Support behind the scenes at SNAP

Sitting quietly (and sometimes not so quietly!) behind the amazing team at SNAP are the Trustees whose responsibility it is to oversee the governance of the Charity to ensure its long-term sustainability.

As SNAP approaches its 30th birthday in 2024 with plans for extending the services offered, hear a bit of what is involved from our Chair of Trustees, Mandy, as we wish to recruit two new additional trustees to support with the successful delivery of these plans.

“Our wonderful board brings together individuals from many sectors including finance, insurance, legal, HR, NHS, sometimes as SNAP families as well.

“As a SNAP family or someone with direct experience, you will be aware of the issues around the provision of support for for parents, and children and young adults first hand. Therefore, you will be able to bring a unique and vital perspective to the Board.”

The full board meets four times a year, usually on a Wednesday evening. Additionally, all Trustees are asked to join at least one subcommittee, the main ones being finance, critical incident/risk, fundraising and marketing. This would add another four/five meetings per year as well. Finally, to fully understand SNAP if Trustees haven’t done so as a family, we encourage them to attend one session a year at the Centre to see SNAP in action.

“We would like our Board to be diverse, reflecting the families we support, so we are keen to find Trustees from a broad range of backgrounds. A full induction and training programme will be provided, so don’t worry if this is something new for you.

“Since becoming a Trustee in 2016 and then Chair in 2019 I have had the opportunity to learn about governance and understand how the charity sector works, an environment I had not worked in previously. Prior to this I never understood the complex procedures (or lack of them) SNAP parents face when seeking support for themselves and their children. I love the fact that the Trustee board enable the SNAP team to continue to offer relevant, effective and sustainable services. The outstand‐
ing feedback SNAP receives gives me encouragement to continue supporting SNAP as we are accomplishing great things.”

SNAP’s CEO, Karen, says: “Our Trustee board are a great support for me and The SNAP Team. Not only do we rely on their combined experience and expertise to help us plan for the future, but they are also a great sounding board for navigating difficult decisions. They are a huge help in making sure SNAP will continue to be here to support families in the future. SNAP really would not be the same without them.”

SNAP is such an amazing charity and if you feel you have the time and enthusiasm to support it, whilst having some fun as well, the trustee board would love to hear from you. The first step would be to email [email protected] with the subject line ‘Trustee interest’ to let us know that you are interested.