Could you be our next trustee? At Rainbow Migration we are currently on the lookout for LGBTQI+ people who have been through the asylum system to join our board.
Our current board consists of people with a wide range of backgrounds, skills and experiences, including lived experience of the asylum system, law, communications, fundraising, finance, safeguarding, research and anti-oppression.
We’re interested in hearing from people who can use their insight of going through the asylum system to inform our governance and strategy. We are also interested in any other skills and experience you have from your life or your work history.
We encourage applications from people from all walks of life, and would particularly like to hear from you if you are a person of colour, trans, non-binary, intersex, disabled or neurodivergent.
Still unsure whether this opportunity is for you or not? Here are some frequently asked questions that might help you make a decision.
What will I be doing?
Trustees are legally responsible for Rainbow Migration. Your duties will include:
- Setting strategy. Our trustees have set our strategy for 2023-25 and need to ensure it remains fit-for-purpose, guides our activities and is updated when needed
- Ensuring we abide by our constitution, follow the law, and act in line with our values and policies
- Making good use of our money and resources
- Considering and mitigating risks
- Reporting to the Charity Commission
These are some of the matters trustees have discussed in recent meetings:
- Our finances, including setting the annual budget, and checking income and expenditure is on track
- Human resources (HR), including staff salaries, pensions and parental leave
- Organisational policies including safeguarding, health and safety, and data protection
- How changes in law and government policy could affect our service users and our work.
What if I don’t have experience as a trustee? Can I still apply?
You absolutely can. We will support you to develop in the role. For example, we can ‘buddy you up’ with an existing trustee that you can meet regularly to prepare for board meetings. We also provide training and can pay for you to attend relevant courses.
Will I be able to meet with people seeking asylum to help them?
The role of trustees is to govern the charity and ensure we are meeting the purpose for which we exist. You won’t have much involvement in the day-to-day work of the charity, so contact with service users will be limited.
I don’t have a computer. Is that a problem?
We don’t want technology to be a barrier to becoming a trustee. It’s helpful if you have a smartphone, at least, so that you have regular access to emails and can connect to meetings on Zoom. We can provide training if you need to learn how to use Word or Excel, for example. Please apply and we can talk about how we can help make sure you can participate fully.
Can I become a trustee if I’m applying for asylum?
We can only accept applications from people with leave to remain in the UK or UK citizenship. We would be happy to consider an application from you to become a trustee when we next recruit if you have secured leave to remain by then.
[…] Find out more about what our trustees do here. […]