Derby Book Festival seeks new Trustees and a Treasurer

The Festival currently has vacancies for up to three new Trustees and one Treasurer Trustee

Derby Book Festival (DBF) was established in 2015. The Festival programme is aimed at appealing to all ages and interests with a range of events, including some with a particular Derby resonance. The Festival prides itself on presenting a broad, diverse programme which attracts internationally renowned writers, poets, historians, politicians, broadcasters, illustrators, storytellers and musicians, whilst also providing support and opportunities for local authors and those taking their first steps towards publishing. In addition to the book Festivals, DBF’s also offers a year-round community programme with two main strands: Shared Reading and our Schools programme.

DBF Vision, Aim and Objectives

'Accessible, Inclusive, Inspiring, Enriching'

A Book Festival which is accessible for people of all ages and backgrounds, which inspires its audiences to enjoy and value the ways that books and reading enrich their lives.

Aim

A Book Festival which offers thought-provoking current writing across a broad range of genres, enabling a sharing of ideas, encouraging creativity, inspiring new and old readers to appreciate the pleasure and power of books and encourage their own creativity.

Objectives

Creative People

• To inspire people through events to discover and develop their own creativity.
• To engage children of all ages and backgrounds with the Festival’s book-related projects and activities.
• To run a Community Programme throughout the year providing book-related activities to enrich lives and inspire those who may find it difficult to access the Festival.

Cultural Communities

• To celebrate the rich creative legacy of the city’s industrial past.
• To maximise the impact of the Book Festival by working with a wide-range of diverse partners.
• To support the city’s ambition to become a City of Culture.

Creative & Cultural Country

• To develop an exciting and innovative programme of events with high quality local and national authors and contributors.
• To deliver a sustainable Festival reflecting today’s world, while looking to the future.

Trustees & Treasurer Trustee

DBF seeks to recruit up to 3 Trustees and one Treasurer Trustee.

The Role of a Trustee

1. To set the strategic direction for Derby Book Festival and ensure that its goals are fully aligned with the vision.
2. To provide expert knowledge and guidance on governance, finance, management, business planning and the arts and charity sectors.
3. To make key decisions about the direction Derby Book Festival will take and how its purposes will be carried out.
4. To make sure that the charity has the resources and policies it needs to do this well and to comply with legal requirements.
5. To be individually responsible for their contribution to the charity’s governance – whether it complies with the law and its policies, fulfils its objectives, and stays accountable to its service users and others – and the organisation’s overall effectiveness.

The Role of Treasurer

Dains Accountants provides bookkeeping services, payment processing and preparation of the monthly management accounts. In addition to general Trustee duties (above), the Treasurer is responsible for:

1. Overseeing the financial affairs of the Festival.
2. Ensuring that effective financial procedures are in place to monitor cash flow and financial performance.
3. Overseeing the production of the monthly management information, review, and report to the Board.
4. Regularly reporting the financial position of the organisation to the Board and Finance Committee.
5. Assisting and supporting the setting of appropriate and prudent financial budgets.
6. Liaising with the Independent Examiner over the production and examination of the year end accounts.
7. Overseeing the bookkeeping process.
8. Approving payments where required.
9. Making recommendations to the Board on appropriate financial policies.
10. Serving as Chair of the Finance Committee.
11. Advising on the financial implications of the charity’s proposed activities.
12. Monitoring and advising on the financial viability of the charity.

Apply

Please send an Expression of Interest explaining why either of these voluntary roles interest you, what you feel you could offer Derby Book Festival as either a Trustee or Treasurer Trustee, and a copy of your CV to DBF Chair, Professor Keith McLay, k.mclay@derby.ac.uk.

Deadline for applications is 5 pm Friday 28 June 2024.

If you would like to discuss this further, please contact the Chair of DBF, Professor Keith McLay at k.mclay@derby.ac.uk