In our last blog we talked about why it’s so important to get the right board, made up of people who reflect the diversity of the communities you serve. Gone are the days of white middle-class, male boards, with an average age of over 60; but it can be hard to recruit a more diverse range of people. Here’s a few things to think about.
How to attract trustees
Recruitment of trustees is a tricky business with 74% of organisations finding it difficult, according to Getting on Board, who aim to change the face of trusteeship.
A quick search reveals the number of trustee roles being advertised at any one time on various sites such as Do It (400) and Reach Volunteering (600). So how do you get your advert to stand out from the crowd?
Promoting your organisation, its mission, its values and the impact it makes is incredibly important; and so is promoting the benefits of becoming a trustee.
So, what are they?
Why become a trustee?
Getting on Board promote becoming a trustee as a way to fast-forward your career, build new skills and widen your network – as well as a chance to give back to the causes you love.
The charity, which supports and trains charities to improve their board recruitment, has some handy facts to share about trustee benefits, shown in the infographic below.
Some great incentives there!
This blog, from recruitment site Reach Volunteering, talks about 5 key benefits of becoming a trustee for anyone aiming to move forward in their career.
This handy 4-minute read from Charity Jobs, on why people should consider becoming a trustee and what the role involves says:
“Becoming a trustee is both a rewarding way to help your community and a way to learn fantastic new skills. It’s an invigorating and dynamic role, which puts you at the very heart of a charity and its work, liaising with a team of like-minded people.”
Trustees Unlimited offer a similar summary:
“Becoming a trustee allows you to make a difference to the cause you believe in. It’s an opportunity to use your professional skills and life experiences to make an impact on an organisation and on yourself.”
So, when recruiting trustees, what else should you make clear?
Getting on Board say a key component of your advert should be a summary of what you do, who you support, and why that’s important. This could simply be a re-statement of your vision and mission, or the summary you include in your Trustees’ Annual Report.
As we highlighted in our last blog, Getting on Board have an amazing free download on how to recruit trustees. Check out all these links on our Governance and Trustees page.
Lots of people will not know what being a charity trustee involves, so it’s important to clearly outline the role, but without putting people off!
This summary from Charity Job outlines the job of a trustee:
“A trustee is a volunteer who serves on the governing body of a charity, responsible for the general running of the organisation. As the role is voluntary, it’s not generally a paid position (although many charities will pay things like expenses and travel). But it’s also not a full-time job. Most trustee boards meet monthly or even quarterly. That means you can pursue trustee positions at several charities and even do it alongside your regular full-time position.”
Charity Jobs is a paid for recruitment site, charging £225 for a 30-day listing of your role. The site has 4.1m users each year and 91% say they would use the service again.
Sites that help recruit volunteers were also listed in last week’s blog and can be found on our Governance and Trustees page.
Check out our Governance and Trustees page for all the links to all the resources listed above.
Read Part Three for information on Supporting Trustees