The Dons Trust Board announce that David Growns has decided to step down as Secretary. David’s three years as Secretary followed eight years of him being a Dons Trust Board member. David explained that he is standing down due to his ever-increasing commitments in his role as Chair of AFC Wimbledon Ladies. David will continue to work as Secretary until Wednesday 1st December to assist with the requirements for our AGM at the end of the year. To aid a smooth transition, David has agreed to be on hand to discuss the role with any potential candidate prior to them applying for the position.
Dons Trust co-chair Jane Lonsdale said: “I’d like to thank David for all his help and support over the years I have been on the board. He has been an excellent secretary to the Dons Trust and introduced systems and processes to support us. David’s guidance, knowledge and diligence has been outstanding and he will be very much missed by the Dons Trust Board”.
The Dons Trust Board is now actively seeking someone to take over the role of Secretary. Those interested are invited to send a CV and short statement outlining why they believe they are suitable for the role by email to Xavier Wiggins (xavier.wiggins@thedonstrust.org) by Friday 5th November.
This position has been filled by volunteers in the past and our preference is for that to continue. The Board is prepared, however, if necessary to consider a paid position, within the context of our decision to be a London Living Wage employer.
Job description: Dons Trust Secretary
Responsible to the members of the Dons Trust (DT), and supporting the board of the DT in its work, the Trust Secretary’s key duty is to protect the members’ interests and ensure that the DT is properly run, according to its own rules and the law. The role of Secretary is formally defined within the DT’s constitution. The main tasks of the role include:
- ensuring that members have all the information they need before and after meetings
- understanding and interpreting the constitution and advising on changes where appropriate
- arranging for external expert advice (including legal advice) to be taken, where they deem this necessary to protect the interests of members
- working with the Electoral Steering Group for the elections to the Dons Trust Board and overseeing and supporting the election process where necessary
- liaising with the chair of the board to arrange meetings and prepare agendas
- publishing minutes from board and members’ meetings
- ensuring the DT’s records are kept up-to-date and that regulatory reports are filed accurately and on time.
The DT has a secretariat which includes minute-takers and other communications specialists. The secretary co-ordinates the work involved in taking minutes of meetings of members’ and board meetings.
A good Trust Secretary will be methodical, reliable, decisive, resilient and tactful, with the ability to show discretion and maintain confidentiality. They will need to display excellent attention to detail, have the ability to summarise and explain complex information, have strong negotiation and delegation skills and be able to plan and co-ordinate the work of others. It is likely that they will have some experience of a similar role, either professionally or on a volunteer basis, and possess good IT skills. Supporters Direct, the umbrella body for supporters’ trusts, provides training for Trust Secretaries and the post-holder will be expected to attend such training.
The board meets at least once a month and there is some preparatory work to do before each meeting including obtaining and collating papers from the club Chief Executive, Board members and others as appropriate. Following the meeting, minutes once produced need to be agreed. Members’ meetings are at least three times a year and each requires the preparation and distribution of papers to all members, with again some work after each meeting. In all, we believe that a good secretary is likely to dedicate approximately 20-25 hours per month, on average, to the role.