Job Description

CSW is looking to recruit 3-5 new trustees to ensure that CSW remains true to its calling and is accountable to its stakeholders for its impact. Successful candidates will be strategic thinkers, who are able to review, advise on and shape organisational plans, and are comfortable offering new ideas, perspectives and solutions. They will need to demonstrate a commitment to the Christian faith and to CSW’s vision of a world free from religious persecution, where everyone can practise a religion or belief of their choice.

About CSW CSW’s team of specialist advocates work on over 20 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, to ensure that the right to freedom of religion or belief is upheld and protected. Our vision is a world free from religious persecution, where everyone can practise a religion or belief of their choice. CSW seeks to challenge and change the laws, behaviours and policies which lead to abuses of the right to freedom of religion and belief. We have over four decades of experience advocating for freedom of religion or belief around the world.

Key Responsibilities As a trustee, you will be responsible for championing CSW’s vision, maintaining CSW’s Christian ethos, and safeguarding the organisation’s reputation.

You will support in:

• Setting or approving policies, plans and budgets to achieve CSW’s charitable objectives, and monitoring performance against them.
• Setting and maintaining a framework of delegation and internal controls.
• Making decisions on matters which might pose significant risk to the organisation, financial or otherwise.
• Actively contributing to the strategic direction of the charity, and evaluating performance.
• Ensuring the solvency, financial resilience and effective administration of the organisation.
• Representing CSW positively to external communities (e.g. the Church, charity sector and public bodies ).
• Fulfilling the statutory responsibilities of a trustee as set out by the Charity Commission.

Commitment required  Trustees are usually elected to the Board for an initial three-year term, with the possibility of re-election for two further three-year terms. As a CSW trustee, you will be required to participate in:

• Three Board meetings each year
• An annual Board of Trustees Away Day
• One of CSW’s subcommittees – up to three additional meetings each year

Most Board and Committee meetings are held in the evening, starting at 7.30pm or 8pm, and take place online. In addition, ad-hoc advice may be sought from trustees between meetings, as required.

Essential Qualities Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate the following:

• They are a committed and mature Christian, able to demonstrate an understanding and acceptance of CSW’s Statement of Faith (The Apostles’ Creed).
• A personal commitment to Jesus Christ, reflected in their devotional life and involvement in a Christian community, including an individual commitment to prayer and a willingness to uphold CSW’s work in prayer.
• An ability to analyse information, think creatively and, when necessary, challenge constructively.

Desirable Qualities CSW is particularly keen to hear from candidates who possess one or more of the following:

• Expertise in or experience of:

           o Charity law

           o Fundraising or income-generation

           o Advocacy

• Personal and/or lived experience of issues relating to freedom of religion or belief; or an association with someone who has first-hand experience of discrimination, harassment or persecution on the basis of their religion or belief.
• Experience of working in or volunteering with a faith-based charity, or the Church.

Although we are particularly looking for trustees who meet one of the above criteria, we will consider all applications we receive. 

Diversity and inclusion CSW affirms that everyone is made in the image of God. We therefore honour the perspectives of people from diverse racial and denominational backgrounds, particularly those with closer cultural or lived proximity to the contexts where our advocacy focuses on. We strongly welcome applicants from a diversity of diasporas to apply.

We recognise that across the UK., younger people are underrepresented on boards. CSW believes that trustees of all ages have something meaningful to offer to our work and have two positions reserved for those under the age of 30. We particularly encourage people in this age bracket to put themselves forward for consideration.

Terms The role of Trustee is unpaid, but all reasonable travel, accommodation, subsistence and childcare expenses will be met. Trustees are usually appointed for an initial term of three years, which may be renewed for a further two periods of up to three years each.

Applicants must not be disqualified from being a trustee according to Charity Commission guidelines.