Our organisation offers Counselling online and in person alongside our lived experience community, Butterflies. Butterflies offers people in Hertfordshire with lived experience of sexual, domestic ...
Advisory Board Member
Practical details
Volunteering • Long term role
Contact person
Rebecca Fox
Provided
Requirements
#125026
Scan me or visit www.govolherts.org.uk/o/Trauma-Recovery-CIC/opportunities/Advisory-Board-Member/125026 to join
Join Trauma Recovery CIC as an Advisory Board Member and share your skills, insight and care to help shape inclusive, trauma-informed support.
Role Summary
Trauma Recovery CIC is seeking Advisory Board Members to provide independent advice, specialist knowledge, lived experience insight and constructive challenge to support the Board of Directors.
Advisory Board Members are not company Directors and do not hold legal decision-making authority, voting rights or responsibility for the formal governance of the CIC. Their role is to advise, inform and support the Directors, who remain responsible for all decisions and statutory duties.
The Advisory Board helps Trauma Recovery CIC remain connected to its purpose, values and community benefit aims by contributing perspectives on strategy, service development, safeguarding, equality, accessibility, trauma-informed practice, partnerships, fundraising, risk, organisational learning and enterprise development.
We are particularly interested in Advisory Board Members who can contribute expertise in one or more of the following areas:
- Business Strategy
- Marketing
- Public Relations
- Fundraising
- Financial strategy
- Lived Experience
- Enterprise
Examples of useful expertise could include:
- Business strategy, such as growth planning, organisational development, service models and partnership strategy
- Marketing, such as audience insight, brand awareness, digital campaigns, content planning and community engagement
- PR, such as media relations, public messaging, reputation management and storytelling
- Fundraising, such as grant applications, donor relationships, corporate partnerships, campaigns and income generation
- Financial strategy, such as budgeting, financial planning, pricing, reserves, sustainability and risk
- Lived experience, such as insight into barriers to support, accessibility, survivor voice, trauma-informed design and meaningful involvement; and
- Enterprise, such as social enterprise models, traded income, product or service development, customer journeys and responsible growth.
Commitment & Remuneration
This is an unpaid advisory role. Reasonable agreed expenses may be reimbursed in line with Trauma Recovery CIC’s expenses policy.
The role requires a commitment to acting with integrity, maintaining confidentiality, declaring conflicts of interest, respecting professional boundaries and contributing in a way that is trauma-informed, inclusive and aligned with the CIC’s community interest purpose.
Advisory Board Members may be asked to attend Advisory Board meetings, contribute to focused discussions, review relevant papers and provide advice between meetings where agreed.
Any potential conflict of interest, including paid work, consultancy, employment, partnership, personal connection or connected-person arrangement with Trauma Recovery CIC, must be declared and managed in line with organisational policy.
Advisory Board Members must not present themselves as Directors, bind the organisation, make commitments on behalf of Trauma Recovery CIC, approve contracts or take part in formal Director decision-making.
Valuing Lived Experience and Diverse Perspectives
We welcome applications from neurodivergent people, disabled people, people with lived experience, and those from groups that are underrepresented in leadership and governance roles.
We recognise that people communicate, process information and participate in different ways and are committed to providing reasonable adjustments and accessible participation wherever possible.
As a lived experience led organisation, previous advisory board or governance experience is not essential. We welcome applications from people who can demonstrate relevant skills, values, insight and potential. Induction and ongoing support will be provided so Advisory Board Members can understand the role and contribute with confidence.
| Role Purpose | To provide advice, insight and constructive challenge that supports the Board of Directors to make informed decisions and strengthen Trauma Recovery CIC’s impact, sustainability and community benefit. | ||
| Working Days/Hours | Advisory Board Members commit to attending Advisory Board meetings at least quarterly, at times and days agreed in advance. | Additional contributions may be agreed between meetings, depending on availability, skills and organisational need. | |
| Flexibility Required | To attend occasional events, discussions or relevant meetings where agreed and appropriate. | ||
| Checks Needed |
- Enhanced DBS with registration to the live checking service
- 2 satisfactory references, where required by organisational policy.
Overview of Responsibilities
Advisory Board Members provide non-binding advice to the Board of Directors.
They support good governance by offering informed perspectives, asking thoughtful questions and helping Directors consider risks, opportunities and community impact.
