Post of County Ride+Stride Organiser
Ride+Stride is a national annual cycling or walking event between churches which raises funds for church maintenance through sponsorship. The OHCT is looking for a new Trustee to fill this voluntary position for Oxfordshire. We have typically raised about ?90k each year in sponsorship, and one half to two thirds of this is retained by the Trust for its grants, with the remainder being passed directly to particular churches as directed by the participants. Ride+Stride is an important source of recurrent income for the Trust and meets about one quarter of our annual grant-giving capacity. The event takes place on the second Saturday of September.
The Organiser has three core activities – administrative; nurturing current volunteers and participants; and developing ways to recruit new participants. The role calls for general project management skills including attention to detail.
The Organiser is well-supported in specific areas of the work by professionals. For instance, we use an IT company to arrange for posting publicity on the website and mailshots, and managing online registrations and sponsorship receipts. We also have an expert who sets up social media posts, and we have a data manager who holds the necessary address lists.
The Organiser needs a friendly personal touch to correspond with all the volunteers – the participants, both those taking part to raise funds and others (the “church coordinators”) who help recruit participants locally and ensure that the churches are open and welcoming on the day. These people are all enthusiasts but it is important they feel encouraged and valued.
Well-tried protocols are in place, though there is always the possibility of finding simplification. November to April is a relatively quiet period – mainly answering payment queries and planning. The time required increases from April (revising paperwork and preparing the hardcopy mailshot), and from mid-July through to September is busiest (resolving queries and maintaining momentum particularly through publicity). The busy periods mean the post is suited to an individual who is retired or in part-time employment. There are three Trustee meetings and three Council meetings each year (roughly half these in person and half online by Zoom to reduce travel). The meetings typically run on a weekday from 10:30 for about two hours.
Might you be able to help us in this way, or can you suggest a suitable acquaintance? For further information, contact the Chair, Stephen Goss ([email protected]).