Religious Society of Friends
Dorset & South Wiltshire Area Quaker Meeting
A Company Limited by Guarantee, regd. in England &Wales No.7900649
Registered Charity Number 1149956
Registered address:
Dorchester Quaker Meeting House, 8 Holloway Rd, Fordington, Dorchester DT1 1LF
Book-keeper/ Administrator for Dorset and South Wiltshire Quakers
Dorset and South Wiltshire Area Quakers are seeking a part time book-keeper who also has the administrative skills to support our work. The person we are looking for will be able to work confidently with general and financial administration, will have strong interpersonal skills and be flexible, efficient and reliable.
This post will suit someone wishing to work from home for up to 15 hours a week and occasionally meet (by Zoom or in person).
Reporting to one of the Area Meeting Trustees and working with the Area Meeting Treasurer and with our professional accountants, you will have a varied and interesting role with scope for personal development. You must be in sympathy with Quaker values and able to represent the Area Meeting in communications with professionals and other organisations.
The salary for this post will be in the region of £20 per hour, with 14 days annual leave. Other terms and conditions including pension arrangements, reimbursement of necessary expenses etc. will be confirmed with the successful candidate before appointment.
We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, social class or disability.
The closing date for this post will be Friday 22nd February. Selection will be by interview of shortlisted candidates in March. The anticipated start date is 1 April 2024.
To apply please send a CV showing your relevant skills and experience with a covering letter to admin@dorchgroups.co.uk.
Religious Society of Friends
Dorset & South Wiltshire Area Quaker Meeting
A Company Limited by Guarantee, regd. in England &Wales No.7900649
Registered Charity Number 1149956
Registered address:
Dorchester Quaker Meeting House, 8 Holloway Rd, Fordington, Dorchester DT1 1LF
Part time book-keeper/administrator to be employed by Dorchester and South Wiltshire Area Quaker Meeting
(Please see attached below the financial structure of the Dorchester and South Wiltshire Area Quaker Meeting.)
Job description/duties
Support the Trustees and Treasurer in the prudent and proper management of financial and administrative matters relating to the Quaker Meetings, including cash and payments, banking, payroll, investments, insurance, properties, legal matters, legacies, charitable grants and such other matters as may arise.
Ensure that required reports and returns are submitted in a timely fashion and are accurate and complete.
Liaise with the accountant appointed by Area Meeting and with the Area Meeting and Local Meetings as necessary to ensure the above.
Person specification/skills and competencies
Competent and flexible across a range of administrative skills
Familiar with and competent in using common IT programmes for office applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, emailing etc.
Competent in bookkeeping including familiarity with relevant IT (currently Xero)
Familiar with legal and governance requirements applicable to a small organisation such as the Area Meeting
Willing to undergo and/or update training where specific skills are needed.
Proactive and able to work on own initiative, whilst seeking guidance as required.
Efficient and reliable
Strong people and communication skills, personal adaptability and sense of humour.
In sympathy with the values of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Salary - £20 an hour, for 15 hours per week for the joint duties of book-keeper and administrator. Ten hours per week for book-keeper role only
Holiday of 14 days per annum, pension arrangements, reimbursement of necessary expenses and other terms and conditions to be confirmed
Working from home, able to travel within the Area Meeting as needed.
Responsible to Area Meeting Trustees and working with Area Meeting Treasurer
Religious Society of Friends
Dorset & South Wiltshire Area Quaker Meeting
A Company Limited by Guarantee, regd. in England &Wales No.7900649
Registered Charity Number 1149956
Registered address:
Dorchester Quaker Meeting House, 8 Holloway Rd, Fordington, Dorchester DT1 1LF
Outline of the financial/administrative set-up of each LM and the AM
The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) is led nationally by Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM): a charitable organisation representing and working on behalf of British Quakers. BYM Trustees, based at Friends House, London, are responsible for overseeing all Quaker national and international work. At a local level we have Local Meetings (LMs) which are grouped geographically into Area Meetings (AMs). Each Area Meeting has its own Trustee body.
(Note that the term ‘Meeting’ can refer both to the body of people attending together for worship and also the physical place in which they meet.)
The Dorset and South Wiltshire AM is made up of five LMs, four of which occupy Meeting Houses. The LMs are: Salisbury, Shaftesbury, Bridport, Dorchester, and Lyme Regis.
There is some information specific to each of these below. First, here is some general information about the finances of the AM and LMs.
The body legally responsible for AM financial management, ownership of the Meeting Houses, employment of staff, safeguarding, etc. is the AM Trustee body, (whose members are drawn from the constituent Meetings.) They are advised by the AM Treasurer and by staff at Friends House, London, via the Quaker Stewardship Committee. Training courses are available for the financial roles.
However, most of the work of managing income and expenditure is carried out by the LM Treasurers in consultation with Local Meeting members.
AM Trustees have financial policies for management of reserves and investments and for guidance to Treasurers and Meetings.
The Trustees employ the services of a firm of accountants who format the accounts ready for presentation to the relevant authorities and who will provide guidance for the book-keeper when needed.
Similarly, insurance is managed by an insurance broker and surveys of the AM properties are undertaken by a professional company.
Each LM Treasurer will ask the book-keeper for reports on the LM finances at intervals during each year, in order to give an accurate financial report, set budgets, etc. New treasurers may at times seek help and guidance from the book-keeper.
Income
Each LM receives donations from its members who, in practice, give intermittently (say once a year) by regular standing order. The four Meetings with Meeting Houses also have income from hiring out their rooms. The AM and LMs occasionally receive legacies and ad hoc monitory gifts.
A regular income comes from investments which are all managed by a professional ethical investment fund manager.
Note that all AMs are financially self-funding with no income from BYM.
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Outgoings
Most of the expenditure of LMs is on the cost of running the meeting and buildings.
AM expenditure is predominantly on governance costs and maintenance of buildings. Both LMs and AM contribute to the cost of enabling members to attend Quaker conferences or training courses.
Surplus money is donated to Quaker work nationally and internationally by giving to BYM and the amount to be sent each year is decided by the whole Meeting, aiming to achieve a contribution of approximately £150 to £200 per member.
Local Meetings and their buildings
Salisbury Meeting House (MH) is a beautiful renovation of a Georgian Lodge House and is a listed building. Rooms in the MH are hired out to community groups and invoices are sent to hirers by the AM book-keeper. The MH is cared for by a non-resident member of the Meeting. He and the person managing hirings are now employed by the Area Meeting for their work and have PAYE set up. There is a flat attached to the MH which is let out commercially by a local agent, and the income sent to AM.
Shaftesbury Meeting House is a 20th century bungalow with additions. There is a Treasurer and an assistant Treasurer. The building is looked after by members of the Meeting, assisted by a paid cleaner. Hirings are booked through a local Solicitor’s office and invoices sent out by the treasurer.
Bridport Meeting House is 400 years old and Grade 2 listed but in good condition and much-loved. The Meeting has a treasurer. The MH is cared for by members of the Meeting.
Bookings for hiring rooms are handled by a volunteer Member of the meeting. Invoices are sent out by the AM book=keeper.
Dorchester Meeting House is an early 20th century converted pub with ownership also of the river-bank land and garages opposite. There is a LM Treasurer.
Lyme Meeting is very small in number and rents Uplyme village hall for its weekly Meetings. It has a Treasurer who does not use a computer but keeps paper accounts that are sent to the book-keeper at the end of each year.