Trustee Roles 101
In one of our previous blog posts, we gave you the lowdown on trustees. We looked at what a trustee is, the benefits of taking on a trustee role, and the responsibilities that come with it.
In this post, we’re going to look at:
the composition of a charity board
the skills and experience charities look for when recruiting board members
the various roles you can apply for
Before we dive in, here’s a quick recap on the role of a trustee board.
A trustee is a volunteer who serves on the governing body of a charity, (known as the board of trustees.) The board has overall control of a charity and is responsible for making sure the charity does what it was set up to do.
Taking on a trustee role is a great way to help your community/a cause you care about while meeting new people and developing new skills. An invigorating and dynamic role, it puts you at the very heart of a charity and its work.
Composition of a charity board
Charity boards often comprise of 5-12 trustees. And they thrive on diversity, so charities look to recruit trustees of all ages, and from a range of backgrounds, with a variety of skills, experience, and perspectives.
Every charity is different, but most boards consist of trustees with a mix of:
Specific professional or business skills such as finance, marketing, IT, or human resources.
Personal, lived experience of the issues the charity focuses on.
‘Soft’ skills such as facilitating, teamwork, problem-solving, or even building the social side of being on a board.
Experience working at a strategic level.
Honorary Officers
You can either apply to be a general trustee or what is known as a ‘charity’ or ‘honorary officer’. While each trustee has equal legal and financial responsibility, charity officers carry out specific duties to help the board function effectively.
Charity officer roles include a Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary, and they’re usually appointed/elected by the board.
What do honorary officers do?
Every charity is different, but we’ve outlined the key responsibilities for each role to give you an idea of what’s required.
Chair
The primary role of a chair is to provide leadership to the board.
Responsibilities
taking responsibility for the board’s composition and development
planning and conducting board meetings
ensuring the board is effective in setting and implementing the charity’s direction and strategy.
supporting and supervising the chief executive and acting as a channel of communication between the board and staff
acting as a figurehead for the charity (for example, representing it at functions, meetings, or in the press).
leading on the development of the board and making sure that its decisions are carried out.
taking urgent action (but not decision-making unless authorised) between board meetings when it isn’t possible or practical to hold a meeting.
Vice-chair
Some boards recruit a vice chair. In some cases, the vice-chair acts as a deputy for the chair, taking on the chair’s role when the chair is absent. In others, the vice-chair is the ‘chair in waiting’ or ‘chair designate’ and will take over the chair’s role at the end of their tenure.
Treasurer
The treasurer helps trustees carry out their financial responsibilities.
Responsibilities
presenting financial reports to the board in a format that helps the board understand the charity’s financial position.
advising the board on how to carry out its financial responsibilities.
ensuring compliance with financial systems and policies.
working with professional advisors.
overseeing the preparation of annual accounts.
taking on some of the day-to-day financial duties, such as book-keeping, budgeting, and preparation of reports (particularly in small charities)
In case you’re wondering, the Treasurer is not solely responsible for the charity’s finances. All the trustees are jointly responsible and should be able to understand, consider and comment on financial information.
Secretary
The role of the Secretary is to support the Chair in ensuring the smooth functioning of the board.
Responsibilities
Liaising with the Chair to plan committee meetings.
Ensuring meetings are effectively organised and minuted.
Checking that agreed actions from board meetings are carried out.
Keeping up-to-date contact details of board members.
Keeping a record of the organisation’s activities.
Acting as a custodian of the organisation’s governing documents.
Ensuring elections are in line with stipulated procedures.
Ensuring organisation’s activities are in line with its objectives.
Ensuring charity and company law requirements are met.
Sitting on appraisal, recruitment, and disciplinary panels, as required.
Ensuring meetings are in person or online in line with the governing document.
Responding to all committee correspondence.
Preparing a report of the organisation’s activities for the Annual General Meeting.
Interested in becoming a trustee and want some help finding the right cause and role? We can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to chat to our friendly team.