Home-Start Guildford

Use your financial skills to make a lasting difference to local families

Home-Start Guildford is a local, independent charity supporting families with young children through difficult times. Our trained volunteers provide practical and emotional support in the home, helping families build resilience and confidence.

We are seeking a Treasurer to join our Board of Trustees and play a vital role in overseeing the charity’s financial health and sustainability.

About Us

Home-Start Guildford is an independent charity based in Guildford committed to promoting the welfare of local families and children.

Staff and volunteers offer regular support, including providing emotional and practical help to families in the families’ own homes and connecting families with specialist services within the community.

We are part of Home-Start UK, one of the UK’s leading family support charities, benefiting from their policy framework and quality assurance, but not funding.

Role Summary

As well as fulfilling the duties of a Trustee, the Treasurer maintains an overview of Home-Start Guildford’s financial affairs.

The Treasurer ensures that effective and appropriate financial measures, controls and procedures are put in place, and reports to the Management Committee at regular intervals about the financial health of the organisation.  

Key Responsibilities:

Financial Oversight

• Maintain an overview of the charity’s financial position, ensuring its long‑term sustainability.
• Monitor cashflow, reserves, and financial risks, alerting the Board to any emerging issues.
• Advise on the financial implications of the charity’s strategic plan, including overseeing the charity’s financial risk-management process.  
• Ensure appropriate financial controls, policies, and procedures are in place and followed.

Financial Reporting and Planning

• Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting to the Board of Trustees and regulators.
• Prepare and present cashflow forecasts, budgets, and annual financial statements to the Trustees. 
• Present clear, accessible financial information to the Board to support strategic decision‑making.
• Keep the Board informed about its financial duties and responsibilities and liaising with the Director to develop the financial understanding of the Board of Trustees. 
• Lead on the appointment of, and liaison with, the independent examiner. 

Governance and Compliance

• Ensure that proper accounting records are kept, and that appropriate accounting procedures and controls are in place.
• Ensure that the Financial Control Policy is followed, and where necessary is amended to reflect best practice, and what is practicable for the management of the charity. 
• Ensure the charity complies with financial and reporting obligations set by the Charity Commission, HMRC, and other relevant bodies.
• Ensuring that the accounts are prepared and filed in the form required by the Charity Commission. 
• Support the Board of Trustees in understanding its financial responsibilities and provide guidance where needed.

Operational Support

• Act as Primary User for the bank accounts held with HSBC, and to ensure that the appropriate staff members have access as needed to manage the day to day running of the charity. 
• Oversee financial administration, including bookkeeping, payments, and banking.
• Approving expenditure over certain limits, as set out in the Financial Control Policy. 
• Support staff with financial processes, offering training or guidance where helpful.
• Prepare financial information, as required, to assist with funding applications and reports. 

Responsibilities of all Trustees 

• Support and provide advice on Home-Start Guildford’s purpose, vision, goals and activities.  
• Approve operational strategies and policies and monitor and evaluate their implementation. 
• Oversee Home-Start Guildford’s financial plans and budgets and monitor and evaluate progress. 
• Ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation. 
• Ensure that key risks are being identified, monitored and controlled effectively.  
• Review and approve Home-Start Guildford’s financial statements.  
• Provide support and challenge to Home -Start Guildford’s Chair in the exercise of their delegated authority and affairs.  
• Keep abreast of changes in Home -Start Guildford’s operating environment.  
• Contribute to regular reviews of Home-Start Guildford’s own governance.  
• Attend Management Committee meetings, adequately prepared to contribute to discussions. 
• Use independent judgment, acting legally and in good faith to promote and protect Home -Start Guildford’s interests, to the exclusion of their own personal and/or any third-party interests.  
• Contribute to the broader promotion of Home -Start Guildford’s objectives, aims and reputation by applying your skills, expertise, knowledge and contacts.  

As a small charity, there will be times when the Trustees will need to be actively involved beyond Management Committee meetings. This may involve scrutinising Management Committee papers, leading discussions, focusing on key issues, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, presenting externally, or other issues in which the Trustee has special expertise.

