What makes a good charity trustee?

What makes a good charity trustee?

It is very important for charities to have trustees with the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to carry out their roles effectively. Each charity needs to carry out their own assessment to identify the relevant attributes to best achieve the organisation’s aims.

Diversity

Having a diverse range of trustees will ensure the organisation is fair and open in its work. This includes having trustees from parts of the community which have traditionally not played a large part in charities, such as young people, people from minority and ethnic communities and people with disabilities. Creating a diverse board can also help to increase accountability and public confidence.

As part of our process at Thewlis Graham Associates, we can utilise our Executive Search database to provide access to a vast pool of talent and expertise. Through the use of online audio and web conferencing platforms, we can conduct effective and efficient interviews, produce a diverse long list and a well-balanced shortlist of strong candidates.

Skills Audit

A starting point is to assess the skills of current trustees to identify any gaps that need to be filled. For small charities the assessment could be quite simple but for larger organisations a more formal and structured approach may be needed. This could include a skills audit. Templates are available at the following site How to complete a skills audit | Reach Volunteering.

It is useful to carry out an annual skills audit to meet changing needs. A charity will often benefit from trustees who reflect, and have a detailed understanding and knowledge of, the communities it aims to serve.

As part of our services, Thewlis Graham Associates can help clients define their needs and work together to design a competence framework, drawing out the key skills required and produce an informative Candidate Brief that attracts the right people to the right role.

Qualities of a trustee

There is really no single set of skills suitable for all charities. Each organisation needs to recruit people with the knowledge, skills and experience relevant to the charity and any specific roles e.g. Chair, Secretary etc. However, there are some general qualities which are likely to beneficial to all charities including;

• commitment and enthusiasm for the aims, values and work of the charity
• knowledge of services provided and key stakeholders
• ability to work collaboratively together to achieve the aims of the charity.
• willingness to give their time and energy to carrying out any role including preparing and attending meetings.
• ability to analyse information and contribute to problem solving.
• willingness to make collective decisions and stand by them.
• good communication skills.
• maintaining confidentiality on sensitive and confidential information.
• respecting boundaries between employees and trustees.
• awareness of the legal requirements including safeguarding, fundraising, employment and health and safety.

Thewlis Graham Associates value, above anything else, the partnerships we build with both clients and candidates. As part of our services, we can provide ongoing support by keeping in touch and offering advice and guidance to carry both clients and candidates forward to a successful appointment. 

Vetting trustees

The appointment of a new trustee is an important matter. Before appointing a new trustee the trustee board must make sure it is acting within the law, in accordance with the charity’s governing document. Charities should also ensure that a prospective trustee understands the responsibilities they are taking on and can be relied on to carry them out responsibly.

In addition some people may be disqualified by law from acting as trustees but further guidance can be found on the Charity commission website Finding new trustees - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

At Thewlis Graham Associates, we offer quality assurance to our clients when it comes to vetting candidates and we use the UK’s leading background check provider ‘People Check’ to protect our clients brand, reputation and mitigate hiring risks.

Written by Lizzy Turek - TGA Client Research Associate