Financial Oversight Trustee - Volunteer in Bristol

It's in the Bag is looking for a Financial Oversight Trustee. Help us make sound decisions, ask the right questions and make every pound we raise count for the men who need us most.

The Financial Oversight Trustee plays a central role in ensuring It's in the Bag is financially healthy, well-managed and able to sustain and grow its impact over the long term. This trustee helps the board fulfil one of its core legal duties under the Charity Commission's CC3 guidance managing the charity's resources responsibly. That means ensuring money is spent in line with the charity's purposes, that financial risks are identified and managed, and that the board has the information it needs to make sound decisions.

It's in the Bag is at a meaningful point in its development. The charity has strong foundations, a distinctive identity and a committed volunteer base. What it needs now is the financial confidence to build on those foundations to think clearly about where to invest, how to grow sustainably, and how to make the case to funders and donors that their money is being well used. A strong Financial Oversight Trustee makes all of that possible. By bringing rigour and clarity to the board's financial discussions, this trustee helps the charity make better decisions, faster and with greater confidence.

By maintaining a clear view of reserves, risk and long-term sustainability, they help protect the charity from the kind of financial pressures that derail small organisations with big ambitions. There is also a direct impact on the charity's relationship with its community. Volunteers have been clear that they want to understand what happens to the money they help raise. Donors want to know their contributions are being put to good use. This trustee can help the board tell that story, translating financial information into something meaningful and accessible for the people who make this charity what it is. In short, this role helps the charity be more effective, more resilient and more trusted. It is one of the most consequential appointments the board will make.

What are we looking for?

• Someone with a professional background in finance, accountancy or financial management.
• A qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent), a finance director, a financial controller or someone who has spent a significant part of their career working with financial data, budgets and accounts at a senior level.
• Ability to read a set of accounts with confidence, ask the right questions of a budget, and understand the financial levers that affect an organisation's health and sustainability.
• Experience of charity finance is desirable but not essential.
• Ability to communicate financial information clearly to a non-finance audience.
• Prepared to ask the awkward question and challenge assumptions.
• Genuine commitment to the cause.
• Reliable, well-prepared and engaged.
• Networks in the South West financial, accountancy or business community would be a valuable addition.

What will you be doing?

Hybrid. It's in the Bag is a passionate, community-rooted charity with a board that leads by example. Our trustees don't just attend meetings — they show up at events, they know volunteers by name, and they are genuinely invested in the cause. The board currently has strong capability across strategic thinking, safeguarding, local knowledge and mission alignment. What we need to strengthen is our financial oversight.

As Financial Oversight Trustee you will take lead responsibility for the board's financial governance. That means scrutinising management accounts and budgets, advising on financial risk and reserves policy, supporting the annual accounts process and helping the board understand the financial impact of the charity's activities. You will work closely with our COO and any external accountant, and you will be the board's first port of call when financial questions arise.

This role is not just about keeping the numbers in order. Our volunteers have told us they want to understand where donations go and what difference they make. One of the most important things this trustee can do is help the board communicate financial impact clearly — turning figures into a story that means something to the people who give their time and money to this charity.

The challenges ahead are real. The charity is ambitious about deepening its reach across the South West, particularly in rural and under-served communities. That ambition requires financial confidence, sound reserves management and a board that can make resource decisions with clarity. This is not a passive role. We are looking for someone who will ask the awkward question, challenge assumptions where needed, and help the board develop the financial maturity to match its mission.

In return you will join a board that is warm, collaborative and deeply committed — and a charity that is doing genuinely important work for men's health in the South West. Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 15 to 45 in the UK. Caught early, the outcomes are excellent. It's in the Bag exists to make sure more men catch it early. The work matters. The board matters. And the right person in this role can make a real difference to how effectively this charity uses every pound it raises in service of that mission.