The National Gardens Scheme
Recruitment of Chairman: To open & print this file as a pdf click here
Chairman: Job Outline
Organisation: The National Gardens Scheme (NGS)
Role: Chairman of the Council of Trustee
Website: www.ngs.org.uk
Date: February 2008
Contact: Julia Grant
Location: HQ Guildford, Surrey. The Charity’s activity spans England & Wales Activity: Opening Gardens for Charity
Post: 3 year term, (renewable) voluntary, and non-executive
Hours: Average 3-4 days per month
Salary: This is an honorary role. Relevant expenses reimbursed against receipts.
For further information and an informal discussion about this position please email Julia Grant, Chief Executive at jgrant@ngs.org.uk or telephone 01483 213906.
The National Gardens Scheme raises money for nursing, caring and gardening charities by opening gardens to the public. Since inception in 1927 we have raised over £40 million, £22 million in the last ten years alone.
The Council consists of 13 Trustees, eight of whom are involved in the voluntary activity of the charity and five who have been recruited to contribute specific skills and experience.
We are currently seeking to recruit a highly committed and energetic person (preferably with business or public service experience) to chair the Council and lead the NGS into an exciting phase of change and growth.
The successful candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills, be able to articulate and communicate a vision and should demonstrate the ability to influence and promote the organisation. A genuine interest in horticulture and gardens will obviously be important.
If you can provide strategic leadership and would like to apply for this role, please phone or email for further information.
DETAILED INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES
APPOINTMENT OF CHAIRMAN - THE NATIONAL GARDENS SCHEME
For further information about The National Gardens Scheme please visit the website at www.ngs.org.uk.
About the National Gardens Scheme
Every year NGS gardens across England and Wales welcome over half a million visitors. The NGS has a long and respected tradition of opening gardens of quality, character and interest, supported by our Patron, HRH The Prince of Wales.
The NGS is a registered charity which works brings together garden owners and visitors to raise charity funding:
Garden owners enjoy sharing their gardens with the visitors brought by The National Gardens Scheme
The visitors appreciate the opportunity of visiting a private garden to which they would not normally have access
This raises money for distribution to nursing, caring and gardening charities.
Since 1927, £40 million has been raised to support beneficiary charities. Donations are “unrestricted” which means the money can be invested in areas which the beneficiaries consider vital to future development, and which might be difficult to fund from other sources.
Most of the 3600 gardens are privately owned, and are found all over England and Wales. They are looked after by 350 county volunteers. Some gardens open individually, but smaller gardens often open as a group. Our definition of what makes a garden interesting is wide and inclusive. Some of the largest and finest gardens in the country open for us, but they are by no means typical. Most of our gardens are less than one acre and recent additions have included roof gardens, barge gardens and allotments.
New types of events have broadened the appeal of garden visits. Evening openings show off the gardens at the end of the day in fading light with different sounds and powerful scents making them mysterious places. Family-friendly guidelines encourage garden owners to offer free admission to accompanied children of 16 and under.
Over the last few years the NGS has formed successful partnerships with a number of well known businesses. In particular, Rensburg Sheppards now sponsors of The Yellow Book, the website and our Friends Scheme. In 2007 we entered into a partnership with Homebase who are supporting our publicity. We also work with the National Trust and the Royal Horticultural Society as well as other beneficiary charities.
Vision
The vision of the NGS is to harness community generosity to raise money for charities supporting people with critical health or caring needs. This is achieved by being the leading provider of garden visiting, maintaining high standards and increasing income at least in line with RPI.
Financial Information
The finances of NGS are strong, with healthy cash reserves and tight control of expenses. Our accounts for 2006/7 show total income of £2.4 million of which £1.8 million was donated to our beneficiary charities, reflecting strict control of expenses. Full details of the finances of the NGS are available from the annual report, which can be downloaded from the website.
Fundraising income is approx £2.5m per annum. This comes from three main areas:
Garden openings
Sponsorship
Sales of The Yellow Book.