A little bit about you:

• Passionate and dedicated individual with experience of fundraising in charity, public, and/or corporate sectors, with a successful track record of achieving and exceeding fundraising targets.
• Enthusiasm to work collaboratively as part of a small, ambitious team.
• Eager to take the initiative and get hands-on with a positive “can do” attitude to bring fundraising projects to fruition.

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to build and maintain relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders.

• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise.
• Friendly and approachable; honest and trustworthy.

Your time commitment

The Management Committee meet approximately every 6 weeks; although online attendance is possible, face to face is preferred. The key report currently produced is a cashflow forecast for the following 12 months. This takes around 3-4 hours to complete.  

Other responsibilities, including those outlined above, will depend on the level of involvement that the Treasurer has with the day-to-day running of the charity.  

It is anticipated that the Treasurer will need to commit a minimum of 8-10 hours a month to the role.  

What does becoming a trustee involve?

As part of the trustee role, you will be expected to:

• Attend, and prepare for, a minimum of six Management Committee meetings per year.
• Undergo a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check.
• Undergo a selection process as outlined by Home-Start Guildford.
• Commit to the legal and financial responsibilities of the role, as outlined in the charity’s Constitution (‘Foundation’ model constitution).
• Visit and engage with the office and staff to enhance your understanding of how Home-Start Guildford works.

Training and Support?

• Trustees are fully inducted into Home-Start at the start of their new role; they will receive:
• An online welcome event and e-learning, introducing Home-Start’s service and your responsibilities.
• Training in key areas including safeguarding.
• Reimbursement of paid expenses.
• Access to Home-Start’s online community via Home-Start UK intranet – full of information and guidance on running a local Home-Start.
• Tailored support by other trustees and staff.

What do you get as a volunteer trustee with our organisation?

• An opportunity to exercise your strategic planning skills, probably in a different environment or context.
• An opportunity to influence and collectively lead an organisation supporting families of young children.
• A chance to expand and implement your understanding of our work.
• A chance to augment your experience of charities.
• A boost to your career and CV, if needed.
• Satisfaction of helping an organisation that supports families, thus giving something back to your community.
• Induction training from us; training, support, and assistance from local charity-support & advice agencies; reimbursement of reasonable expenses, if needed.

What do we get?

• Your strategic skills, knowledge, understanding, and experience.
• Your abilities to influence plans for our charity’s future, especially in this cost-of-living crisis.
• Enhancement to our overall governance and the Board of trustees; improvement in our operational growth.
• Your participation in our collective decision-making, contributing to all areas of our charity work.
• Your enthusiasm.

"There for parents when they need us most, because childhood can't wait"

Parents Supporting Other Parents - a simple idea that really works!

Home-Start Guildford has been supporting local families across the Guildford Borough for over 25 years. 

We're a non-judgemental organisations that helps local parents who are struggling, for any reason. Some of those reasons may include; multiple births, mental health, an abusive partner, isolation, mental or physical handicap, or the pressure that loss of employment brings to a family.

What we do

Our charity provides a preventative service that aims to support families who are struggling by offering regular volunteer support to parents with at least one child under the age of 5, usually referred to us by Health Visitors.

We provide one-to-one support for parents:
Our volunteers visit the family’s home for a couple of hours every week.  They tailor-make their support to the needs of the parents and children. Volunteers are very committed and will keep visiting until the youngest child turns five or starts school, or until the parents feel they can stand on their own two feet.  Parents and volunteers often develop a deeply trusting relationship which can lead to powerful change within the family.

We also run two family groups for referred families, one in the Pirbright Community Centre and the other in the Guildford Family Group, Hazel Avenue.

Our values

• We offer families choice
• We work in partnership - with each other, with families and with other agencies
• We work in a spirit of openness, encouragement and enjoyment
• We are flexible and responsive to the needs of families

Volunteering Opportunities 

There are several ways that you can help in a voluntary capacity:

• by supporting a family as a Home-Visiting Volunteer
• by helping at one of our Family Groups
• by joining the Trustee Board
• by becoming a Friend of Home-Start Guildford
• by supporting us as a Digital / Office Volunteer

Please see the volunteer roles listed for more detail.