Ode to Trustees

We're currently advertising for a Treasurer...and this has got me thinking of how important and supportive our Trustees have been over the last year.  One of our Trustees, Rupert, kindly stepped into the breach at our last Board meeting to become a temporary Treasurer (which we were all delighted about as whenever the issue was raised there had been a discernible lack of eye contact!).  So, we burst into a spontaneous round of applause and boaters (virtual) were thrown in the air at the news!  But we really need a qualified accountant to be our Treasurer and while Ru is certainly the quickest and brightest of us with figures (and works in the finance industry so he's good at the gab too) - he ain't no accountant.   So the advert is being put about and I'm wondering what it would be like to have a 'stranger' in our midst.

At the moment our trustees are a mixture of ex work colleagues, neighbours and friends.  Most of them didn't know each other before becoming trustees but Jonathan and I knew them all.  We announced to them that we had a new baby (Children Unite) and would they help deliver it!  So, being good mid-wives they've seen Children Unite's birth as a registered company, then a registered charity and they've followed our first project last year with much interest.  They've had to learn about this mid-wifely role of trustee, the legal obligations and the honorary positions.  They've advised us on a strategic plan, a business plan, a fundraising plan.  They've also discussed our branding ad nauseum - the implications of a slightly greener tone than we currently have to our logo, the use of the word 'voice', 'a voice' or 'voices' in our strapline.  And I want to thank our trustees for all their advice and support (and the lovely snacks they bring to the meetings!)  I know that many of them will say (have said) that they feel they haven't contributed much or that they don't have the right experience (of working in the children's rights field) but, I want to say honestly - that it doesn't matter....their support and warmth and encouragement makes them the heart of the Children Unite team.

I have literally been on my own for much of the time I've been setting up Children Unite - but I have not felt alone.  Sometimes, I have to admit, it's only because a Trusteee meeting is coming up that I have attempted to do the boring things like update our conflict of interest policy (er still haven't done that one actually!).  But, othertimes, the comraderie of the meetings and the texts and emails and individual stuff that has happened in between reminds me that I'm part of a team. So, thanks trustees for helping to deliver Children Unite...I guess it's a toddler now, taking it's first steps!  And, although I don't suppose you'll thank me for it (but as only one of you has signed up as a follower to the blog most of you see it! Ha) I'm going to 'out' you all through the medium of photographs!

Here they are - our beloved Trustees (in no particular order)!  And just to be fair I've added mine and Jonathan's photos on elsewhere on the blog (hidden away somewhere!).

Liston

Susi

Randini

Rupert

Mariela

Nikhil