The Himalayan Trust UK has been working since 1989 to help the mountain people of Nepal. We strive to improve the health and education in the mountainous regions of Northeastern Nepal, particularly in the Taplejung region.
We still hold to the guiding principles laid down by Sir Edmund Hillary when he founded the first Himalayan Trust in 1960:
- To focus on basic infrastructure – education, health, environment
- To do only that which is requested by the mountain people
- To involve the mountain people themselves in the work – “self help”
- To minimise all unnecessary cost and to facilitate direct transfer of funds
- To look for long term sustainability and independence for the mountain people
Click here to find out more about our impact and current work
What are we looking for?
The HTUK currently has an annual budget of about £120K. We wish to increase this by about 30% to allow us to expand our health-related activities, to extend the educational training supported by HTUK and to meet growing needs for improved facilities and resources in both schools and health clinics.
We have a number of loyal and regular individual donors and have, in the past, been supported by the fundraising efforts of schools. We organise an annual Hillary Memorial Lecture that attracts an audience of 600-700 people. We have recently introduced a new website and have started to use social media and blogs. We need to reach out to a wider audience and convert our (social) followers and Lecture attendees into (regular) donors. We have to date successfully raised all of the funding for the current projects, but we don’t have specialist backgrounds in fundraising. We know that we could be doing more if we had a trustee with specialist knowledge in that field to help us set our overall fundraising strategy.
We now seek a new trustee with experience in this area to coordinate our activities.
The nature of the role
HTUK is a small charity which prides itself on keeping administrative costs below 4% of donations. For this reason we do not employ anyone in an executive role. It is expected that each trustee will be involved in the general work of the Trust (overseeing the strategy and direction of the organisation, reviewing the activities of our NGOs in Nepal, supporting events etc) and in addition have a specialist role in line with their own experience and qualifications.
Fundraising specification
- To create, implement and manage a fundraising strategy and programme, in consultation with other members of the board, to enable us to increase our income from donors, trusts and other sources of funding.
- To monitor and adapt this strategy through a process of regular review and discussion.
- To contribute to the overall strategy and direction of the work of the HTUK
- To attend two Trust meetings each year (usually in London)
- To support events and other initiatives as may be organised by the HTUK
The ideal candidate will have
- Significant experience and proven success in charitable fundraising
- Experience in successfully attracting new supporters and followers
- An interest in the country and people of Nepal and is highly motivated to support them
- Is prepared to roll up their sleeves
- Enjoys working with others in a team
Rewards of the role
The HTUK trustees are a committed group of people who enjoy each other’s company, support each other’s initiatives and share a strong motivation to meet the aims of the Trust. There are some dedicated funds to contribute to the expenses of trustees who wish to visit Nepal to support HTUK’s work in the Taplejung area. Seven trustees have made such visits in recent years and have not only enjoyed the experience immensely but also returned better able to understand and support the work of the Trust.
How to apply
You should send a CV and letter of application to enquiries@himalayantrust.co.uk outlining your suitability for the role and relevant experience. Deadline: 8 April 2019
