Call for Trustees

We are now seeking members willing to stand for election as Trustees of The Arts Society.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of The Arts Society.  It ensures that the Society’s charitable objects are adhered to in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Charities Commission.

We aim to have a Board that is representative of our evolving membership and anyone can apply who believes they will add value to the organisation. The role might particularly appeal to anyone recently retired, especially if they have experience of organisational development, change management or marketing. But what matters most is an ability to see the big picture and empathy with our charitable objects and membership.

Below, Julie Goldsmith and Liz Woods briefly tell the story of their journey from member to Trustee.

JULIE GOLDSMITH

I joined the Arts Society when I took early retirement and it wasn’t too long before someone approached me about joining a local Committee. After attending my first Area Meeting as a Programme Secretary I decided that I would like to one day serve as a Trustee. I’d had a senior career in publishing and also worked for a couple of membership organisations and quite simply felt that my skills and experience would be of use to the organisation. But first I felt I had to cut my teeth as a local Society Chair. I think that was invaluable as it gave me first hand insights into the challenges and opportunities at a local level. These were still very fresh in my mind when I was elected back in 2017.

I was also fortunate that “my” Society was involved in the rebranding exercise which gave me further insights in to the work of the Trustee Board as they strive to ensure a sustainable future for The Arts Society.

The traditional route to the Trustee Board is oft via an Area Role, but that wasn’t open to me as I relocated from Northants to North Yorkshire and was an unknown entity in my new Area. Having had to relinquish my public appointments because of our move north, the time was right to have a go at being elected and the rest is history. I now stand down as Chair after serving 4 years as a Trustee.

During that time an external governance review has rated the Board as very well governed. We are a disparate group but are united in our commitment to and belief in The Arts Society. 

If you are thinking about standing for election I am happy to talk to you informally  about the role. Contact me at chair@theartssociety.org

LIZ WOODS

I got involved with The Arts Society when I bumped into an acquaintance who said she was thinking of starting a new Society locally and was I interested? I’d just given up being Chair of the Management Committee of a long established local charity and it sounded like fun to be involved in something from the start.

Being an inaugural Chair was a challenge but also such an opportunity to create the sort of Arts Society I’d want to join. We put together a great team and got an exciting new Society going where previously there hadn’t been one. I loved it, but after four years in the driving seat of The Arts Society West Cornwall I was ready for something else new. A chance meeting at the Torquay AGM with the then Head of Training made me realise that there was a central role with The Arts Society that was right up my street. I had an education background and it felt like something I could do. Being Head of Training for The Arts Society was a privilege and an insight. I met the Chairs of dozens of local Societies and got to understand so much better the variety of challenges and experiences that exist across the Society as a whole. It also gave me a privileged view into the central workings of the Society and the issues facing a membership organisation such as ours. 

There’s a big difference being hands on in any organisation and then switching to thinking more strategically, and I admit that has been a challenge. But I think being involved in any organisation you get to a point where you think "Why don’t we do things this way?". So being a trustee seemed the logical next step. In a previous life I’d run a BA degree in Business Studies, so I knew a bit about business and I knew a lot about The Arts Society, I had a passion - have a passion -  for democratising art and culture. I still had energy and I had commitment. 

I want The Arts Society to exist for a long time, I want to serve our existing members but find new ways of going forward. Being a trustee gives me the opportunity to do that and becoming Vice Chair of the Trustee Board enables me combine my strategic vision with my wish to stay involved in The Arts Society's operational side. If you love the Arts and you want us as an organisation to continue to serve them, and our existing and potential members, then why not give it a go? 

For those interested in finding out more a full role description can be found here along with the Trustees Code of Conduct here.

Still undecided? We have scheduled (on Zoom) an Introduction to being an Arts Society  Trustee on Thursday February 11th hosted by the Chair Designate Julia Charlton-Weedy and Liz Woods, Vice Chair Designate. To register for this two hour meeting please email shivani@theartssociety.org before 8th Febuary.

We also recommend the Charity Commission website as a useful source of general information about the role of Trustees: 
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-essential-trustee-what-you-need-to-know-cc3

Please contact the Company Secretary, Tim Nicholls for further information or to request the application documentation: tim@theartssociety.org