HOW BECOMING A VOLUNTEER CAN HELP YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY
WE NEED YOU…
Little Pickles Pre-school and Big Pickles before and after school clubs are charity organisations run by a board of volunteer trustees. Without this board of volunteers, the settings wouldn’t be able to exist so we need you!
Would you like to share your skills, time and ideas with others?
Are you interested in learning new skills?
Would you like to meet new people?
Would you like to improve the running of your child’s setting?
Perhaps you have a certain skill you’d like to use to help out?
Want to add a skill to boost your CV?
If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, the team at Little Pickles would love to hear from you.
BENEFITS OF BECOMING A TRUSTEE
Be involved in your child’s learning
Research shows clear benefits for children when parents become actively involved in their child’s learning and development from an early age. Parental involvement has been recognised by the Government as being key to a child’s successful development too. Volunteering for your pre-school’s parent-run committee offers an ideal opportunity for you to become more actively and practically involved in this aspect of your child’s life. It will also make a real difference to how your setting is managed.
Gain connections and give back
You will personally benefit from this experience by meeting with other parents, updating existing skills and learning new ones, as well as putting something positive back into your local community.
There are also long-term benefits should you choose to undertake further training or decide to return to full-time, paid work in the future. Opportunities Working as part of a pre-school committee is all about opportunities – for the pre-school, but also for yourself – and from small beginnings, you could find yourself taking a new direction in life.
Enhance your CV
Trustees set the strategy of a charity and take key decisions on staffing. So have you ever considered becoming one yourself? Many people report not only that they find trusteeship rewarding, but also that it can help in their day-to-day work and further their careers.
You can learn more about and meet our current Trustees here.
“...it [being a Trustee] gave me so much. New friends, a support system, self-confidence and a route back into a whole new career.” - ”
WHAT’S INVOLVED?
There are lots of ways you can contribute to the committee and you can choose to give as much or as little time as you can spare. The good thing is you don't need any experience to make a difference. Committee members are the charity trustees of the pre-school and together responsible for the overall management and smooth-running of the setting. This can mean anything from organising a summer fundraising event to negotiating with a landlord over the terms of a lease.
The committee is the employer of staff in the pre-school so has overall responsibility for recruiting, training and developing staff, paying their salaries, and managing their contracts of employment. It also has responsibility for things like developing a business plan, managing the daily accounts and working with staff to ensure the setting follows health and safety, risk assessment, insurance and first aid guidance and procedures.
A lot of the work committees do is fun – building new partnerships with other parents and professionals, coming up with new fundraising ideas, getting exciting plans off the ground - but there are some regular jobs too.
We have a budget for specific tasks to be done by paid professionals, for example the monthly accounts. However, overall responsibility for this work rests with the committee. Explore roles of committee members below:
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Act in the best interests of the charity; promoting its values and working to achieve its charitable objectives.
Work as part of a team with the other trustees; whilst bringing their own ideas, perspectives and experiences to the committee.
Regularly attend committee meetings and contribute to the effective management of the charity.
Read committee papers and contribute to the decision-making process of the committee.
Work with the Treasurer to set priorities for the budget.
Undertake Ofsted suitability checks as required.
Use safe recruitment procedures and work to Early Years Foundation Stage requirements to employ suitable adults to work with the children.
Employ a Manager to act as the person in charge of the early years provision; supporting them to successfully manage the childcare provision and ensure that the Early Years Foundation Stage and Ofsted registration requirements are met.
Ensure all committee members and staff have clearly identified roles and responsibilities.
Submit the annual update, or annual return and accounts, to the Charity Commission.
Ensure that the charity complies with the rules in its constitution, charity law, and other relevant regulations that govern the work of the charity.
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Responds punctually to all correspondence; keeping proper records.
Organises all meetings including booking venues, arranging refreshments, liaising with attendees to ensure they are informed etc.
Draws up meeting agendas and circulates to all attendees punctually.
Takes accurate minutes during meetings, types up and sends them out to all attendees in a timely manner.
Ensures all office filing is kept up-to-date.
Supports all committee and staff members, by ensuring the administrative function is efficient.
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Ensures the committee are aware of the financial position of the charity, providing an up-to date written statement of accounts at committee meetings.
Ensures that all committee members are aware of their financial responsibilities and comply with the charity’s finance procedures.
Ensures that the committee apply the charity’s resources exclusively in pursuance of its charitable objectives.
Presents accounts to the members at the AGM.
Manages the charity’s bank account, updating the list of signatories as necessary.
Prepares in advance an annual budget, as agreed by the committee, and monitors it regularly.
Issue bills and receipts on behalf of the charity and ensures that all necessary payments are made promptly.
Ensures that the charity’s financial records are maintained accurately and updated on a timely basis.
Manages staff payroll and volunteers’ expenses.
Arranges for the accounts to be checked annually and independently.
Reviews and returns any other financial reports as necessary.
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Represents and acts as a spokesperson for the pre-school.
Chairs meetings of the charity; including committee meetings, open meetings and general meetings, such as the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Sets the agenda for meetings together with the Secretary.
Co-ordinates the work of the committee to ensure effective administration.
Acts as the ‘Nominated Person’ for Ofsted purposes.
Line manages the Manager of the setting.
Supports other committee members and authorises the work of the Treasurer.
FIND OUT MORE
If you decide to volunteer on the committee, there is a lot of help available to you. Committee members are eligible for free training and have the support of the rest of the committee of course. You can offer as little or as much time as you can, the only thing we require is that you turn up to a minimum of 3 committee meeting per year. Without the committee, Little Pickles and Big Pickles couldn’t exist so please get in touch to help keep our setting thriving.