Advisory Board Members are expected to work within clear boundaries. They do not vote on board decisions, manage team members, direct operational work, approve spending, enter contracts or act on behalf of Trauma Recovery CIC unless specifically authorised by the Directors for a defined purpose.
Duties of an Advisory Board Member
- Supporting the social mission: Contribute advice that helps Trauma Recovery CIC remain focused on its community benefit purpose, values and impact for people affected by trauma.
- Providing specialist insight: Share relevant knowledge, skills, lived experience, professional expertise or community insight to inform strategic thinking and service development.
- Constructive challenge: Ask respectful questions, offer balanced challenge and help Directors consider different perspectives, risks and unintended consequences.
- Strategic and enterprise advice: Contribute to discussions about business strategy, enterprise development, organisational priorities, sustainability, partnerships, funding opportunities, service development and community need.
- Marketing, PR and communications: Offer advice on raising awareness, strengthening public messaging, building relationships, improving reach and communicating Trauma Recovery CIC’s work clearly and sensitively.
- Fundraising and financial strategy: Provide insight into funding opportunities, income generation, financial sustainability, responsible growth and strategic use of resources.
- Stakeholder and community perspective: Help the organisation understand the needs, experiences and views of relevant communities, partners and people who may access support.
- Trauma-informed practice: Support a culture that prioritises safety, trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment and inclusion, and consider the potential impact of organisational decisions on people affected by trauma.
- Equality, diversity and inclusion: Actively support inclusive, anti-discriminatory and accessible practice across Trauma Recovery CIC’s work.
- Safeguarding awareness: Contribute to a safeguarding-aware culture by raising relevant questions or concerns through appropriate channels.
- Confidentiality and information governance: Handle organisational information securely, maintain confidentiality and follow data protection and information sharing expectations.
- Conflicts of interest: Declare any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest promptly and follow the organisation’s process for managing them.
- Ambassadorial support: Act as a positive supporter of Trauma Recovery CIC, helping to build trust, relationships and understanding of the organisation’s purpose where appropriate.
- Participation and preparation: Attend agreed meetings, read relevant papers where provided, contribute thoughtfully and communicate availability or access needs in advance where possible
Skills, Training and Experience
| Skills & Experience | Essential/Desirable |
| Commitment to the aims, values, social purpose and community benefit objectives of Trauma Recovery CIC | E |
| Ability to provide advice, insight and constructive challenge while respecting that Directors make formal decisions | E |
| Understanding of confidentiality, professional boundaries and the importance of declaring conflicts of interest | E |
| Excellent communication skills, including listening, asking thoughtful questions and working collaboratively with people who may hold different views | E |
| Understanding of trauma-informed, inclusive and safeguarding-aware practice, with a commitment to dignity, safety and accessibility | E |
| Relevant personal, professional, community or lived experience insight connected to trauma recovery, domestic abuse, sexual violence, relational trauma, support services or community development | D |
| Experience or expertise in one or more priority advisory areas: business strategy, such as growth planning, organisational development, service models or partnership strategy; marketing, such as audience insight, brand awareness, digital campaigns or community engagement; PR, such as media relations, public messaging, reputation management or storytelling; fundraising, such as grant applications, donor relationships, corporate partnerships or income generation; financial strategy, such as budgeting, financial planning, reserves, sustainability or risk; lived experience, such as insight into barriers to support, accessibility, survivor voice, trauma-informed design or meaningful involvement; and enterprise, such as social enterprise models, traded income, product or service development, customer journeys or responsible growth. | E |
| Ability to consider organisational risk, sustainability, equality, access and impact from an advisory perspective | D |
| Willingness and capacity to attend Advisory Board meetings, review relevant papers and contribute on an unpaid basis | E |
| Good IT skills, including email, Microsoft Teams or Zoom, shared documents and secure handling of organisational information | E |
| Enhanced DBS check registered with the live checking service and two satisfactory references, where required by organisational policy | E |
Related to
About Trauma Recovery CIC
Our organisation offers Counselling online and in person alongside our lived experience community, Butterflies. Butterflies offers people in Hertfordshire with lived experience of sexual, domestic and/or relational trauma the opportunity to come together to support one another through shared experience, peer support and adding their voice to make a change.
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