Third Sector work by Professor Linda Mckie

Third Sector

In the last decade I have worked as a trustee for three charities, in addition to undertaking research work with Third Sector organisations, including Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Scotland, Community Health UK, Lloyds TSB Foundation, and Queens Nursing Institute for Scotland.

Key skills include a knowledge of the legislation and governance of charities in both England and Scotland, financial management and ensuring aims and objectives are met while assessing and managing risks.

British Sociological Association

The British Sociological Association is the professional support organisation for those working in sociology in Great Britain. As an elected trustee for the association (2001-7) I undertook a range of work. Between 2002-4 I was treasurer and chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee, and in 2005-7 media liaison officer. Prior to election as a trustee I was chair of the Association's Equality of the Sexes Committee (1998-2001). Worked to review financial systems in a period of constraint. This included a full review of budget headings, systems and staffing and resulted in renewed health and sustainability.

Evaluation Support Scotland

Evaluation Support Scotland is a charity that provides specialist support across Scotland to voluntary organisations and their funders to help them to evaluate and learn. ESS helps voluntary organisations access evaluation tools and expertise and also works with funders to join up and simplify monitoring requirements to focus efforts on learning about what works. The mission of ESS is to improve evaluation capacity and skills, address the barriers to evaluation and increase learning from evaluation. I worked to develop the evidence base and concept of ESS and was active in its inception. Having worked from the start of ESS I have gained invaluable insights into the systems required to establish, run and maintain a charity. I was treasurer from its inception from 2005-7 and am now part of the strategic planning group.

Institute of Rural Health

The Institute of Rural Health is a UK-wide academic charity, established in 1997, working to inform, develop and promote the health and wellbeing of rural people and their communities through its three main academic programme areas: research and projects (contributing to the evidence base), education and training (developing a workforce fit for purpose), and policy analysis (including rural proofing). These three academic programmes have enabled the IRH to build up a knowledge base on rural health and wellbeing and develop a wide range of skills that it can offer to clients in the statutory, academic and charitable sectors. I have been a trustee from 2000 and worked with staff to support and develop research work and governance of the charity more generally. This included active involvement in a major review and re-structuring in 2005/6.