make recommendations on the composition of the Board, and future Chairs and members of the Board (with a view to orderly succession).
• To ensure that the Board regularly reviews its structure, role, relationship to staff and implements agreed changes as necessary.
• To define and keep under review selection and performance criteria for Board members.
• With the Manager, to ensure that all Board members receive appropriate advice, training and information relating to their role.
• To work in consultation with the Manager to recruit Board members with specific/relevant expertise.
• To relate the concerns of the Board and other constituencies to the Manager.

Meetings

• With the Manager, to develop appropriate and relevant agendas for meetings, ensuring all matters requiring Board review are discussed.
• To chair meetings of the Board, ensuring that it functions effectively and carries out its duties.
• To monitor the implementation of decisions taken at meetings.
• To ensure that, where necessary, votes of the Board are conducted properly and that decisions are formally minuted.
• To preside over the annual meeting, and ensure that a proper representation of CCN’s activities is provided to members.

General management

• To ensure that the Board members set strategy and policy objectives in consultation with the Manager (and other staff as appropriate).
• To ensure that appropriate resources (personnel, financial, material) are secured with which to achieve agreed goals.
• To monitor the progress of CCN in the light of its objectives.

Management of staff

• To define and monitor an appraisal process for the Manager.
• To support, monitor and review the work of the Manager.
• To ensure that CCN has appropriate procedures, e.g.:
• To comply with current employment and equal opportunities legislation and good practice
• To oversee the advertisement, interview and selection of members of staff
• To receive regular informal progress reports of CCN’s work through the Manager
• In consultation with the Manager, to agree an annual calendar of meetings of the Board members and major events for CCN.
• Through the Manager, to ensure effective communication between the Board and the staff group.

Financial management

• With the Manager and other Board members, to set the financial strategy of CCN and ensure it is adhered to.
• To ensure that CCN’s financial dealings are prudently and systematically accounted for, audited and publicly available.
• To ensure that where appropriate monies are invested, this is to the greatest possible benefit of CCN within the constraints of the law.

Promotion of CCN

• To promote CCN to a wide audience of stakeholders.
• With the Manager, to represent CCN to external audiences as appropriate.

Some of the duties listed above may be delegated to individual Board members, or to sub-committees of the Board. In these cases, the Chair should ensure that delegations are made only to those with appropriate skills, and that all delegation is managed effectively.