Stand to be a Sedos Trustee or Committee member

Monday 18 March 2024

Would you like to stand for the Sedos Board of Trustees or the Management Committee? Find out more below.

Sedos Elections

The AGM on 23 May 2024 from 7pm in the Passmore Edwards room at the St Bride’s Institute (above the Bridewell Theatre) is a chance for members to:

• Hear a report from the Chair of the Board of Trustees (Daniel Saunders) and Chair of the Management Committee (Adrian Hau) regarding the financial year ending 31 December 2023;
• Hear about upcoming plans for the society;
• Ask questions of the leadership groups of the societies and have your say;
• Elect members to the vacant positions on the Board of Trustees and Management Committee; and
• Socialise with other members.

This year we have a number of positions open for election on the Board of Trustees and Management Committee. It should be noted that given Adrian Hau is one year through his two year term as chair of the Management Committee, this position is not open for election this year. We are always looking for new and diverse voices, different skill sets and people with the energy to take action on the behind-the-scenes administration of Sedos.

Given the current make-up of the leadership groups, in particular we are currently looking for:

• A greater degree of female and gender non-binary/fluid representation;
• A greater degree of representation of people of minority ethnic backgrounds; and
• People with corporate fund-raising and charity governance experience.

In saying that, we would welcome people of all backgrounds and skill sets so long as you are willing to donate your time to making Sedos a better society for all its members. Please see below for more details on the relevant positions that will be open for election.

If you need more information, please contact Sedos chair of the Board of Trustees, Daniel Saunders at saunders@sedos.co.uk.

Trustees

The Board of Trustees’ primary responsibility is to ensure the long-term financial health of the society, as well as ensuring compliance with laws, regulations and financial reporting obligations. This involves ensuring performance, rehearsal and build space and managing the society’s assets. The Board of Trustees has and must accept responsibility for directing the affairs of Sedos, ensuring it is solvent and well-managed, and that it acts within its charitable objects.

Trustees are expected to set the strategic direction of Sedos and provide oversight and challenge; they are not expected to be involved in day-to-day operational considerations.

The role is unpaid. Meetings are held in central London.

Legal responsibilities

All Trustees must comply with their legal responsibilities. In summary, these are:

• Ensure the charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit;
• Comply with the charity’s governing document and the law;
• Act in the charity’s best interests;
• Manage the charity’s resources responsibly;
• Act with reasonable care and skill; and
• Ensure the charity is accountable.

For more information on the legal responsibilities of charity trustees, please read: “The essential trustee: what you need to know, what you need to do”, The Charities Commission (May 2018).

Eligibility

To be elected as a Trustee, the following criteria apply:

• You must be over 16 years old;
• You must be a member of Sedos; and
• You must have been a member of Sedos for at least 12 months prior to your election.

You must NOT act as a trustee if you are disqualified under the Charities Act. For more information on the Automatic Disqualification Rule, please read: “Automatic disqualification rules for charity trustees and charity senior positions”, The Charities Commission (August 2018).

Skills and knowledge

Those considering becoming a Trustee for Sedos should have:

• An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of being a Trustee;
• A passion for the arts with a particular interest in theatre;
• A commitment to the values, aims and objectives of Sedos;
• A broad overview of, and the ability to address, issues relating to the full range of the Society’s operations;
• The ability and willingness to act as an advocate for the organisation and to represent its work to an external audience;
• The ability to exercise good independent judgement, to think imaginatively and strategically, and to contribute to effective decision-making;
• A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort;
• A willingness to contribute openly to debates and discussions; and
• The ability to work effectively as a member of a team

Skills, experience, expertise and an interest in accounting, governance or in the fundraising or property sector would be of particular benefit to the Society given the current balance of skills among existing Trustees.

Consistent with Sedos’ Commitment to Change, we are also keen to ensure that the Board reflects the diversity of our membership and our audiences. we are currently looking for:

• A greater degree of female and gender non-binary/fluid representation; and
• A greater degree of representation of people of minority ethnic backgrounds.

