Charities need trustees: could you be one?
02 Nov 2015
Find out how you could get involved during Trustees’ Week 2015 (2-8 November) - the sixth annual celebration of trusteeship
Trustees’ Week aims to highlight the great work that trustees do, and to draw attention to the opportunities for people from all walks of life to get involved and make a real difference. No formal qualifications are usually needed, and many charities need more trustees.
Trustees are the people in charge of a charity. They may be called trustees, directors, board members, governors or committee members, but they are the people with ultimate responsibility for directing the business of the charity. They are often the unsung heroes, playing a vital role, volunteering their time, working together to make the decisions that really matter about the charity's finances, activities and plans for the future.
Many of our staff have become voluntary trustees in their free time often out of personal interests and values and sometimes because there is a link to teaching, research or professional capabilities. Roles are undertaken in an individual rather than a University capacity. However, they can provide a number of benefits in terms of developing board-level skills, making a difference to a particular community, or insight into particular social issues and challenges.
If you interested in becoming a trustee, you can find information on the government website. Charitable organisations can be approached directly about vacancies. Lists of vacancies can also be found on the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), Charity Job site and the Do-It Trustee Finder site. There are also organisations dedicated to addressing under-representation at Board-level such as Women on Boards.
Whilst the role of a trustee is an individual and voluntary one, staff should adhere to the University’s policy on outside work and consultancy by informing and discussing this with their line manager and declaring this in their local Register of Interests.
Further information