I first became aware of Move the World in 2017 when I was living in Ghana and working as Executive Director for a locally-founded NGO, when Claire Hardy (MTW MD) came to visit our programme. On my return to the UK in 2018, I was honoured and a little bemused to be asked to join the Board of Trustees. I had never been a Trustee before and felt that it was way beyond my realm of experience, knowledge, expertise or wisdom – the recent role in Ghana had been my first real exposure to the charity sector and surely Trustees are wise old owls who know everything! I professed my lack of suitability for the role and was invited along for the ride anyway. And I’m so glad I was. It has been incredible watching the core team in the UK and Ghana grow and develop not only their mission, vision, impact and team but each of themselves and each other along the way. The charity has grown from wanting to do “something” to knowing exactly the impact they want to and can make and clarifying the message they are sharing with the board, supporters, corporations and funding bodies. I have witnessed the realisation that our impact is not only our primary beneficiaries – the children in our programmes – but the facilitators, the teachers, siblings, extended families, the schools, the communities at large, our board of trustees and those supporting our journey along the way.
As for me, personally, working with Move the World has shown that there is a better way to lead a team and still be productive and performance-led. Working in and with a charity is hard work, as in any business. The relentless drive for funding is similar to the relentless search for new business, except there are fewer options and many more charities all applying for the same limited funding. Retaining humanity as the bedrock for all conversations, decisions and programming is the single most valuable ingredient to the success of Move the World and I am so proud to have been part of that over the last few years. Because of this, we have navigated the clarification of our mission and vision, the launch of our two flagship programmes, a global pandemic and subsequent financial challenges; all of which we have met head on with determination, love and whenever possible deep joy and friendship!
You get out of being a Trustee what you put into it, as with much in life. For me, I joined as a Trustee (scared that I wouldn’t bring any value) and quickly became the one nagging for financial visibility and clarity so I was asked to become Treasurer to provide a clear focus particularly through the pandemic. I have provided maternity cover for our then Chair of Trustees, Megan Taylor, (twice) and am now honoured to be stepping into the role of Chair of Trustees as Megan moves on to embrace her next set of adventures. It’s a tough act to follow and I’m eager to continue learning every day from this fantastic collection of people – all the way from our beneficiaries to my fellow colleagues on the Board of Trustees.