Temporary Trustee (Branches across England and Wales)

We are the RSPCA and it's our vision to live in a world where all animals are respected and treated with compassion. Our volunteers are incredible, they play an essential role in helping us carry out our important animal welfare work every day.

Much of our direct animal welfare work is carried out through our branches. These separately registered charities across England and Wales are structured as unincorporated charitable associations and are managed by volunteers who are unstinting in their work for animal welfare.

Each branch operates at a local level offering advice, microchipping, neutering and subsidised animal treatments, as well as rehabilitating and rehoming animals taken in through their clinics, animal centres, boarding and fostering facilities. Additionally, there are over 300 RSPCA shops.

We are looking for professional volunteers to join our pool of temporary trustees. We are looking for people from all social and cultural backgrounds, with experience and skills in one or more of the following areas:

• Charity Governance
• Animal Welfare
• General Finance
• Volunteer Recruitment
• Strategy & planning
• Retail
• Operational Management

As a temporary trustee you will be providing leadership to a branch that has been through a difficult period, (these may be financial issues, staffing issues, health and safety, complaints or a lack of trustees amongst other problems).

You will be responsible for guiding the branch back to a stable situation and to a position where local trustees can be recruited and appointed. Once the branch is back on its feet, you would be able to help another branch when the need arises if you would like to.

This is an exciting opportunity to become involved with the RSPCA using your skills and experience in an important role which can really make a difference.

When you apply we will ask you to provide us with details of your key skills and experience and will hold your details on our Volunteer Engagement System. This will enable us to review applicants and match individuals skillset with the current needs of branches in national administration. As needs arise we will assign you to a branch where your skills, interests and experience can make the most difference. As meetings can take place virtually the branch may not necessarily be in the area where you live.

There may be times when you are not assigned to a branch, but as a temporary trustee you will have access to animal welfare resources, relevant training, volunteer news and other volunteering opportunities across the RSPCA.

This rewarding opportunity will enable volunteers to give something back to charity without the longstanding commitment of a traditional trustee role.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for people from all social and cultural backgrounds with a background in:

• Charity Governance
• Administration
• General Finance
• Volunteer Recruitment
• Strategy & planning
• Retail
• Operational Management

Alongside this we are looking for people who are committed to the RSPCA’s charitable objectives and share our passion for animal welfare.

We celebrate and respect the diversity of our RSPCA team and embrace the individual qualities, skills and experiences that everyone brings.

To keep you safe and support your wellbeing we’ll ask you to complete all the necessary training for your role and keep this up to date. We have a suite of wellbeing resources available and can make reasonable role adjustments to support you in your volunteering.

How to find out more about being a trustee:

There is some information on the RSPCA website about Branch Trustees, and we have an online session about becoming a Branch Trustee, which should give you more of an idea of what the role will involve. You can also read a blog from an existing trustee here - Volunteer as a branch trustee

For more information on becoming a Charity Trustee, and to ensure it is the right decision for you, we recommend visiting: www.gov.uk/guidance/charity-trustee-whats-involved.

Interested?

If you are interested in becoming a temporary trustee, making great use of your skills and experience, please click the apply button to complete our online application form.