The week of 2nd to 6th November 2020 is trustees week, which aims to celebrate all of the hard work that trustees do throughout the year. Trustees are the people who are ultimately in charge of running a charity and making decisions about the way that it’s managed and run.
Our board is made up of many different people - we have 18 trustees, which includes both students and community members. Many of our board also started when they were students and have decided to stay on the board after graduating.
We have different roles on our board. The Charity Commission, which registers and regulates charities within England and Wales, requires that each board has a chair, treasurer and a secretary. On the SVC board, we also have a vice-chair, two events and fundraising officers, a communications and marketing officer, and three equality, diversity and inclusion officers. We also have general trustees as well as several associate trustees, who sit on the board to help advise other trustees and share their opinions. So there are options for everyone, depending on what kind of a role you’d like to take on.
Our board wanted to take the opportunity to share what it is that they do, and also the reasons they got involved and why they enjoy it so much.
The chair of the board, Sophie Smith, said this:
“I started volunteering with SVC in 2016 when I came to Cardiff University. After volunteering on the NHS projects, I joined the board as vice-chair for two years, before becoming chair this year.
“My role as a trustee is to, together with a great board and staff team, ensure the charity is following its constitution and financially fit to do so. This includes attending and chairing board meetings, organising fundraising events, ensuring our beneficiaries and volunteers are catered for and feel supported by us and so much more!
“The reason I like being a trustee at SVC is the feeling that I belong with a group of people who are like-minded and all want the best for the charity. I also learn a lot about how the third sector works, something I don’t get to do in my current job. I also develop different skills and have access to opportunities that I wouldn’t otherwise get to do – like dressing up as our mascot Stevie the Panda! As well as other amazing opportunities.
Without SVC, I wouldn’t be who I am today and I hope to be a part of it for a long time to come!”
Kelly Fenton, one of our events and fundraising officers who now has had this role for the second year running, had this to say:
“My role involves planning, attending and supporting events and fundraisers that involve both our volunteers and our beneficiaries. These include volunteer recruitment events, national volunteering weeks and fundraising events held throughout the year.
“I love my role as the events and fundraising officer as I meet and interact with lots of new people. I am supporting volunteers in gaining new experiences which in turn provides exciting activities for the beneficiaries supported by the charity. I also enjoy planning events such as our SVC quiz and our digital fundraisers, which support the incredible ongoing work the charity provides.”
Our secretary, Kieran Vass, has been on the board for many years now and has held several positions:
“My role involves organising agendas, keeping track of meeting attendance and taking minutes of board meetings, which is part of our official records required by the Charity Commission.
“I’ve been involved with SVC for many years, as a volunteer, lead volunteer, Trustee, Chair and now Secretary. I love being involved with SVC, and it doesn’t cease to amaze me how the work of our committed volunteers can have such a tremendous impact supporting so many people across South Wales.
“I now work at Innovate Trust, SVC’s sister charity, as the Health and Safety Development Officer. The skills, knowledge and connections I made during my time at SVC have been invaluable for my career and I cannot recommend volunteering and being a trustee enough to anyone, so please do get involved. Being involved with SVC is a win-win situation, you get to help and support those who need it and develop your personal skills and experience along the way. Give a little, gain a lot!”
Finally, Rhian Perridge, one of our associate trustees, said:
“The SVC mission to ‘give a little, gain a lot’ really resonates with me; I enjoy committing some of my time to something so worthwhile. It’s been a pleasure getting to know the SVC team and Board members and helping to make connections to expand what we do so more beneficiaries and volunteers can get involved. It’s a fantastic little team to be a small part of.”
Thank you to all of our trustees who work so hard throughout the year to keep SVC going and make the charity what it is.
If you'd like more information about what the role of a trustee involves or want to get involved in future, please email info@svcymru.org.
