Your chance to become a ZCG Trustee!

With the Zero Carbon Guildford Annual General Meeting (AGM) coming up (Wednesday March 25th - save the date) the window to join the ZCG board of Trustees is now open!

This is a way to contribute directly to the strategic direction and success of the charity. 

The role of Trustee is an important position of responsibility. Previous board / trustee experience is not needed; you will be supported to understand and carry out these responsibilities. 

We have the opportunity to introduce several new Trustees this year. We have one essential role we must fill; an HR trustee to help guide our approach to staff and volunteer resources. Additionally, we have a few spaces that could be filled by people that would contribute useful skills and experience, for example, skills in environmental tracking and reporting, ‘Change the System’ approaches (local government engagement, policy, planning or private sector change leadership), or representation of key demographics not covered by the Board so far. 

Our current team of Trustee Volunteers 2024/2025

If you are interested, please read the role descriptions below, and then follow the ‘How to Apply’ instructions at the end of this blog. 

Requirements of a Trustee - general Trustee 

ZCG trustees perform a strategic role in the governance of the charity. For applicants successfully voted in by the ZCG membership at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March 2026, the role involves: 

• Actively and proactively guide the direction and decisions of the charity in support of the charitable purpose, with a particular mandate on finance, objectives, conflicts, accountability and diversity / inclusion.

• Practically, this involves attending the approximately 5 Trustee meetings a year, and being active on an ongoing basis on the collaboration platforms in use by the charity. We use Slack to chat and make decisions which are needed throughout the year, and Google Drive to share and review documents. Our meetings are usually in person in Guildford. 

• Trustees may hold roles / strategic positions as part of the trustees, for example representing and guiding a certain charity activity or aspect. Additionally, Trustees may have more general volunteer roles at ZCG, supporting charity activity or projects. This is encouraged as it supports effective decision making on behalf of the charity. 

The role of Trustee is a voluntary role (not paid). There is more information about the role of Trustee available from the Charity Commission here. 

HR Trustee role

As a relatively new charity, ZCG has expanded its paid staff team to nine, in addition to a large network of dedicated volunteers and contractors. 

We are seeking an HR Trustee who can provide strategic leadership on how to support our people, develop robust HR policies, ensure proper safeguarding processes, and create a positive, supportive workplace culture. Your leadership in HR will be instrumental in helping the charity scale effectively while staying aligned with our values and long-term goals.

Our HR Trustee does not need to have experience in being a Trustee, but experience and expertise in HR is required. Experience with volunteers as well as employees is not essential but would be of benefit. 

How To Apply 

To apply to become a new trustee, you need to email the following address no later than 5pm on Friday 6th February 2026: recruitment@zerocarbonguildford.org. 

Please include your name and address, the specific role you would like to apply for (HR or general), your CV, and a few paragraphs about who you are, your background, and why you would like to be a trustee.

After you send your application you will receive an email response from the Charity Chair with documents to read, and further requests of information, including your confirmation that you understand the eligibility criteria and requirements of the trustee position. 

Your application will be reviewed by representatives of the Trustee board, and some may be selected for an informal interview, which will be used to select our proposed new Trustees. We hope to carry out interviews on the 14th or 15th February, preferably in person in Guildford. If possible, applicants should keep these dates available. 

We will aim to complete this process by no later than Monday 23rd February 2026, so that we can propose these new Trustees to the membership before the AGM. The members vote at the AGM which will confirm acceptance of proposed Trustees. 

Eligibility

To be eligible to stand as a ZCG trustee you must:

• Be a natural person (ie. an organisation cannot be appointed trustee. An individual can be appointed who represents an organisation).

• Be at least 16 years of age.

• Not be disqualified from acting as a charity trustee by virtue of section 178-180 of the Charities Act 2011 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision).

• All ZCG trustees must be a member - you can sign up here.

Become a Member