As a charitable incorporated organisation, the Song & Hymn Writers Foundation (SHWF) is overseen by a board of Trustees. The board are currently seeking new Trustees to join them in overseeing the ongoing development of the charity as it pursues its vision of ‘enriching the song of the Church’.
All Trustees seek to serve God and each other in this way, and we have been blessed with a great team of faithful and committed Trustees. We are looking forward to God’s direction as we now develop the Trustee Board, and would love to share more about SHWF with you if you think you have the passion, skills and time to join us as a Trustee. We have set out, below, information on how to take a discussion or application forward.
What is SHWF?
If you’re not yet familiar with our work, begin by browsing this website. And then have a look at at those of our two main labels – that’s where most of the work is carried out.
For the constitutional charitable objects see the relevant pages at the Charity Commission. And see details of our subsidiary Jubilate Hymns Ltd at Companies House.
We hope you are as excited about our work as we are!
What are the criteria for standing as a Trustee of SHWF?
Here are a few key ones.
SHWF Trustees should be:
- a Christian willing and able to subscribe to SHWF’s Statement of Faith
- committed to working collaboratively in achieving SHWF’s aims and objectives
- a member of a local church who values the role of congregational song in their own faith and discipleship
SHWF Trustees should have:
- time and enthusiasm to serve SHWF in the role
- skills to operate at a policy and non-executive governance level
- the ability to think strategically, with coherent reasoning skills
But you don’t have to be expert in everything – that’s way too scary! However, practical experience in one or more of these areas would be especially helpful to the SHWF Trustee Board:
- Music and worship ministry in a church context
- Music publishing industry
- Fundraising
- Finance
- Legal
- Human Resources
- Church leadership & theological training
If you would like more detail on these criteria, download this document which gives a more detailed version of the profile of a SHWF Trustee.
If this describes and enthuses you then just complete the application form (link below) and ask two others to support you. Whilst not essential, you may find it helpful if those people are already familiar with SHWF, either as a writer or user of material, or have attended its conferences and workshops. At the same time, we would love to increase the diversity of representation on the SHWF Board of Trustees. Don’t hold back from talking to us if you think you have something to contribute, we’d love to hear from you!
We should point out that we will, in accordance with our Safer Recruitment Policy, be carrying out background checks as is normal in the circumstances and will require a DBS clearance from successful candidates.
Also, feel free to share this advert with other contacts who you think might be interested in standing as a SHWF Trustee
Please download and fill in this form, and return it by email to admin@shwf.org.uk by Friday 30 September 2022.
What else can we say to encourage you?
Why stand?
Because you have a passion for enriching the song of the Church in all its forms. And you want to encourage our fantastic staff team in doing that.
And we really do have eclectic musical interests – from hymns to contemporary songs, with deep rigour on the quality of music and scriptural integrity of words.
What’s the time commitment?
The Board agrees and monitors the strategic direction of the organisation, the staff team run the show. There are normally four Board meetings a year (a mix of web-based and in person meetings – reasonable travel expenses are paid to Trustees). Board members also sometimes need to respond to emails or be available for conference calls between meetings, perhaps working through a sub-group on particular issues or with staff members on particular projects.
Do I need to be a Trustee of another charity already?
Whilst that would certainly be helpful, it is not a requirement. For those who have not been part of a Board of Trustees before, we offer mentoring support, and there is an induction for all new joiners. You will find it helpful to look at the Charity Commission guidance on the role of a Trustee – it carries legal responsibilities and fitness to stand criteria, which you need to be comfortable with and can meet.
You are very welcome to email Joel Payne, SHWF’s Executive Director (joel@shwf.org.uk). or our Chair Simon Upcott (chair@shwf.org.uk) and we will try to answer any questions you have as you consider this role or arrange a conversation by phone or video call. In fact we would encourage you to talk to one of us before submitting any application.
What happens next if I stand?
We are looking to appoint up to four new Trustees this year. The current SHWF Trustees will have absolute discretion on who is appointed, in accordance with the legal Constitution of SHWF.
The Trustees are not obliged to appoint any new Trustees, SHWF is very much looking for ‘right fit’ to join a Board keen on developing SHWF’s charitable purposes.
Nominate or stand now!
Best wishes,
Simon Upcott, SHWF Chair