NCVO    ran a recruitment and retention session as part of trustees month, based on the  Understanding Trustee Recruitment and Retention Challenges report, the discussion brought up many questions to reflect upon to create rewarding Trustee experiences.

• What are the expectations/motivations for serving on the board?

Do you or members of your board want to be involved in the front-line delivery of the charity, rather than the legal and financial duties of being a trustee?  How can a compromise be drawn to ensure trustees have a sense of being part of the core work of the charity and carrying out their trustee roles?

Do you expect your trustees to get involved in the day-to-day operations, is this because you are short of resources? Is it clear to Trustees this is over above trustee duties?

• Is there a clear role description that potential trustees can see?

Having a clear description will give potential Trustees an opportunity to see whether they have the time commitment and skills for the role, reviewing the role description will help you reflect on what your current trustees are doing and realign expectations.

• Are your meetings fun?

Okay, there doesn’t need to be a party as such, but if meetings are held in the evening after a long working day, can food be provided and some space for social chat?

If trustees can get to know each other, this will help build the board enormously.

• How do you support new trustees?

A buddy/mentor can help new trustees get to grips with the organisation, and understand the history, challenges and opportunities more quickly than attending several board meetings.

• How do you fill in skills and knowledge gaps?

If you expect trustees to fill in all the gaps when it comes to tricky legal and financial issues, think again! If you need advice and guidance outside the organisation for the board to make decisions -build professional fees into your budget to give you confidence to seek help when needed.

• Are your structures and processes clear and embedded?

As Trustees are you clear about procedures for safeguarding, equality, finance, complaints, volunteering and health and safety?  Are there policies that are reviewed and easy to access?  If the organisation has not reviewed these for over 3 years, this is something to look at as a priority.

• How long have you been a Trustee?

It’s not a good idea to be a Trustee for too many years, reviewing the terms that trustees serve will help you have a succession plan for when you recruit a new trustee. ‘I am the only person who will do it /knows XYZ information‘ is not a sign of a healthy organisation.

• How can you attract people to volunteer as a trustee for your organisation?

How do you attract your trustees, is it by word of mouth and personal connections? Do you tend to attract certain types of people, same-sex, age and ethnicity? What can you do to be more diverse or relevant to attract younger people or people with lived experience?

When you are thinking ahead about succession planning, try different methods such as social media to attract different trustees, what else can trustees benefit from for their own personal/career development?

• What are the opportunities for blending and lending trustees?

    ‘Serial’ trustees do exist! People who have served on different boards can use their experiences of what works and doesn’t. We probably all know someone who is one of these, why don’t you reach out and ask them for their insights?

Resources:

Finding and advertising for trustees Reach Volunteering   Volunteer Cambs

The Charity Trustees Handbook