Tangram’s top tips for charity trustees
Tangram partners Laura and Andrew are both long serving trustees and non-executive advisors. It’s a role they both find hugely rewarding. This blog is for anyone who’s considering taking up a charity trustee, school governor or advisory board position. It provides some top tips if this is your first trustee role or if you’re looking to improve your skills.
It goes without saying that good governance, strong leadership and financial oversight are essential attributes for trustees and there are links to some resources featuring advice on these topics at the end of this post.
Laura’s top tips
Laura Bates is trustee for the National Youth Agency (NYA) and formerly served as a Governor at a London secondary school, leading on safeguarding and inclusion.
It's okay to not know everything about that organisation immediately: while of course a solid understanding is required, you don't need to know every single detail of how the organisation runs straight away. I think it can sometimes be a prohibitive mindset, especially if the organisation is outside of your sector knowledge. It's completely acceptable, particularly for new trustees, to admit "I don't currently understand that, but I will investigate it." In fact, asking for clarity or explanation is a key role of a trustee, particularly around in-house acronyms or lingo so don’t be afraid to question, you’ve been hired for a reason.
The commitment is more than four board meetings a year: positions are often advertised with the headline commitment of up to four board meetings per annum however, being an effective trustee requires a significant commitment beyond those quarterly meetings and that should be understood from the outset. It should include active engagement like attending events and away days, as relevant to the organisation. This will give you the best opportunities not only for understanding the work of your organisation but also for getting to know other trustees and staff and building relationships. It is still common for some boards to be weighted towards those who have retired and there is a constant push for younger and more diverse boards. In order to achieve that, those in full-time employment must fully appreciate the substantial time and availability required for this responsibility. It’s helpful if your day job is supportive and can offer you time to take the role on fully.
Your role is to champion and challenge: the role of trustees can (very) broadly be thought of as two-fold; to champion and to challenge. Many new trustees, including me earlier on in my career, found the challenge aspect difficult. It can feel hard to be a newcomer and ask challenging questions of an established SLT or Board. It’s important to remember that, quite simply, this is what you are there for: to constructively question and clarify, to ensure that business and strategic goals are being met and that your expertise is being utilised. If you’re a communications specialist, are you probing the organisation's communications goals and strategies to understand them fully? If you’re a financial expert, do the accounts stand up to interrogation? If there’s something you don’t understand or feel is taking away from the organisation's mission or vision, then it’s up to you to voice that confidently - which often comes with time. This sounding board role is essential. Equally vital is the champion role, making sure you are a vocal and visible supporter, using your networks and boosting the charity's profile through your own channels where appropriate.
Andrew’s top tips
Andrew Marcus is Co-Chair of Creative Estuary and a trustee of A New Direction, where he is Co-Chair of the impact and insight subcommittee. Andrew has previously served as a trustee of Shubbak Festival and Theatre Centre.
There’s nothing more rewarding than experiencing the creative output: one of the most enjoyable things about being a trustee is seeing the charity’s impact. If the charity is an arts or cultural organisation observing the artistic or creative work of the charity can be really good fun. So I’m always surprised how many arts organisation trustees don’t take the time to experience the artistic output. Make the time to see the work. It’ll make all those meetings spent reviewing a spreadsheet line by line feel all the more worthwhile.
Being a trustee is an opportunity for career development: chances are you were recruited to the board for your specific professional expertise or lived experience. As Laura says you aren’t expected to know everything so take the opportunity to learn from the experts around you. For example, if finance isn’t your strength, use being a trustee as an opportunity to learn from your charity’s treasurer and improve your financial understanding. Or if you want to develop better fundraising skills, spend time reading your charity’s funding applications to learn how it raises money. If you’ve got ambitions for a senior role in a charity yourself, you’ll need to work closely with trustees so being a trustee yourself is a good way to build empathy and understanding for your own trustees.
Be prepared for when things hit the fan: as a trustee you are legally responsible for the charity. This means when something goes wrong, it’s your role as a trustee to deal with it. The unexpected departure of a CEO, an HR investigation and PR crises are just a few things that you could find yourself dealing with. Right now, the economic climate means that many trustees are supporting organisations through really tough financial circumstances. I’m not saying this will happen to you, but be prepared that it might. Depending on the nature of the issue you face and if the charity’s finances allow, a Board might consider using external support in the form of experts and consultants for guidance and advice. Personally I enjoy helping organisations through difficult times, which I guess might be why I work as a consultant as well as serving as a trustee. But I appreciate this isn’t for everyone.
Resources
Here’s some resource we find helpful:
Arts Council England The Art of Leadership podcast
Charity Commission Charity trustee welcome pack
Charity Commission 5-minute guide videos
Governors for Schools 7 attributes of good governors
Maximising your impact as a trustee
Ultimately, being a charity trustee is a deeply rewarding commitment that allows you to contribute to an organisation's vital work. As Laura and Andrew have shared, effectiveness in this role extends beyond basic governance to active championing, confident challenge, continuous learning and a readiness to support the charity through any unforeseen challenge. By embracing these tips and leveraging the excellent resources available, you can maximise your impact and find real enjoyment in helping your charity thrive.
