DF Trustee App: Helen Lang

From Tribewanted

Application For Role of Trustee: Helen Lang

A. Occupation

Name of current or most recent employer:

Pilotlight

Project Manager

May 2006 to present

Please summarise the main duties and responsibilities in your current or most recent job:

• Manage a portfolio of up to 10 charities and social enterprises at any one time that tackle disadvantage in the London area such as the Revolving Doors Agency, UK Coalition and StreetShine.
• To support charity directors through a coaching process designed to build their strategic planning skills and organisational capacity.
• Identify charity needs, and use Project Manager meetings to assign members with appropriate skills to the charity.
• Leading the strategic process, using initiative to ensure that the process followed is appropriate to the particular charity between charity directors and senior level business professionals.
• Building strong relationships with both charity directors and the business professionals, and act as the first point of contact to ensure that through the process the team is able meet challenges effectively.
• To prepare for and effectively facilitate meetings between business professionals and charity directors.
• To act as a negotiator and ensure that the process effectively meets the needs of both groups.
• Working with the Project Management Team to continue to refine and improve the Pilotlight process
• Undertaking research into new initiatives and agendas, such as developments in government agenda for charities.

B. Education and Training

a) Secondary education OR further and/or higher education, giving most recent qualification first

School/College/University/	Qualification and subjects(s)	Level	Grade	Year obtained
University of Sheffield	MA Archaeology and Prehistory	MA	Pass	2000
University of Exeter	BA Ancient History	BA	2:1	1997

b) Qualification(s) currently being undertaken

Institution/Provider	Qualification/level	Subject(s)	Exam/finish date
(none)

c) Relevant Training and Non-Qualification Courses Attended

Press and media training – interview techniques.

d) Membership of Professional Body(ies)/Professional Qualification(s)
(If more than one, please list all)

Name of Professional Body(ies)	Qualification(s)	Membership level	Registration No.	Date obtained
RSA CELTA	TEFL	Teacher		2001

C. Additional Information in Support of your Application

1. Have you read and understood the following document published by the Charities Commission: [1]

YES

2. Please outline any experience you may have of working with a charity:

Please refer to the summary of my current position with Pilotlight (see above). I have worked with over 13 charities on the development of business plans, strategic plans and advised on the development of specific components of organisational infrastructure, governance structure and specialised projects such as fundraising strategy.

In these relationships I always work with the charity director, senior managers, members of the board of trustees and senior level business advisors who advise the charity team on the development of their organisational strategy. I facilitate the strategic planning process and manage the relationship between the two groups over the course of nine months to two years.

I am also involved in the development of refining the model that we use as a charity to facilitate this process and undertake research into developments affecting the sector on behalf of Pilotlight.

I have been working full-time in the charity sector in the UK for over four years, and have worked in the voluntary sector in the UK and overseas since leaving full-time study in 2000. I have worked in an organisation called the Churches Conservation Trust that looked to use tourism as a mechanism to facilitate social change. This charity undertook an innovative approach to conservation regenerating decaying churches to enable them to become focal points of the community, and I worked on the development of a regional media agenda and supporters network.

I have also worked for charities in Spain and Mongolia that used tourism initiatives as mechanisms to fundraise and subsidise wider work they were undertaking in their communities (more detail can be provided on request).

3. Give an account of any specialist or transferable skills you may have which would be relevant to the role of TWDF Trustee?
(e.g. PR/marketing, fundraising, accountancy, legal, HR, project management, specific connections with Fiji etc)

My current role involves a variety of transferable skills in particular strategic planning and project management which I use to facilitate capacity building within organisation through information exchange in meetings. I am also accustomed to develop work plans and setting measurable targets for progress and development.

As an independent consultant I am accustomed to undertaking needs assessments and developing practical strategies that are appropriate to the context and the needs of the individuals concerned.

I have worked in public affairs and marketing departments for four years in charitable organisations undertaking the development of events and editing supporter publications and press releases.

I am also a trained TEFL teacher and have worked with students from Mongolia, Spain, China, Italy, Switzerland, Japan and France from.

I also a family connection with Fiji.

4. What experience, if any, do you have of serving on a committee?

I have worked in committees in a limited capacity organising small scale local events, and for specific projects e.g. the development of an organisational website.

5. What do you think will be the priorities for the TWDF Trustees in the next 6 months?

I believe that that TWDF has a number of short-term priorities to consolidate its charitable status such as the refining the parameters of its objects, and registering with the charity commission in the UK. It then needs to develop management mechanisms and resources to undertake work on its behalf in Fiji.

Once this initial work has been undertaken TWDF then needs to develop a three year business strategy that will facilitate the development of fundraising, marketing, development and outreach streams (amongst others) to drive its work forward. It will also need to develop robust mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the value and impact of the support which it will provide for local communities.

TWDF will need to develop a strong network to enable it to extend its reach and support communities across the northern Fijian islands.

6. Have you been to Fiji/do you plan on going in the next few years? Please give details:

I have never been to Fiji but plan if possible to visit within the next 12 months both to visit Vorovoro, Mali and the surrounding islands and also to visit family.

Would you be willing/able to carry out any relevant TWDF work while there?

Yes

7. If you are UK based, will you be able to attend meetings four times a year with the other Trustees and the occasional training day? (reasonable travel expenses will be paid):

Yes.

8. Please give any further details you think are relevant to your application:

I believe I would be a strong asset to the board of the TWDF as I have strong strategic skills and am also accustomed to rolling out the theory in a practical way, which I believe would support the objectives of TWDF. I am accustomed to developing SMART objectives to develop an organisation and its capacity.

I also believe that my experience running Global Sense would bring benefits to the board. Global Sense was originally developed to campaign for fairly traded tourism and volunteering through workshops. As the founder and director I spend a large proportion of my time working not only on the workshops, but also developing networks, partnerships and systems to assist overseas volunteer companies critically analyse their programmes and volunteering processes. The project facilitated the development of a list of basic standards that has been used by both volunteering charities and also by commercial travel companies. This work and network I also believe would be of use to TWDF in the development of its objectives.

Through work undertaken both through Pilotlight and Global Sense I am accustomed to exploring mechanisms to engage with a cross sections of stakeholders and ensuring that all individuals involved are consulted and feel adequately engaged. For example at The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) I helped develop a Public Affairs media regional media plan. Through keeping a clear focus on the objectives of the organisation I was able to ensure that we could use my plan to produce tangible results and effectively meet both department targets and those of the broader organisation.

I am an independent motivated person who knows how to take the initiative. I have learned how to be adaptable and be a strong and constructive member of a team, I have worked with a varied cross section of individuals from high profile clients, to charitable professionals from companies such as Serco and MTV Europe. I have also gained a variety of experience facilitating groups, both professional and non-professional, and have spent a number of years living and working overseas in different contexts and as a result have learned to become more open to new ideas and different points of view.

In view of my experience both working professionally in the charity sector, and as a social entrepreneur I feel my skills and interests could compliment the aims and objectives of TWDF. I am a passionate believer in the value of dialogue between local communities and charitable bodies and feel that I have the skills, experience as well as the enthusiasm to make me an ideal candidate for the board.