Join the SWAN Board of Trustees

Founded in 2012, we have gone through a period of significant change and growth over the last 18 months, including a new CEO, website, and branding, and are currently in the process of finalising our updated organisational strategy for the next 10 years.

At this time of exciting change and development at SWAN, we are seeking a new Secretary to join us on our Board for the next phase of our journey.

What is a Charity Trustee?

Trustees ensure their charity has a clear strategy, and that its work and goals are in line with its purpose. A trustee's role in a charity is to be the ‘guardians of purpose’, making sure that all decisions put the needs of the beneficiaries first.

Why be a Trustee?

It is estimated that almost half of all charities are looking for trustees at any time, so you will be filling a vital role in the voluntary sector.

Being a trustee can be very rewarding - as a trustee you have the chance to support and shape our work and strategic direction and make a significant contribution to improving the lives of autistic women, girls and non-binary people across Scotland. 

Volunteering as a charity trustee is a great way to put your professional skills to use, and can also be a valuable opportunity to learn new things and connect with new people.

Being a Trustee at SWAN

SWAN Board meetings are held on Zoom, currently once every 6 weeks, for around two hours. 

As we are a small Charity, we do expect Trustees to contribute beyond preparing for and attending Board meetings. Each Trustee has their own roles and responsibilities, and we sometimes hold extra meetings for Board Development, Strategy Development, etc. 

Who can apply?

To maintain our majority autistic Board, in line with our values and our constitution, we prioritise autistic applicants. However, we also actively welcome non-autistic applicants with the right skills who are interested in supporting our work and are currently open to non-autistic and autistic applicants.

We warmly welcome Trustees from a range of cultures, backgrounds, age and experience, whether you have been a Trustee in the past or are new to the idea.

We are recruiting to the Secretary role, which has designated tasks and requires specific skills, though you will be given training and support to help you carry out the role.

Secretary tasks include: 

• liaising with the CEO and Chair to organise Board meetings, agendas and papers
• convening meetings – sharing dates, times, Zoom link, etc. with other Trustees
• coordinating minute-taking (SWAN Trustees currently share the role of taking minutes on a rolling rota)
• circulating Agenda and papers for Board meetings to the other Trustees
• liaising with the CEO and Treasurer to ensure records are up to date with the Charity Regulator

This role might be for you if you:

• Like being organised – for example keeping diaries and files organised.
• Want to meet other autistic women and non-binary people in a structured role.
• Have at least a couple of hours a week to volunteer your time
• Are looking for a meaningful volunteering role which you can do from home
• Are keen to develop new skills, or use your existing skills for a good cause

How to apply

Download the Secretary Recruitment Pack for full details of each role and the application process. 

Thank you for your interest and support of SWAN