Doorstep is looking to appoint new trustees to the Management Committee. The trustee will ideally have relevant professional skills that will blend and complement the existing skills of the Management Committee. We are particularly looking to recruit trustees who are from BAME backgrounds as well as those who have personal experience of homelessness, to give better representation of our service users at management level.

About Doorstep

Founded in 1982, Doorstep’s mission is to provide homeless families, living in temporary accommodation in the London Borough of Camden, with access to services to secure the emotional and practical support they require to enjoy a good quality of life. This involves creating opportunities as well as supporting families to make the best use of any opportunities that arise’.

Doorstep provides services to families who live in the two hostels above its premises, and in other temporary accommodation in the area. Doorstep helps over 250 people every year by providing a range of services, including:

• play and creative activities for children;
• after-school club;
• free laundry facilities;
• classes and information sessions for adults;
• weekly bazaars providing free gently used toys, books, clothes, baby equipment and household goods;
• outings and special activities during the school holidays;
• healthy snacks and meals; and
• food hampers and gifts at holiday times.

Vicky Fox, Doorstep’s Executive Director, manages the front-of-house activities of Doorstep, in addition to securing the funding for the charity.

About the Management Committee

The Committee meets every 6-8 weeks on a Monday at 6.30pm, and the next meeting is scheduled at the previous one. Outside of the Committee meetings, it is expected that trustees are able to donate small amounts of time to ad-hoc work. For example, when the recent GDPR legislation came into effect, trustees formed a subcommittee to write a policy and determine its impact on Doorstep’s activities.

The Management Committee’s work, as with most trustee boards, relates to strategic planning, financial management and fundraising, governance, statutory compliance, supporting the executive director and staff/volunteers, and  drafting/updating internal policies. Management of relationships with internal and external stakeholder groups is a valuable part of the role, as Doorstep has strong links within the local community.

Skills required

The Management Committee is formed of a number of local persons, volunteering their time and expertise. Trustees are expected to prioritise attendance for every meeting. The role of the trustee is to be a leader and ambassador for Doorstep. The Management Committee oversee the effective running of Doorstep, and have statutory responsibility. Members should rally resources – money, human resources and enthusiasm for the cause.

Although the trustees form a Board of mixed skills, there are some skills that would be of particular benefit and complement the existing trustee skillset, including:

• Fundraising expertise
• IT/Social Media
• Human Resources skills
• Accountancy/financial literacy