FINCA was established in 1984 with a vision of a world in which all people have an opportunity to determine their own destiny, rather than endure the struggle and indignity of a pre-determined fate. For almost 40 years, it has created innovative ways to invest the wisdom, talent and work ethic of the world’s poorest people, so they can break the cycle of poverty in their lives. As the founder and majority shareholder of FINCA Impact Finance, a global network of community-based micro-finance institutions and banks, FINCA International is enabling access to responsible and innovative financial services for over two million low-income clients in Africa, Eurasia, Latin America, the Middle East and South Asia. Through its research team, it tracks the social performance of FINCA Impact Finance’s global network of micro-finance institutions and banks.  

To catalyse further economic growth and alleviate poverty in underserved markets, FINCA International is also investing in and supporting the rise of social enterprises delivering basic service and financial innovation. As a pioneer in micro-finance, it has created a sustainable and scalable social enterprise. Because of this, the organisation is uniquely positioned to help social enterprises grow faster and smarter, and reach a bottom of the pyramid (BOP) market more effectively and responsibly. Combined, FINCA International’s work in micro-finance and social enterprise catalyses greater resilience and opportunity, and helps low-income families achieve a better standard of living in 40 countries around the world. To ensure deep and meaningful impact for both micro-finance clients and social enterprise customers, its research team uses a customer-driven research methodology to align programmes with mission, and to provide useful intelligence for enhancing the organisation’s work.

FINCA International is a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Washington, D.C. and registered in the State of New York. In addition to maintaining its majority shareholder position in FINCA Impact Finance, it raises philanthropic capital to support innovations in digital financial services, to grow and strengthen its social enterprise programs, and to fund ongoing social performance and impact measurement research. FINCA Impact Finance – the trade name for FINCA Microfinance Holding Company LLC (FMH) – is a socially-responsible investment partnership that owns and operates twenty micro-finance institutions and banks on five continents.

FINCA UK is a charitable organisation affiliated with FINCA International and is aligned with its overall mission and values.

FINCA UK seeks to appoint one to two Trustees with a strong alignment with its vision and mission who, in addition to formal Board meetings, will be willing to undertake informal engagement with the charity and its executive team.

Responsibilities of the Trustee may include:

• Contributing to the Board’s collective role in setting the charity’s strategic direction and providing effective oversight of its operation and governance
• Ensuring that the charity uses its resources in line with its charitable objects
• Carrying out the core responsibilities of charity governance, as set out in Charity Commission Guidance and the Charity Governance Code
• Safeguarding the reputation and values of the charity and have an active concern for diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to increasing the impact of the charity
• Acting as an ambassador for the charity and using its networks to promote its work
• Attending and engaging in training and events as required

FINCA UK seeks to appoint one to two Trustees to its Board. It is looking for enthusiastic, engaged and collaborative individuals to make a distinctive contribution to the continued success of this organisation. It welcomes interest from those with a variety of personal and professional backgrounds and is seeking individuals who are well connected and have the passion to advocate for FINCA UK to guide the growth of this organisation.

A requirement for this position is an interest in the social impact FINCA UK has on impoverished communities. The successful candidates will be motivated and passionate towards its cause and will have an understanding of the issues people face in developing countries. FINCA UK expects its Trustees to make a meaningful contribution towards its cause, and recognises that can be achieved in different ways, such as a financial donation, connecting the organisation through the Trustee's own networks, or attending fundraising events.

FINCA UK is open to hearing from interested candidates from a variety of different backgrounds, which includes candidates who have not had previous charity experience, or previous non-executive experience. FINCA UK is also committed to improving the diversity of its Board. For more information, please see the Diversity section below.

For more information on FINCA UK's Board composition, please see here.

The time commitment for this role consists of quarterly meetings and ad hoc engagement where needed. This role is unremunerated, but pre-agreed reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed. The initial term would be for three years, with the opportunity to renew.

The successful candidate will be UK-based.

FINCA UK welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. As women and those from ethnic minority backgrounds are currently under-represented on the Board, applications from those candidates would be particularly encouraged. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where diverse candidates can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.