#57: Trusteeship
A Q&A with Getting On Board CEO, Penny Wilson
Hello!
Today is International Women’s Day, so we’re going to talk about boards. Specifically, charity boards.
Just like the private sector, charities rely on boards for strategic governance and oversight. And just like the tech sector, charity boards are not diverse. Fortunately, there are brilliant people like Penny Wilson who have dedicated themselves to solving this problem.
Penny is the CEO of trustee recruitment and diversity charity, Getting On Board. They’re on a mission to make charity boards reflective of the people they serve. Much of that work is about finding those people and encouraging them to apply for a board position.
And those people are us.
Let’s start with the basics. What is charity trusteeship? Why do charities have trustees?
Trustees are the volunteers who lead a charity and decide how it is run. Charities have a group of trustees who work together on a committee. Trustees are supposed to be ‘guardians of purpose’, ensuring that all decisions put the needs of the charity’s beneficiaries first. They also safeguard the charity’s assets (physical assets, including property, and intangible ones, like its reputation) to ensure the charity is run sustainably. There are around 1 million trustees across the UK alone.
Board seats are seats of power and that’s why we need those seats filled with the most diverse range of people possible. - Lauren Currie
Only 9% of trustee positions in the UK are advertised. The rest are recruited by word of mouth and existing networks. What are the consequences of this?
The consequences are drastic. 36% of trustees are women, only 8% are people of colour (vs 14% of the population), only 1/3 of trustees are under 50, and only 25% are from households below the national median for household income. 59% of charities say their trustee boards don't reflect the communities they serve. So if trustees recruit trustees by word-of-mouth, they are most likely to recruit more people like them. Consequently, the non-profit sector is missing out on swathes of amazing people who neither know nor get asked to be a trustee. Getting On Board is on a mission to change this.
Why do charities need to diversify their boards? What happens when they do?
Lots of reasons:
To reflect the communities they serve so that they can make the best decisions about what services they run.
To guard against groupthink by having a board of people who bring different perspectives.
To ensure wide access to talented people with the skills and knowledge the charity needs.
The list goes on!
Here are some examples of charities that have diversified their boards.
What are the benefits of becoming a charity trustee?
The short answer is that it's a fulfilling thing to do with your time. Trusteeship enables you to:
Boost your career
Trustees are exposed to a wide range of skills needed to oversee a charity: strategy and business planning, governance, HR, finance, marketing, fundraising, evaluation, property law and more. It can be an effective way to build your skills and your CV.
Give back to your community
As a trustee, you can donate your skills, time, and attention to a cause you love.
Trustees are often drawn to a charity because they’re passionate about a particular cause, whether that’s something they're interested in or something they've experienced themselves.Share your skills, knowledge, and experience
Everyone has something unique to offer a charity. Use our resource bank of templates and resources to help you identify your strengths.
Using your existing skills and experiences to make a difference to something you care about. All while developing new skills yourself. It feels amazing to contribute in that way. What's not to love?
What skills do you need to be a good trustee? What advice would you give to anyone thinking about becoming one for the first time?
Anyone can be a trustee. The key is finding a good match between what you can offer and what a particular charity needs.
What individual trustees bring to the table is hugely varied. From digital skills to the lived experience of poor mental health. From an understanding of how the NHS works to the experience of running a campaign to change a local policy. Good trustees also need to know that they will never be the finished article. Ongoing learning is key to the role—and is part of the joy of being a trustee.
A good first step is accessing the support from Digital Trustees and Getting on Board. My main piece of advice is to go for it (or at least look into it)!
Where can our readers go to find trustee openings?
In the UK, Reach Volunteering and Volunteer Scotland are two great places to start. But remember: only about 10% of vacancies are ever advertised. So if you see a local charity you love, email them and ask if they're looking for trustees.
What's the biggest challenge Getting On Board faces in fulfilling its mission?
The scale of the challenge of making trusteeship more accessible. Most UK adults don't know about trusteeship. Most charities don't recruit trustees openly. Charities don't reflect the people they serve. This is a huge challenge, but I feel optimistic as we are already turning the tide.
How can the tech and non-profit sectors come closer together?
A big gap on trustee boards is for tech and digital specialists. So think about becoming a trustee yourself, and if you're managing others, encourage them to look into it too.
If you're a tech specialist who's already a trustee, shout it from the rooftops! People need to hear your story.
Which three books have had the most significant impact on you as a leader and why?
I'm a massive reader, but it's the people I've come into direct contact with that have had the most impact on me. Not the great and the good, but the people quietly going about changing the world.
More questions for Penny? Reach out on LinkedIn.
If you’re a current or former charity trustee, tell us! What’s it like? What have you learned? And if you’ve never been a trustee, would you consider becoming one?
Thanks so much for reading,
Lauren
I've been a serial trustee for three decades or so - having been a Trustee of several not for profits, ranging from local, Scottish and UK arts, carers, environmental and disability causes - all subjects close to my heart.
Its rewarding - not financially, obviously, but more in terms of giving life extra meaning, learning new skills, and gaining empathy with fellow trustees and those who depend on us.
I don't expect to make close friends with other trustees, I find it better to stay impartial and independent of mind. The one thing that charities should not be is chums clubs - or even worse, Mom and Pop outfits.
As for diversity, this task does require two things in spades: free time, and real expertise, and I'm unconvinced by tokenism on diversity grounds alone - it can be uncomfortable. Sure, many trustees are older white educated males like me - and I agree this isn't ideal, and would always welcome younger folk , women or minorities onto a board, but they can be really hard to find with the right skillsets. Remember that the average Trustee appointment is for four to six years, and that most boards only meet in person five or six times a year - that simply isn't long or intense enough to build major new skills or close relationships.
Maybe we need 'apprenticeship' trustee roles as observers but without the full statutory responsibilities, which can be quite intimidating and formidable. Why do others think about this idea?