Trustee Board Member Women's Charity - Volunteer

Trustee Board Member for Women's Charity - Volunteer

We’re seeking Trustees to join us as we take an exciting step towards becoming a charity. Our Trustees will help our transition and strengthen governance and sustainability as we provide compassionate support to women affected by trauma, substance use, sex work, and exploitation.

This role will help shape the next chapter of Pearls Project. Trustees will play a key role in developing our strategy for growth, embedding strong governance, and ensuring we stay rooted in our values of compassion, connection, and hope. You will help create a reflective and learning culture within the Board, one that encourages curiosity, feedback, and shared insight. This culture will influence the way our teams and volunteers work together and strengthen our work with women, ensuring that compassion and curiosity run through every part of the organisation.

By contributing your time, experience, and ideas, you will help establish the conditions for Pearls to grow with integrity and confidence, building a charity that does good work and does it in ways that embody compassion, collaboration, and respect at every level.

• Contribute actively to the Board’s work, helping to shape the charity’s strategy and development in line with our values and objectives.
• Ensure the charity operates within its legal, financial, and regulatory responsibilities.
• Provide oversight and constructive challenge to ensure Pearls remains effective, ethical, and sustainable.
• Promote good governance and values‑led, trauma‑informed decision‑making.
• Support and advise the founding director and staff team with insight, encouragement, and healthy challenge.
• Champion equality, inclusion, and safety across all areas of our work.
• Act as ambassador for Pearls, championing us through raising awareness of the charity, advocating for us and supporting opportunities for collaboration, partnerships and fundraising.
• Participate fully in Board meetings and subgroups, preparing in advance by reviewing papers and contributing to discussion.

We are looking for Trustees who believe in what we are doing now and are committed to helping Pearls grow into what we recognise through our work is needed in the future. We are seeking people who share our values and approach to leadership.

• Lead with compassion, showing care, empathy, and respect in their decision‑making and governance.
• Communicate openly and with reflection and curiosity, creating space for different ideas, perspectives, and ways of working.
• Work collaboratively with women we support, fellow trustees, staff, volunteers, partners, and others involved with Pearls.
• Understand relational approaches, recognising that meaningful change often happens through connection and consistency, even when our ways of working do not follow traditional models.
• Are open to growth and change, embracing the evolution of the charity as we continue listening and responding to the needs and aspirations of the women we work with.
• Bring strategic thinking and awareness of the systems we work within, helping Pearls navigate complexity while staying rooted in our purpose and values.

You do not need to bring all of the following skills or experience. We aim to build a balanced Board that brings diverse thinking, expertise, and lived experience. Over time, we want to create a team of Trustees who learn from each other and bring a range of perspectives that strengthen Pearls’ work.

• Trustee board experience
• Lived experience in relevant areas
• Finance, financial strategy, fundraising
• HR, people/team development
• Trauma‑informed practice, health and wellbeing.
• Safeguarding
• Experience/leadership in charity, voluntary, health, or social care sectors

Pearls Project is at an exciting and defining moment in its journey. After operating successfully for over a decade under the umbrella of other charities, we are becoming an independent organisation with our own Board of Trustees. This next step will strengthen our governance, deepen our identity, and build the resources needed to grow our impact and…