Chair of Trustees - Volunteer

Kanaama, a small charity working in Uganda seeks Chair to provide leadership and strategic direction.

What difference will you make?

The Chair of Trustees has a huge impact on the success of our organisation. Your leadership and commitment will ensure we continue to support our local partner to deliver life changing projects and to expand to meet the needs of many more poor and vulnerable women and children.

We fund a wide range of activities – microcredit, village savings and loans, adult literacy and business training. In schools we fund school attendance support, breakfast clubs, teacher training, water and sanitation, menstrual health education. Until now this was just in one subcounty of 28,000 people. Now we have the chance to take it to neighbouring areas. How will we raise the extra money? How will we select, with our local partner, where to work? How will we work with our local partner in the future? Will we need to change how we work in the UK? These are just a few of the challenges facing us.

What are we looking for?

Essential

• Understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of Trusteeship
• Commitment to the charity’s objects, aims and values and willingness to devote time to carry out responsibilities
• Strategic and forward-looking vision in relation to the charity’s objects and aims
• Good, independent judgement, political impartiality and the ability to think creatively in the context of the organisation and external environment
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Balancing tact and diplomacy with willingness to challenge and constructively criticise
• Proven resource mobilisation.
  
  

Desirable

• Prior experience of committee/trustee work.
• Knowledge of development and Africa/Uganda.
• A wider involvement with the voluntary sector.
• Experience of chairing meetings, committee work, some experience of charity finance and charity fundraising.
• Leadership skills exercised through a period of change.
  
  

What will you be doing?

Our focus is livelihoods and education and women and children in poor rural SW Uganda. Please see our website for information and download our latest annual report.

We have recently received approval from the Charity Commission to change our objects so that we can do our work in a wider area and capitalise on our skills and experience. We are also hoping to fund our local partner to hire a director to strengthen their capacity. This provides opportunities for expansion, if we can increase donations which at present come from private individuals and charitable trusts in the UK. At the same time government aid is shrinking and funding get more competitive.

In 2025, we are rebranding. We used to be called KICS (‘kicks’), but our everyday name is now Kanaama. Along with this we want to increase our digital presence to increase supporter engagement. Our website also needs an upgrade.

With an income in 2024 of almost £60,000, our UK operations depend entirely on voluntary efforts, with the trustees involved in the day-to-day work of the charity, including some project work, fundraising, communications and fundraising. There is an unpaid director (also a trustee) who focuses on supporting projects, financial management, and raising funds from trusts. Other volunteers take minutes, communications, IT etc. There are six committee meetings a year. These take place on Saturdays in trustees’ homes around London or online/hybrid. We work in partnership with a local organisation, KICS Uganda, which receives all our project funds. They employ seven staff in Uganda.

You need a range of skills for this role. Committee skills, of course, including chairing meetings. You need to be able to map a future path for Kanaama and inspire and lead the trustees. You need to set realistic goals for the day-to-day work which trustees undertake, as well as ensure they fulfil their roles as trustees. As the charity depends heavily on volunteers, you will need to oversee their work. You will be the main liaison between the trustees and KICS Uganda.

Of course, you need to be enthusiastic about our work in Uganda and have ideas about how to develop it in the future. The chair needs to be prepared to ‘get the word out’ and to encourage trustees to do the same as most of our donations come from personal contacts. You will need time.