What are Link Friends?
List of Link Friends: Link Friends 2011 [Excel: 31KB - new window]
What is Quaker Stewardship Committee?
The Quaker Stewardship Committee (QSC) is set up to assist all parts of Britain Yearly Meeting in exercising the stewardship of their resources. It reports annually to Yearly Meeting on this function.
QSC’s areas of interest include:
- Trusteeship responsibilities
- Administration and governance
- Charity Registration
- Property management
- Financial accountability
Description of Link Friends scheme
Each member of the committee is personally linked (as ‘Link Friends’) with area and other meetings in a particular region. The purpose of these links is to provide all meetings with an individual on the committee who will build up knowledge of that meeting to help to interpret advice and be a listening ear. For many meetings, this is a time of internal reorganisation as well as changes catalysed by new charities legislation. Link Friends provide help, advice and support for meetings undergoing change.
Link Friends are not necessarily experts, and are not able to provide any sort of audit or examination of accounts. However, drawing on their contacts within QSC, they can help to pass on useful ideas, or to point Friends towards help from staff at Friends House.
Help can be offered in a number of ways e.g.
- Advice via email or phone
- Informal visit to talk with a group managing change
- More formal visit to talk with the area meeting.
Link Friends will receive copies of the relevant annual accounts and reports, which are submitted to Friends House each year.
Link Friends also bring significant concerns about issues within meetings they are in contact with to the attention of QSC as a whole. This will enable others to help, rather than leaving issues unanswered.
Contact with any member of QSC and paper copies of QSC publications can be made through Helen Griffith (heleng@quaker.org.uk).
Updated September 2009
