Job Description
THE ORGANISATION
Planet Earth Games is one of the most innovative charities operating across sport and physical activity and the environmental sectors.
We had a lightbulb moment in 2018.
Our charity successfully organised multi-sport events for children for many years. But, as our participants and their families began to become more concerned about the environment, so did we. No longer would we import medals from 6000 miles away and provide stacks of single use plastic bottles of water.
Climate Change is real and we had to get real too.
We relaunched in 2019 as the Planet Earth Games, the world’s first environmental-themed sports event. Our first ever community event in Devon was a great success and we refreshed our activities to include activities that connect people closer to the natural environment including plogging (that’s picking up litter and jogging btw), paddleboarding and kayaking.
We passionately believe in the symbiotic relationship between the health of the planet and the health of people.
We are a charity buzzing with loads of new ideas and with real momentum. But the arrival of COVID-19 presented a unique challenge. How could we engage people into physical activity and taking action on climate change without being able to host our events?
Easy! We went “virtual”! Instead of hosting multiple events and the inevitable and unavoidable footprint, we made use of digital technology and created our own virtual challenges.
We gathered a rare coalition of partners from large corporate brands to kitchen table sole traders to public bodies to Olympic champions and community ambassadors – all who shared our ethos of educating, influencing and inspiring people into sustainable, active lives.
The result was incredible. In collaboration with our partners we delivered 44 challenges through August 2020 with daily prizes – all for free – and have now reached a national demographic of hundreds of thousands of people. and have now reached a national demographic of over finer hundred thousand people. A monumental increase in participation over our traditional sports model of two years earlier.
Our challenges are as diverse as cycling, walking, cooking, crafting, climbing trees, poetry, litter picking, mindfulness and so on. We have some incredible feedback and content from all our participants who have discovered new activities and more sustainable habits through Planet Earth Games.
We have a scalable, innovative concept that is highly relevant. Now we want to broaden our reach into more communities to nurture active, sustainable lifestyles among wider audiences.
THE ROLE
We are seeking talented and committed individuals to join our exciting journey as Trustees, by joining our board and steer the strategic direction of the charity.
We are particularly looking for individuals with specialist expertise in law, environment and climate change or fundraising and be willing to take the lead in these areas. Experience of working charity governance is desirable.
Key characteristics:
• To be a passionate advocate of environmental sustainability
• To have an interest in health and wellbeing
• To be reliable, trustworthy
• To have sound, independent judgement
The key functions of the role of Trustee:
• Work with fellow trustees to shape, drive and monitor the Trust strategy
• Attend all bi-monthly event meetings (via video conference) and the Trust Annual General Meeting
• Act reasonably in decision making and leadership of the organisation
• Ensure the proper management and administration of the charity
• Use any specific skills, knowledge or experience you have to help the board of trustees reach quick and sound decision by leading discussions, focusing on key issues, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, or other issues in which the trustee has special expertise
• Promote the work of the Trust externally as required
• Manage risks with a considered, proportionate and balanced approach
• To ensure that the organisation complies with its governing document, charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations
• To ensure that the organisation pursues its objects as defined in its governing document
• To ensure the organisation uses its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objects for the benefit of the public
• To contribute actively to the board of trustees’ role in giving firm strategic direction to the organisation, setting overall policy, defining goals and setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets
• To safeguard the good name and values of the organisation
• To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation including having appropriate policies and procedures in place
• To ensure the financial stability of the organisation
• To protect and manage the assets of the charity and to ensure the proper investment of the charity’s funds
• To follow proper and formal arrangements for the appointment, supervision, support, appraisal and remuneration of the Chief Executive.
How to apply
Please send your CV and a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role to chris@planetearthgames.org by Friday 6 November. Video interviews will take place with shortlisted candidates by Friday 20 November.