East Lothian Foodbank provides emergency food and daily essentials for those without enough money to live on; works with community partners in providing effective advice and support for those living with financial hardship; and seeks to influence policy towards the

eradication of poverty in East Lothian. Without our volunteers, selflessly donating their time, we simply would not be able to provide the support our community needs.

Our Board, comprising both Trustees and co-opted advisory board members, are essential members of our volunteer community, offering their time and expertise to ensure that the management team have all the support and advice they need to deliver our mission effectively, efficiently and in compliance with all regulatory expectations.

About the role

We are looking to expand our Board with up to four new members, initially on a co-opted basis but with a path to trusteeship within the next six months if you feel it is right for you.

We are looking for people who want to help their local community and work towards the eradication of food poverty whilst support the foodbank to continue to provide emergency food to people who find themselves in crisis. Our ideal candidates would demonstrate:

• Willingness to actively participate in discussions concerning needs of the foodbank’s beneficiaries, staff, and the trustee board.
• Willingness to act in the best interest of the charity.
• Sound, independent judgement and ability to think creatively.
• Ability to work effectively as a team member and willingness to learn and develop.

As an inclusive organisation we welcome applications from anyone, but are particularly keen to bolster our collective knowledge and experience in areas we know the Board currently has gaps:

• Direct, personal lived experience of financial difficulty/poverty
• Data protection, information security and cyber risk
• Talent acquisition, management and retention

Co-opted Board membership does not have a fixed term but we would ask that candidates be prepared to offer at least six months, so that collectively we can assess whether a path to trusteeship is desirable.

No prior experience of Board membership or third sector working is necessary, and full induction training will be provided to help ease you into the role.

Time Commitment

There is a minimum expectation that co-opted members will attend Board meetings at least every two months (we typically hold 9-10 meetings per year in Tranent on Tuesday evenings) and a strong desire that co-opted members be willing and able to spend additional time providing advice to the Board and the management team, or carrying out other value-add activities in order to be truly effective in the role.