Branch Trustee (Chester le Street)

RSPCA Branches rescue, rehabilitate and rehome those animals most at risk through clinics, animal centres, boarding and fostering facilities; offer advice and education on animal welfare; and support with microchipping, neutering and subsidised animal treatments for animals owned by people in financial difficulty.

Each RSPCA branch (of which there are approx. 155) is a separately registered charity, operating at a local level across England and Wales. Branches did 78% of the rehoming activity across the RSPCA network in 2020, and took in 31,076 animals into their care. There are also over 300 RSPCA charity shops, all of which are run by RSPCA branches. The RSPCA has been at the forefront of animal welfare since 1824 when we were founded in a London coffee shop, and we’re proud to be the oldest animal welfare charity around.

What does RSPCA Sunderland, Hartlepool & South Tyneside Branch do?

We cover a large area in the North East of England within the Sunderland, Hartlepool and South Tyneside district and fundraise within this area. The animal welfare services that we offer include:

• Subsidised microchipping, neutering and emergency treatment for owned animals
• Advice and welfare support
• Education, we create and supply education material for schools within our branch area
• Pet food bank for those struggling to feed their animals in the current financial climate

What do RSPCA branch volunteer trustees do?

RSPCA branch trustees are volunteers who shape the work that the branch does, and are collectively responsible for governing and managing the affairs of the branch. “Trustees have overall control of a charity and are responsible for making sure it’s doing what it was set up to do.” “Trustees are the people who lead the charity and decide how it is run.” “They may be known by other titles, such as: directors, board members, governors, committee members” - Charity Commission.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for applications from people from all social and cultural backgrounds, who are passionate about improving animal welfare. It doesn’t matter whether you are an experienced trustee or not, as trustee training and induction will be provided. You will have knowledge or experience in one or more of the following fields:

• Accountancy
• Financial planning and budgeting
• Marketing and advertising
• Strategic planning
• Charity retail
• Animal Welfare
• Charity law or charitable work
• To fill a gap we have identified in the skills shared by our current board of trustees and to help secure the future financial viability of our branch.

We hold monthly trustees’ meetings, which last approximately 2 hours. We ask for trustees to join as many of these meetings as possible, 6 being the minimum attended per year. You will also need to allow time to prepare for trustees’ meetings - creating or reading through any relevant documents ahead of meetings.

Our trustees meet in person at our Community Hub or attend online. The meeting times are chosen to suit all branch trustees’ availability, so this may be flexible. You may need additional availability between meetings, depending on whether you decide to take on additional duties (e.g. Secretary, Treasurer, Chair, line management, being part of a working group).

Our trustees are passionate about animal welfare and volunteer some extra time outside of trustee meetings to assist the branch where required.

Trustees are elected for a 12 month term each year at the branch’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) which is held in June, and between AGMs branches have the ability to co-opt an additional three trustees, who serve until the next planned AGM.

What’s in it for you?

There are lots of benefits to becoming an RSPCA Branch Trustee, including:

• Induction and trustee training
• The opportunity to gain new skills and develop existing ones
• The ability to use your skills to to improve the wellbeing of animals in your local area, and make a real difference to the lives of animals
• The capacity to shape innovative projects, and be part of the RSPCA’s ten year strategy - “Together for animal welfare”
• Access to our learning hub, which contains training materials and courses on a variety of subjects
• The chance to meet like-minded people who share your enthusiasm for animal welfare
• The chance to shape the services in your local area
• Volunteering is good for your wellbeing.

As a trustee of a branch you will have the chance to influence how we care for and prevent cruelty to animals. We are looking for people from all social and cultural backgrounds, with a variety of experience and skills to draw on, whether these have been formed through life or work situations.

You'll be passionate about animal welfare and alongside other trustees, will manage the affairs of a local RSPCA Branch to promote and provide animal welfare within the branch area.

As a minimum, trustees would normally be expected to attend a monthly committee meeting lasting some 2 to 3 hours. However, the commitment may vary dependent on whether or not the trustee takes on additional duties such as the role of chairman, treasurer or secretary.

Trustees are elected for a 12 month term each year.

For more information on becoming a Charity Trustee, and to ensure it’s the right decision for you, we recommend visiting the YouGov website

• Familiarising yourself with and supporting the aims and policies of the RSPCA
• Familiarising yourself with the branch rules and following them at all times
• Working with your fellow trustees and branch officers and jointly acting in making decisions for the best interest of the branch and the RSPCA.
• Ensuring the branch meets all the minimum animal welfare standards (MAWS). Where they are not met, working with national RSPCA staff to meet them as soon as practicably possible
• In conjunction with your fellow trustees and Branch Support Specialist (BSS), writing, adopting, monitoring and reviewing a branch development plan setting out the short and long term aims of your branch
• Actively participating in branch committee meetings and attending the branch annual general meeting and regional conference.
• Having an awareness of the outcomes of regional board meetings and supporting regional initiatives.
• Actively promoting and advertising to recruit new branch trustees and volunteers.
• Welcoming new trustees and volunteers to the branch.

• Aged 18 or over
• A current member of the RSPCA (please see rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/becomeamember for details on how to become a member)
• Able to work with people from all backgrounds and have good interpersonal skills
• Specific skills such as finance, legal, fundraising, project management, business experience, awareness of employment and/or charity legislation can be useful to help ensure we have a sound and robust business model and long term strategic development plan, however they are not essential.
• Commitment, common sense and the ability to be objective is vital
• Creativity, innovation. A person who can bring different experiences and fresh perspectives to the Board and help put those ideas into action

• Meet like-minded people who share your enthusiasm for animal welfare
• Use your skills and experience to oversee the charity and make decisions that have a direct impact on local animal welfare
• You will be volunteering at the heart of the local community
• Full training via our trustee course
• Ongoing support is also provided by regional and national RSPCA staff in addition to additional training provided by the relevant branch

Before you can start volunteering you’ll need to complete our simple online Health & Safety course and any associated training required for your role. New RSPCA trustees are provided with a link to our intranet to view our Guidance for Branch Trustees and are also asked to attend a training course which provides information and guidance about a trustee’s role and responsibilities. Trustees must sign a Trustee Declaration of Willingness to Act to clarify that they are not disqualified from being a trustee and that they accept the post. Tetanus is a life threatening bacterial disease caused by an infection in an open wound. All volunteers must be suitably protected. We recommend that volunteers check their vaccination history with their GP. If a volunteer has not had the required doses, the GP should offer them free of charge as part of the UK vaccination schedule.