Trustee humanitarian charity - Volunteer

We're seeking a trustee with charity finance expertise to serve as Treasurer of The Washing Machine Project Foundation, a UK grant‑giving charity supporting access to human‑powered washing machines for communities affected by displacement, poverty, and crisis.

What difference will you make?

As Treasurer, you'll directly strengthen the financial foundations of a growing charity with global reach. Your expertise will help the Board make well‑informed decisions about grant‑making, reserves, and long‑term sustainability, ensuring that funds are managed responsibly and directed where they can have the greatest impact.

Financial oversight and regulatory compliance are areas where the Foundation has identified a clear need for additional capacity. By joining the Board, you'll help us build stronger financial controls, improve our reporting, and ensure we meet our obligations to the Charity Commission and other regulatory bodies with confidence.

Your work will ultimately support communities affected by displacement, poverty, and crisis—helping to ensure that The Washing Machine Project can continue to grow and reach more people with access to clean laundry, which has a profound impact on health, dignity, and quality of life.

What are we looking for?

The most important quality is a genuine commitment to the Foundation's mission—supporting communities living in poverty or affected by conflict and natural disasters through access to clean laundry.

In terms of experience, we're primarily looking for someone with a strong understanding of UK charity regulation, governance, and trustee responsibilities. You should have hands‑on experience in charity finance, accounting, financial management, or audit, and be comfortable interpreting and explaining financial information to non‑specialists.

Sound judgement, independence of thought, and a commitment to good governance are essential. We need someone who can provide constructive challenge and informed advice at Board level, particularly on financial and regulatory matters.

Previous experience as a charity treasurer or trustee would be very welcome, as would familiarity with grant‑making charities and funding relationships. If you've worked with or alongside social enterprises or Community Interest Companies, that's a useful plus.

We'd also be interested to hear from candidates with a background in engineering, manufacturing, or technical product development. This isn't essential, but it would help the Board engage more effectively with the CIC's work on designing and distributing human‑powered washing machines.

Above all, we're looking for someone who is collaborative, reliable, and willing to contribute their expertise to a small but committed Board that is working to strengthen the foundations of a charity with growing global impact.

Opus 4.6

What will you be doing?

The Washing Machine Project Foundation (TWMPF) is a UK registered charity that provides grant funding, governance oversight, and strategic support to The Washing Machine Project (CIC), which designs and distributes low‑cost, human‑powered washing machines to communities in need around the world.

We're looking to appoint one or two new Trustees, one of whom will also take on the role of Treasurer. This is a strategic priority for our Board—we want to strengthen our capacity around financial oversight and regulatory compliance as the charity continues to grow.

As Treasurer, you'll provide oversight of the Foundation's financial affairs, monitor our financial position and cash flow, and report clearly to the Board. You'll support the preparation and review of budgets, management accounts, and financial forecasts, and ensure appropriate financial controls and policies are in place. You'll also oversee the preparation of annual accounts, liaise with independent examiners or auditors, and support accurate financial reporting to the Charity Commission.

A key part of the role involves advising the Board on financial sustainability and grant‑making capacity. You'll work with fellow Trustees to ensure that grants to the CIC are properly governed, monitored, and aligned with our charitable purposes. Where relevant, you may also provide informed advice on financial and governance matters relating to our relationship with the CIC.

Our Board meets monthly for around one hour, with additional time for preparation and ad‑hoc financial review. The total commitment is approximately four hours per month. The role is voluntary and unremunerated.

If you have a background in engineering, manufacturing, or technical product development, that would be a bonus—but it's certainly not essential. What matters most is strong charity finance/governance experience and a genuine commitment to our mission.