Closing date: 9am on Friday 1 October 2021

We are looking for several new trustees to join our fantastic board at this exciting time for CAfS. You will be able to help ensure that our recent rapid growth is sustainable, that we continue to punch above our weight and make the greatest difference to carbon emissions and climate change in Cumbria.

Closing date for cv and covering letter: 9am on Friday 1 October. Interviews on Friday 8 October.

We help Cumbrians reduce their carbon footprint and tackle climate change in ways which are environmentally, socially and economically beneficial.

Could you be our next CAfS Trustee?

This is a very exciting time for CAfS. Our £2.5 million, county wide, National Lottery funded ‘Zero Carbon Cumbria: By the People, For the People’ project is making significant headway.  Our Cold to Cosy Homes Service for people at risk of fuel poverty goes from strength to strength. We have further developed our specialist support for community-led low carbon living projects. We work in partnership to tackle carbon emission reduction where we can, for example in our role as co-chair of the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership.

Over the past 12 months we have almost doubled in size and have tripled our turnover. We have restructured the charity and are developing a new organisational strategy. In particular we aim to diversify our income generation to reduce our reliance on project funding and increase our core funding, including through the development of a commercial home energy advice service. We want to strengthen our research base and ensure we are an attractive and competitive employer. The wellbeing of our hardworking staff continues to be a priority.

We are looking for additional Trustees to join our Board to help ensure that our growth is sustainable, that we continue to punch above our weight and make the greatest difference to carbon emissions and climate change in Cumbria.

We are particularly looking for Trustees with one or more of the following skills and experience, however prospective Trustees with other attributes are also encouraged to apply:

  • Experience of the commercial sector – to help us develop our business relationships.
  • Income generation, sponsorship and sales – to help us diversify our income.
  • A background in research – a relatively new area for us.
  • Vision and ability to think strategically – the climate crisis demands that we make the very best use of our limited resources.
  • Legal knowledge/ Charity and Company Law – to help ensure our continued compliance
  • Marketing – reach new audiences and inspiring change are critical to our mission.

It is not necessary to have previous trustee experience as we will support you. You would be expected to attend our quarterly online board meetings, an annual staff and trustee day and occasional ad hoc trustee meetings.  Ideally you will be able to dedicate around one day per month to the charity.  Although the role is voluntary, reasonable out of pocket expenses can be reimbursed.

For more information on our most recent work please see our 2019/2020 annual report at Cafs-Annual-Report-19-20-final.pdf. To find out about our history, see our 2018/19 annual report celebrating our 20th year, CAfS-20-Years-single-pages.pdf

For information about what being a charity trustee entails, please see: The essential trustee: what you need to know, what you need to do – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

HOW TO APPLY

Send us your CV, a two page covering letter (explaining why you are interested and the skills and experience you will contribute) and contact details for two references to our CEO, [email protected] by 9am on Friday 1st October.  Interviews with a selection of CAfS trustees and the CEO will be held at our office, Rural Eden Foyer, Old London Road, Penrith, CA11 8ET on Friday 8th October.   If you have any questions, or would like more information, before applying then please email [email protected].