Having formally taken up her new role this month (1st November) the Association of Jersey Charities’ (AJC) first ever Chief Executive Beth Gallichan has outlined her priorities for the organisation.
Following the AJC’s AGM in September, where Beth (pictured) gave a brief introduction, she has highlighted the key role she believes charities play in the local community and set out her agenda for the coming months.
In her new role, Beth will lead the AJC in delivering on its key objectives to encourage and facilitate charitable work, promote collaboration among charities, assist and represent charities, provide training and distribute charitable funds.
Commenting at her vision for the AJC and Jersey’s charitable sector, Beth said: “In a week when our community has been shaken by the storm, events have provided a stark reminder of the incredible work done by all the emergency and essential services as well as those charities who have been available for those in urgent need of support.
“In addition to the challenges posed by the storm, I am also acutely aware that the wider economic challenges and inequalities that impact charities continue to grow, while funding is harder to secure. My experience also means that I understand the value of charities to our community and their role in island life. Many people who work at or support local charities have a lived experience, with many years of developing relationships and connections with beneficiaries, volunteers and communities. They have stories to share that bring to life the work local charities do. There’s no doubt that charities are often the heroes.
“As a sector, we have a responsibility to shape the future of our compassionate and caring community. At the same time, though, the economic challenges and inequalities charities face will continue to grow. This means charities will need to be more creative and focused on making multi-year plans that provide confidence and are able to clearly demonstrate the difference they make.”
Highlighting her priorities for her first 100 days in the role, she added: “My role is to represent the charity sector in Jersey as best I can, and to achieve that my priority will be to meet with AJC members, partners and other organisations over the coming weeks, and take time to listen to and understand the concerns and potential solutions charities in Jersey share. By the beginning of February, I hope to have a clearer sense of direction so that the AJC can set out a robust plan that will enable us to celebrate our successes and evidence our collective impact as an inclusive, diverse, professional, resilient and sustainable sector.”
