Trustees
Becoming a Trustee at CAHF.
What you will be doing
As a Trustee, you are more than a volunteer; you are a strategic leader. You hold ultimate legal and financial responsibility for the charity, ensuring we remain viable and impactful. This is an active role: you won’t just be “informed” of decisions—you will be the one setting the policy, defining our goals, and rigorously evaluating our performance to ensure we meet the needs of our community.
The Commitment
Governance is a serious, long-term responsibility. To ensure stability for the organisation, we require a minimum commitment of one year, though many of our Trustees stay longer to see projects through to completion.
- Engagement: You must be available for quarterly Board meetings, but your involvement doesn’t end there.
- Preparation: You are expected to dedicate time between meetings to review reports and contribute to specific sub-committees or projects.
- Priority: This role carries a higher level of accountability and time investment than our general volunteer positions.
The Recruitment Process
Because Trustees hold a position of significant trust and legal liability, our vetting process is robust:
Application & Interview: Shortlisted candidates will interview with the Chair of Trustees and the CEO.
References & Checks: We require two satisfactory references and a formal identity check. As Trustees are also Directors under Company Law, further enhanced background checks are mandatory.
Observation: Successful candidates will attend a Board Meeting as an observer. This allows you to see the Board in action—and allows us to ensure a mutual fit—before a final appointment is made.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Every Trustee is expected to be a proactive contributor to the Board’s collective duties. This includes:
- Active Oversight: Monitoring the service to ensure we meet national Citizens Advice standards and legal requirements.
- Financial Guardianship: Scrutinising the budget to ensure the charity operates within its means and maintains clear accountability.
- Strategic Growth: Actively seeking ways to further our objectives and participating in specific developmental projects.
- Personal Development: Taking ownership of your own learning to stay current with charity law and local community needs.
- Confidentiality: Maintaining absolute discretion regarding sensitive organisational data.
Personal Skills and Qualities
We are looking for individuals who bring a blend of professional expertise and local passion:
- Strategic Thinking: The ability to look beyond the “day-to-day” and exercise sound, independent judgement.
- Communication: A willingness to challenge ideas constructively and participate robustly in board discussions.
- Financial Literacy: Sufficient numeracy to interpret accounts (with the support of our Treasurer).
- Collaborative Spirit: A commitment to working as a team and adhering to the democratic processes of the national Citizens Advice network.
- Integrity: A deep-seated commitment to our principles of independence, equality, and social justice.
Note to Applicant: Being a Trustee is a rewarding way to use your professional skills to change lives in your community. However, please only apply if you have the capacity to be an active, engaged participant in our leadership team.
How to apply
If you can see yourself being one of our Trustees and helping guide our organisation to best support residents in Hammersmith and Fulham, Please apply by completing our Trustee form. Trustees will need to provide a CV, and if selected by interviewed by our CEO and a member of the Trustee board.
If you have any questions about the form or anything else, please get in touch on volunteer@cahf.org.uk and we’ll be happy to help. Please note, we do routinely check if applications have been written by AI software, so we encourage you to write in your own words in order to explain to us your motivations.
If this role is not for you, please look at the other roles we have available.
Unfortunately we do not pay travel expenses during the recruitment process. If selected, we pay out of pocket travel expenses for attendance at training, induction and regular volunteering. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We delete all information 12 months after receipt unless you have been successful in recruitment, in which case we gain your permission on what is retained and how it is used. There is further information in the volunteer application form.