Time commitment

Board members will be expected to dedicate such time and energy to the organisation as is necessary to meet its ambitions.

This will mean:

• An initial induction;
• Approximately five general Board meetings a year, including preparation time;
• Attendance at sub-committee meetings and activities (trustees usually chose to be on one or two of the sub-committees);
• Attendance at the Society’s Annual General Meeting;
• Attendance at other meetings as required, including Trustee Away Days and at least one meeting with the Management Committee per year; and
• Ongoing regular attendance of the Society’s artistic programme (with opportunities to obtain a gratis ticket for most shows).

Length of term

Typically, the term for newly elected Trustees will be three years in the first instance, with the possibility of re-election for additional three-year terms without limit.

At the 2024 AGM, at least four elected Trustee positions will be vacant:

• Three positions carrying a full three-year term (i.e. to 2027); and
• One position carrying a one-year term (to the next AGM in 2025).

Applicants are invited to express a preference for either a three-year or a one-year term. In the event that the preferences of those elected does not match the terms available, lots will be drawn to allocate successful applicants to the vacant positions. In the event that there are fewer applicants than places, the vacancies with the longest terms will be filled first.

Specific roles

As well as their role as a general Trustees, each Trustee is expected to involve themselves in a particular portfolio of responsibility. The Trustees at their first meeting post-AGM will elect/assign the following roles:

• Chair, vice-chair, secretary and Trustee with financial responsibility – Trustees are formally elected to these positions by the majority vote of the entire Board of Trustees;
• Chairs of each of the sub-committees for investment, diverity and inclusion and spaces (noting that the head of the other three sub-committees are the chair of the Management Committee for the Management Sub-Committee, secretary for the Governance Sub-Committee and Trustee with financial responsibility for the finance sub-committee); and
• General members of the sub-committees – this is generally done on a voluntary basis although most Trustees choose to be on two to three sub-committees.

Management Committee Members

Day-to-day responsibility for running and managing the society is delegated to a Management Committee (which is also elected from the society’s membership pursuant to the terms of reference of the Management Committee decided by the Board of Trustees), with the Board retaining an oversight role.

Each role is elected for a period of two years with half of the group standing down/for re-election every year. This year there are a number of positions available for election.

Once elected, the Management Committee meet monthly. Whilst there are no constitutional positions on the Management Committee other than the chair, at the first meeting after the AGM the Management Committee will agree on various job-scopes and roles which include:

• Administrative director (i.e. secretary)
• Treasurer
• Production budget controller
• Marketing group lead
• Production group lead
• Membership group lead
• Rehearsal room co-ordinator
• Committee liaisons for productions
• Bridewell liaison
• IT manager
• Front of house/box office coordinator
• Diversity and inclusion lead

Management Committee members may also be co-opted on to various sub-committees of the Trustees. Generally however, the Management Committee members work together to do all that is needed to ensure our productions and membership events run smoothly and successfully in line with the policies and guidelines laid down by the Board of Trustees.

A variety of skill sets are required, but the main attribute needed is the willingness to get involved, roll the sleeves up and work towards making the operations of the society an overall success.

What do I need to do in order to run?

If you want to run for any of the above positions, here’s what you need to do:

• Candidates should send their application to saunders@sedos.co.uk and ad​rian@sedos.co.uk
• An application should clearly state what role or roles they are applying for.
• Although you may apply for both Board of Trustee and Management Committee roles, it is strongly encouraged that you consider which of these best suits your particular skill set and only apply for the appropriate one.
• An application should be accompanied by 50-75 words on the applicant’s past involvement with Sedos and 50-75 words about why they want to apply and what they think they would bring to the role they are applying for (this is required for the AGM notice and will be publicised). You only need to do this once, regardless of the positions you are standing for. Should there be a contested election, you will also be granted one minute to speak at the AGM.
• Applications must be received by midnight on 25 April 2024 (four weeks before the AGM) so if there are multiple candidates we can properly advertise the candidates to members before the AGM. Applications after this date may be disregarded.