The NGS aims to be the leading provider of garden visiting, maintain high standards and increase income at least in line with inflation. A new project for development is to increase corporate sponsorship and fundraising opportunities, with an initial target to yield an additional £75k per year.
New Initiatives
The key resources of NGS are funds, gardens (and garden owners) volunteers and staff. Total income grew by a total of 15.4% between 2002 and 2007 but was stable between 2004 and 2006. However the forecast for the year ending March 31 2008 is that income will show a rise of 8% year on year.
The key strategies to support and sustain this growth are to:
Continue to develop awareness of NGS and its range of gardens and activities through media campaigns, ambassadors and local marketing
Maximise use of web, database and other ICT tools to provide affordable and accessible, up-to date information.
The Role of the Chairman
Overall
To lead the Council of Trustees and ensure it fulfils responsibilities for the governance and strategic direction of the NGS.
To ensure the NGS acts in accordance with governing documents and legal and regulatory guidelines.
To support the Chief Executive.
The Work of Council
To ensure Trustees understand their responsibilities through thorough induction, performance review and effective governance
To chair Trustee meetings effectively, seeking debate and consensus
To liaise with the Chief Executive and the Company Secretary to prepare agendas and briefing papers for Council meetings
To encourage participation from all Trustees
To develop a succession plan identifying the skills and experience required on Council
To encourage constructive challenge to the strategy and direction of the Charity.
Strategic Planning
Lead the development and monitoring of strategic plans
Support the Chief Executive to achieve strategic objectives.
Other
To promote the charity to its public audience and represent it at appropriate events
To lead the appraisal of the Chief Executive’s performance
To be involved in recruitment of senior staff
Personal Specification
Experience and qualifications
Candidates should have the following:
an understanding of governance
acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
chairing skills
ability to represent the charity in negotiations/discussions with partners and supporters
ability to ensure that Council acts strategically
ability to reflect debate and achieve consensus of opinion.
The following experience is helpful but is not essential:
an understanding of issues affecting the voluntary sector
a track record of leading an organisation in the public, voluntary or commercial sectors whether as Chairman or as Chief Executive; and
a network of high level contacts and the ability to influence within relevant areas.
Personal qualities
It is essential that candidates have the following:
an empathy with The National Gardens Scheme
a willingness to devote time and enthusiasm to the role of Chairman
sound judgement
strong communication skills
an ability to lead a team
independence of thought and judgement combined with a willingness to represent decisions by Council irrespective of personal opinion;
the confidence to support and to challenge the Chief Executive; and
the ability to give support to members of Council and to evaluate the performance of Council.
The Chairman of The National Gardens Scheme will be expected to adhere to the seven principles of public life identified by the Nolan Committee.
Terms of the appointment
The role of Chairman should require no more than 3-4 days per month. Board meetings are held 4 times a year and will normally be in London. Some travel around the country will be required to support various projects and initiatives.
This is an unpaid, voluntary appointment, but expenses will be reimbursed against relevant receipts.
The appointment will be subject to confirmation by the AGM in October 2009 and will initially be for a period of three years. This can be renewed potentially for another 2 three-year terms.
Short listing takes place in the April 2008. Candidates will have an opportunity to visit the office and meet relevant personnel on 28th or 29th April with more formal Council interviews taking place on Thursday 15th May. We are working towards making an offer of appointment in June 2008.
How to apply
The closing date for applications is 1 April 2008.
Please send a letter with a full CV. An email application would be preferred, or if you would like to post your application, please consider sending an email copy as well. We will acknowledge all email applications. If you do not receive an acknowledgement please check to see if your email has arrived safely. Your application should:
summarise the most significant contribution or impact that you have made at board level and what you feel you could bring to The National Gardens Scheme as the new Chairman
include the names and contact details of two referees who are in a position to comment on you professionally, with a brief indication of how long and in what capacity they have known you (referees will not be contacted before preliminary conversations); and
contain daytime, evening and mobile telephone numbers.
Please send your application, marked NGS Chairman, to jgrant@ngs.org.uk or by post to:
Julia Grant
Chief Executive
The National Gardens Scheme
Hatchlands Park
East Clandon
Guildford
GU4 7RT