Ready to be a Badger Trust Trustee?
- Badger Trust Staff Team
- Apr 26, 2024
- 5 min read
Annual recruitment to the Board opens for 2024
Established over 30 years ago, Badger Trust exists to promote and enhance the welfare, conservation, and protection of badgers, their setts, and their habitats. We are the leading voice for badgers in England and Wales, with a network of around 50 local voluntary badger groups and supported by thousands of supporters and followers.
We seek new trustees to join our Board to support the current Trustees and Executive Director in continuing to deliver the charity's objectives and ensure we have the right mix of skills, experience, and people to achieve even more for badgers in the coming years. We are keen that one of these Trustees can act as Board and Company Secretary.
Badger Trust is at an exciting stage of development. Our five-year strategy is focused on ensuring the charity delivers maximum impact for badgers. We run various campaigns, including on the ongoing badger cull, persistent wildlife crime, and planning and development issues. We have also started an exciting and unique research project - State of the Badger - which we hope to evolve into a national survey.
Our Mission
Our mission is to promote and enhance the welfare, conservation, and protection of badgers, their setts, and their habitats.
Our Vision
Our vision is a world where badgers are respected as part of our rich wildlife heritage, safe from persecution
Your skills
We are particularly keen to hear from you if you have one or more of the following:
Board / Company Secretary skills
Governance knowledge and skills
Expertise in planning and development law and practical application
Familiarity with badger rescue, relocation, rehabilitation
Familiarity with local groups, interests of our members and our supporters
Expertise in HR and volunteer recruitment and support
Expertise and experience in campaigning
Skills and experience in small charity or small business operations
Expertise in wildlife law and its application
You must be committed to and passionate about badger welfare and conservation.
We encourage members of badger groups to apply to ensure the group network is effectively represented.
We are looking for applicants whose professional knowledge will add value to our Board. You will be a good strategic thinker, can work collaboratively, and will engage with the broader role of Trustee.
Badger Trust embraces diversity and we aim to diversify our Board in terms of skills, background, and life experience. We welcome all applications, particularly individuals from racially diverse backgrounds and people with a disability, as they are currently under-represented on our Board. We also welcome applications from individuals who reflect a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds in the UK.
Time Commitment
The Board usually has four to six meetings a year, which are usually held on Saturdays. Most of these meetings are virtual, with in-person meetings twice a year.
However, there may be a need to attend virtual meetings outside the normal cycle.
We also hold an AGM, which Trustees are expected to attend and support. The head office is based in Brighton, but in-person meetings are usually held in central England for ease of access for all.
Past and present Trustees have also led or contributed to work outside of routine Board business based on their skillset, aptitude, and interest. For example, our planning and development guide, our updated guide to badger rescue and rehab, and recruiting and interviewing specialist staff.
Vice Chair, Rosie Wood, joined the board in 2021:
“Being on the Board of Badger Trust brings with it plenty of opportunities to learn and collaborate with people of a like mind, that much I hope you would expect. But it also brings chances to open conversations with different decision-makers able to drive change. It gives me scope to remake our arguments in fresh and compelling ways informed – in my case –by sharing the background of those I need to engage with. While we need people committed to protecting and conserving badgers, we also need them to understand those who can best help – funders, policymakers, lawmakers, and communicators. Don’t expect it to be a passive role – badgers need active friends and advocates. But it will rapidly build up your skills, your professional networks, and your CV, and we will do our best to match your interests and availability to the Charity’s needs.”
Badger Trust Vice-Chair, Phil Loveday, who joined the Board in 2023, encourages you to get in touch:
“I joined Badger Trust board as I just love badgers and am a member of my local badger group. I also bring lots of organisational, education and people skills gained during my career in teaching, including as a head teacher at large secondary schools in the Midlands. I feel passionately that we need the next generation to have the chance to enjoy nature and to do that, we need to protect it now - that’s what Badger Trust is all about. We need more experienced people willing to help guide the charity in the years ahead.”
Further information
You can find out more about our work by visiting our website where you can also see details of our current Board. You can find us socially on Twitter, Facebook Instagram and LinkedIn.
We are a registered charity, a limited company, registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office for data protection compliance, and with the Fundraising Regulator for fundraising compliance. We are also members of the Small Charities Coalition and NCVO for best practice, guidance and support as part of our aim to be an effective and efficient charity.
We encourage applicants to ensure they are familiar with the legal responsibilities of a charity Trustee, and more information can be found on the Charity Commission’s website. See Badger Trust’s registration with the Charity Commission.
Trustee roles are voluntary and without remuneration. Expenses incurred for Board business will be reimbursed in accordance with our expenses policy. Final appointment to the Board is subject to the election of recommended Trustees at the AGM of Badger Trust by the member groups.
How to apply
If you would like to apply to be considered as a Badger Trust Trustee, please review the Trustee role description to ensure you meet our criteria and can offer the skills and experience we need. If so, we'd love to hear from you.
Please complete the Trustee application form (provided as a Word document) and send it back as a pdf, with a copy of your CV, to daisy@badgertrust.org.uk. Please also state if you are interested in the Board Secretary role.
If you have any questions in advance of your application or would like an informal chat, please contact the Chair at chair@badgertrust.org.uk in the first instance.
