Becoming a Board Member of Glossopdale Furniture Project
Thank you for taking an interest in joining the Board of Trustees of Glossopdale Furniture Project.
We are looking for individuals who can give a few hours a month, with skills and experiences to help shape the future of our local charity with passion and enthusiasm.
It is important that this is the right match for both you and for the Project. Therefore, we have a careful process that enables candidates to understand more about the Glossopdale Furniture Project and what it means to be a Board Member.
The process for this is as follows:
1. Read more about the role of a Board Member (Appendix 1).
2. Call and have an informal chat with Stella Quinn our Chair of Trustees, 07793377397 or boundarycottage@yahoo.com
3. Fill out an Expression of Interest (Appendix 2) and return it to Stella.
4. Introductory meeting with Stella, Leigh Higginbottom (our Project Manager) and other Board member(s).
5. Board taster sessions – come along to a board meeting so you can get a feel for the other board members and how we operate, typically this can be 2 or 3 attendances.
6. Mutual decision whether to join the Board.
7. If mutually agreed, then we complete registration paperwork and register you with Charities Commission and Companies House (completed by us!).
8. Complete introduction to the Glossopdale Furniture Project including opportunities to shadow staff etc.
Remember this is a two-way process and it is important to us that our trustees are happy and comfortable in their role. Equally it is important to the dynamics and health or our organisation that we find the right fit within our existing board.
There is no set role as a trustee and there are many different skills and experiences valuable to us. It is worth thinking what you can bring to the role and what it will give you in return. Our expression of interest will help you to think through this. Even if you feel that becoming a trustee is not the right fit for you we would still welcome your involvement in other ways.
We look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Best wishes,
Stella Quinn
On Behalf of the Board of Trustees
To complete the online application form (Appendix 2) CLICK HERE
About the Project
OVERVIEW
The Glossopdale Furniture Project was set up in 1997 when it became obvious of the serious need for a charitable project of to support those in need of quality affordable furniture.
Those it helps are referrals from local authority social and housing services, housing and domestic violence support charities and many other local organisations who support individuals and families in need.
During 2024-2025 the Project supported over 110 households by providing free Emergency Packs of furniture and everyday essentials to those who have been homeless and given a new tenancy where the property has none of the necessary items. Depending on need, a basic pack can consist of a bed, sofa, chest of drawers, wardrobe, fridge, bedding, crockery, microwave, kettle and toaster to help set up their new home.
Our Aims and Objectives
- To provide furniture and other household items to people on low income by offering clean and safe donated furniture at affordable prices.
- Offer a service to the public by re-using and recycling their unwanted furniture and putting it to good use.
- Prevent waste by reusing and recycling furniture and other household items.
- Provide volunteers with training to help them into paid employment.
Appendix 1
What are the basic responsibilities of the Board of Trustees?
1. Determine mission and purpose.
It is the board’s responsibility to create and review a statement of mission and purpose that articulates the organisation’s goals, means, and primary constituents served guided by our Articles of Memorandum (our Constitution).
2. As the Employer, select the Project Manager
Board members must reach consensus on the Project Manager’s responsibilities and undertake a careful search to find the most qualified individual for the position support and working with the Project Manager build the right staff team.
3.Support and evaluate the Project Manager.
The Board should ensure that the Project Manager has the moral and professional support he/she needs to further the goals of the organisation; and support them in the management of the other staff.
4. Ensure effective planning.
Boards must actively participate in an overall planning process and assist in implementing and monitoring the plan’s goals.
5. Monitor and strengthen our service.
The Board’s responsibility is to determine which activities are consistent with the organisation’s mission and monitor their effectiveness.
6. Ensure adequate financial resources.
One of the Board’s foremost responsibilities is to secure adequate resources for the organisation to fulfil its mission.
7. Protect assets and provide proper financial oversight.
The Board must assist in developing the annual budget and ensuring that proper financial controls are in place.
8. Build a competent board.
All boards have a responsibility to articulate prerequisites for candidates, induct new members, and periodically and comprehensively evaluate their own performance.
9. Ensure legal and ethical integrity.
The Board is ultimately responsible for adherence to legal standards and ethical norms and all contractual obligations.
10. Enhance the organisation’s public standing.
The Board should clearly articulate the organisation’s mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public and sustain high levels of support from the community through advocacy.
What are the legal responsibilities of a board member?
Duty of Care
The duty of care describes the level of competence that is expected of a board member and is commonly expressed as the duty of “care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise in a like position and under similar circumstances.” This means that a board member owes the duty to exercise reasonable care when he or she makes a decision as a trustee.
Duty of Loyalty
The duty of loyalty is a standard of faithfulness; a board member must give undivided allegiance when making decisions affecting the organisation. This means that a board member can never use information obtained as a member for personal gain, but must act in the best interests of the organisation.
Duty of Obedience
The duty of obedience requires board members to be faithful to the organisation’s mission. They are not permitted to act in a way that is inconsistent with the central goals of the organisation.
What are the responsibilities of individual board members?
- Attend all board committee meetings and functions, such as special events.
- Be informed about the organisation’s mission, services, policies, and projects.
- Review agenda and supporting documents prior to board meetings.
- Serve on committees or sub groups.
- Support the Project Manager and staff in their to implement the strategic decisions of the Board.
- Advocate for the organisation.
- Keep up-to-date on developments in the organisation and the wider community.
- Follow conflict-of-interest and confidentiality policies.
- Assist the Board in carrying out its collective responsibilities, such as reviewing the organisation’s financial statements.
Personal characteristics to consider
- Ability to listen, analyse, think clearly and creatively, and work well with people individually and in a group.
- Willingness to prepare for and attend board and committee meetings, ask questions, take responsibility and follow through on a given assignment.
- Contribute time, skills and experience in a generous way according to circumstances, advocate for the organisation, and evaluate oneself.
- Interest and willingness in developing certain skills that you may not possess, which maybe useful to the organisation.
- Possession of honesty, sensitivity to and tolerance of differing views, community-building skills, personal integrity and sense of values, and concern for the charity’s development.
- A passion for the local High Peak and Glossopdale community.
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