We are looking for new Trustees!

SHRUB is entering a new phase of its life and it is now onboarding new Trustees to help bring its new, more sustainable vision to life! This could be your opportunity to get involved in the strategic direction of SHRUB. The charity can have up to 12 trustees, and we think that a variety of skills and insights can help sustain our rich projects and community. Anyone can become a trustee, and if you are interested, keep reading further. We are particularly looking for current members and volunteers who have a passion for and knowledge of SHRUB’s workings.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞?

Becoming a Trustee is a chance to take an active role in guiding the strategic direction of SHRUB. Trustees are at the heart of shaping our vision, values, and long-term goals. If you’re passionate about SHRUB’s future and have ideas about how we can grow and deepen our impact, this is a meaningful way to contribute. Trustees will work with volunteers and the broader membership to ensure that SHRUB keeps being loyal to its mission and complies with charity law.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫?

We’re especially looking for Trustees with experience in areas like finance, HR, fundraising, and governance. These skills are incredibly valuable in supporting our volunteers, strengthening our cooperative structure, and ensuring effective collaboration with key teams such as Fundraising, Finance, and Governance & Policy.

While this experience is not essential, it is very helpful for the smooth and responsible running of the charity, so we warmly encourage people with relevant skills to step forward. Even in the absence of previous experience, these skills can be learnt, and we actively encourage trustees to take part in Working Groups and Working Shoots to learn more about how the charity works operationally.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐨?

While they have oversight over the whole charity, trustees don’t make decisions in isolation – they draw on the ideas and energy of everyone involved in SHRUB - staff, volunteers, and members. The trustee’s role is to help the projects proposed become a reality under the legal entity ‘SHRUB Coop.’

Trustees also have specific responsibilities including liaising with OSCR (the Scottish Charity Regulator), ensuring we meet legal obligations, stay aligned with our charitable purpose and Constitution, and to oversee our finances and financial accounts to make sure we run sustainably.

If new trustees wish to learn more about how to fulfil their role, an OSCR course is available to learn new skills in this area.

As mentioned above, trustees are actively encouraged to get involved in working groups and working shoots focused on areas they’re passionate about, to stay closely connected to the organisational aspect of the charity. Trustees meet every four weeks to focus on the charity’s big picture.