Trustee
The Role:
Bristol Zoological Society
The Client:
Bristol Zoological Society (BZS) is a conservation and education Charity that’s committed to working with communities to save wildlife together. The organisation protects threatened and endangered species through direct conservation action and engaging people with the natural world. Their conservation science efforts are worldwide, from helping to re-introduce white-clawed crayfish into UK rivers to working with communities in the Philippines to save the critically endangered Negros bleeding heart dove.
In their recent history, BZS has overseen the closure of Bristol Zoo Gardens and created a new conservation zoo. This is enabling them to focus resources on threatened species protection, education, field conservation and research. Their vision is for wildlife to be a part of everyone’s lives and for people to have the desire and ability to protect wildlife - this will be facilitated by their 15-year strategic plan. This plan outlines how the society will become a more effective conservation charity that harnesses research, fieldwork and education. Additionally, BZS aims to increase public engagement and understanding of animals’ needs, creating a future where wild animals and humankind thrive together.
To achieve this vision, they were seeking a fundraising expert to join their Board of Trustees. They approached Moon’s Charity Practice based on our track record of placing accomplished Trustees. We were tasked with finding a candidate with the perfect mix of skills and experience for this role.
The main challenge of this search campaign was finding candidates with large capital fundraising experience. The Trustee needed a proven track record in guiding major capital campaigns or experience advising on income development at a senior level. Candidates needed to demonstrate leadership, drive and strategic oversight, and preferably a strong personal network in the South-West.
Sandy Hinks, Head of Moon’s Charity Practice, led the search campaign. Sandy held in-depth discussions with BZS to gain a full understanding of the organisation and their need for a Trustee. Sandy conducted a comprehensive search campaign, utilising all available resources, including a deep dive of her personal network, an advertising initiative and a headhunting operation.
Our search yielded some remarkable candidates with the necessary skillsets to succeed in the role. Following an interview process, we narrowed this down to a shortlist of candidates that were a good fit for BZS. The shortlisted candidates held informal talks with the CEO to get a better feel for the organisation.
We were thrilled that one of our proposed candidates, Rosa Corbishley, filled the Trustee vacancy. Rosa has significant experience working on Capital Campaign projects within the sectors of conservation, heritage, education, and visitor attraction. Our search team were particularly impressed by her approach to strategic funding at director level, and her role in securing £132m for the Bristol Beacon building transformation.
Rosa commented:
“I’m delighted to join Bristol Zoological Society’s Board of Trustees. Sandy made the recruitment process straightforward and enjoyable. I look forward to helping BZS achieve their conservation goals.”
Bristol Zoological Society were thoroughly impressed by the shortlist we provided. They decided to place two of the candidates in different positions within the organisation. One is in a role providing mentorship to the Head of Development, and the other sits on their Public Engagement and Advisory Board.
Hannah Windross, Director of People and Public Engagement, commented:
“Thank you so much for your help on recruitment – you really did find some brilliant candidates. It has been a smooth, easy and effective process – we couldn’t have asked for more.”
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