Today it’s Charlie’s turn to tell about her experience as an Artlift Trustee:
When I joined the board of Artlift I had never had much involvement in the charity sector, and I wasn’t sure what I would be able to contribute at board level. Had the Artlift team not been so welcoming and supportive, I imagine I would have felt quite daunted!
It turned out that, alongside first-hand experience with local mental health services, my background in project and operations management in the private sector stood me in good stead. At a time when my self-confidence was at rock bottom, I started to feel I was making a valuable contribution to a charity whose work I cared deeply about and really believed in.
As a trustee in my 30’s, I would love to see more young people on boards so don’t be put off by the misconceived idea of some that you have to be a certain age, colour, class or ability. In my role as a trustee I’m able to work at a level it will take me a while to reach in my professional life; I chair two other charities and love it – even when things get tough!
Professionally, I now work almost exclusively in the charity sector, which I owe to the invaluable experience I have gained since joining the Arlift board. Business plans, strategic planning, grant writing, HR management, governance, compliance, and a massive drive to help others and make a positive impact are some of the transferable skills I carry with me into future roles.
We are looking for new trustees, so if you have an interest in creativity and health, and can bring a fresh perspective to our board we’d welcome your application. To find out more about joining Artlift’s Board of Trustees click here or Contact Cath directly for a chat – cath@artlift.org
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