The FunDza Literacy Trust’s board are seeking to appoint two new members to ensure that we have the required capacity and skills to oversee our next phase of growth and expansion. We are particularly interested in attracting suitable candidates with either legal, finance, governance or fundraising skills at a senior level.
The roles are unpaid voluntary positions. Reasonable expenses are paid.
Board members are expected to attend three board meetings a year, and to stay abreast of life within the organisation between board meetings. Board members may be asked to join one of the two sub-committees: the audit, risk and compliance committee or the social and ethics committee. These meet a minimum of three or two times per annum respectively.
At present board meetings are held in Cape Town over the weekend but members are able to join the meetings via e-conference if they reside elsewhere or are unable to make the meeting in person.
About the FunDza Literacy Trust
The FunDza Literacy Trust was formed in 2011 with the purpose of improving the literacy levels of teens and young adults living in South Africa, specifically those from poor communities without easy access to books or other reading resources.
The Trust’s work supports a number of reading and writing programmes and it runs a variety of projects in partnership with other groups and organisations. It has supported more than 550 reading groups around the country, and provided more than 125,000 books and 250,000 pocket booklets to these groups. It’s ‘library on a cellphone’ – fundza.mobi – currently reaches more than 200,000 on a monthly basis. And, FunDza has supported more than 3,500 young writers in getting their work published through its online platform. The Trust also runs formal literacy support programmes in schools and as part of afterschool initiatives.
The work of the Trust has been recognised nationally and internationally. FunDza staff are regularly asked to speak about their work and its impact at conferences in South Africa and abroad. FunDza is the recipient of the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy 2017, the inaugural Joy of Reading Award, and it received a Gold award at the Impumelelo Social Innovations Awards.
About the roles
We are seeking to appoint two Trustees to join the board whose skills and experience will enhance the work of the FunDza Literacy Trust.
We are seeking candidates who can demonstrate:
• Commitment to the objectives of the FunDza Literacy Trust in terms of literacy development and education
• Willingness to act as an ambassador for The FunDza Literacy Trust and to promote its work in their personal capacity
• Willingness to fulfil the fiduciary duties of trustee of the FunDza Literacy Trust with integrity, honesty and passion
In addition, the prospective candidates should have at least one of the following:
• Legal background/experience
• Finance or accounting or auditing background/experience
• Governance or compliance background/experience
• Fundraising background/experience
• Literacy or education or literature or publishing background/experience
• Management experience at senior level
• Board or non-profit background/experience
To apply
Please submit a two-page (max) motivation letter. This should include at least two contactable references. In the motivation, kindly outline why you would like to become a board member of the FunDza Literacy Trust, and how your experience or knowledge could contribute to the work of the organisation.
Email: dawn@fundza.co.za
Subject line: Application: Trustee for FunDza Literacy Trust
Closing date: 30 November 2019
Short-listed candidates may be asked to submit a supporting CV. They will be asked to meet with a current board member during December 2019 or in early 2020.
For more information about the FunDza Literacy Trust please visit: www.fundza.co.za