Categories
Bedminster Recruitment

Job opportunity!

Are you a practical person who’s great with people? Passionate about reducing waste and pragmatic about how we do that? Do you want to play a key part in helping Bedminster consume less whilst doing more? 

If so, we’ve got an awesome part-time job for you! 

Share Bristol is looking for a Library Manager to look after our Bedminster Library of Things, opening soon. You will be responsible for making sure the Library runs day to day, with the support of a volunteer team, that our members are happy, and that our Things are repaired and maintained. 

We’re offering a minimum of 8 hours work a week to start, at £11 per hour, and free membership of Share Bristol. When you work is open to negotiation – you will need to be available to staff the Library once or twice a week but this will be on a rota with Trustees and volunteers. 

We welcome applications from candidates who are under-represented in the environmental and charity sector.   

To apply, please review the job description and person specification attached, and send a CV and covering letter to hello@sharebristol.org.uk by 8pm on Wednesday 15th November. 

Categories
Bedminster Recruitment

Sharing could be heading south

We’re often approached by people who want a Library of Things in their corner of Bristol. There’s a few things that need to stack up – a Share Bristol location needs cheap or free premises, good numbers of people walking past, transport links and parking nearby, a bit of money to fund the set up of the premises, a strong local community who are happy to change their habits and borrow instead of buy, and local volunteers to run the lending sessions.

But we also need enthusiasm, time and skills from one or two people who can coordinate everything and make it happen, with help from our existing team of course.

We’re currently in talks regarding premises in East Street, Bedminster, near Southville. This looks like a really good option, with the stars aligning. However we need that person with good knowledge of the area and some time and enthusiasm to make it happen! They would be invited to join our Director team and play a role in shaping how Share Bristol develops in the future too.

Could you be that person, or maybe you know someone that fits the bill?

Our current Director team are keen and happy to help, but we are busy running the organisation and the existing library of things (as well as our day jobs!), and lack ‘boots on the ground’ knowledge of Bedminster.

We need someone who can:

  • oversee the set up of the premises – furniture, racking, decorating and so on
  • coordinate the local donation of things, so we have lots to share when we open
  • work with local organisations to make sure that everyone knows who we are, and that we are working in partnership and collaborating wherever possible
  • generate publicity and excitement in the Bedminster area
  • research and agree on the best opening times
  • lead the recruitment of volunteers to staff the library, including trusted keyholders
  • lead the drive to attract members to join the library
  • volunteer to lead lending sessions when the library opens, whilst we continue to grow the volunteer team and potentially get the funding to employ someone part-time

The existing team can help with:

  • securing the premises and associated services e.g. utilities
  • making funding applications
  • social media, website presence etc
  • health and safety requirements
  • budgets and financial management
  • sourcing things to borrow, and storing things until the library is ready
  • setting up the new library on our existing lending software
  • transferable paperwork e.g. volunteer forms, interview questions, policies and procedures
  • all the governance around running an organisation e.g. Companies House returns
  • being extra pairs of hands when needed

If you’re local to the Bedminster or Southville area and can lend a hand, then please get in touch. Even if you don’t think you can take over the coordination role or don’t want to be a Director, please get in touch and let us know what you could offer an East Street library of things, and we will be in touch in due course.

Pop in and see us in Kingswood when we are open for a chat, or email us at hello@sharebristol.org.uk to tell us a bit about you and we will get back to you.

Or you can jump right in and apply to be a Director! As well as someone to take the lead in Bedminster, we are also looking to increase our capacity and expertise in the Director team by recruiting someone with strong marketing and engagement expertise, plus a finance lead. Pass it on! A new opportunity, for you and us? | Share Bristol – A Library of Things

Categories
Recruitment

A new opportunity, for you and us?

Why be a director with Share Bristol?

In my day job, I’m CEO of Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, but at evenings and weekends I am a volunteer director of Share Bristol Community Interest Company. But why? Read on to find out, and discover if a director role might be good for you too.

When I heard about the the plans for the first Library of Things in Bristol, I was intrigued. I had vaguely heard about such things before, but it wasn’t something I had ever really thought about. However, I am always keen to reduce my impact on the environment, and often thought I might end up working for an environmental charity. That hasn’t been how my career panned out, so taking on a volunteer role with Share Bristol seemed like a great way to do my bit.

I’m lucky to have the funds to buy the things I need, and have a shed and a loft to store things in. But so many other people aren’t as lucky, and have just as much need for tools, camping gear and stuff for parties as I do. The Library of Things allows people to have access to about 500 different Things, for an annual membership fee that is affordable for the vast majority of people. It’s such a no-brainer!

Our small team of directors meets every two to three months, so the commitment isn’t big – although you can get much more involved if you like! We might prepare a short paper each on what we’ve been up to, as we each have our own areas of responsibility, and we have to read information in advance on the finances, approve policies and discuss Share Bristol’s strategy and performance.

Share Bristol has one part-time employee, working 15 hours a week. This isn’t much, so the director role can be hands on at times – I generally volunteer in the library two Saturdays a month, totalling 8 hours. Other directors do more or less, spread across our three opening days or on tasks at home or out and about. Volunteering in the Library of Things is fun and really helps with a deep understanding of how we run and who we serve – you get to spend time with great volunteers, have chats with members as they come in, explain what we do and who we are to people who drop in, and most importantly pick up and drop off the things you have borrowed yourself!

However, we believe that many hands make light work, so we are looking to expand the team of directors, and are ideally looking for three people – someone who can focus on opening a second premises in the Bedminster/Southville area, someone with great marketing and engagement skills, and a finance expert who can take the lead in this area. This would bring the board of directors up to full strength.

If you have experience in one or more of these areas, have a few hours to spare each month, and want to do your bit for the environment and community inclusion, our question is ‘Why wouldn’t you get in touch to find out more?’

 

 

 

 

 

Interested to know more?

Download the Director Recruitment Pack for full details, including the role description, person specification and how to apply.

You can also read about the current team on our About Us page.