Overview
Trustees, Board and Commitee members help to ensure that organisations are being managed properly, although they don't get involved in the day-to-day operation. Rather, they are responsible for the strategic development of the organisation.
Their roles differ from other volunteering roles in that they may be required to take on legal responsibilities under charity law, and maybe even company law.
However, it should be remembered that trustees are still volunteers, and need to be recognised as such. They have an important role to play within the organisation, and their contribution can be rewarded along with the organisation's other volunteers, through events such as Volunteers' Week.
Trustees can often be recruited through the same methods as other volunteers, and will require an induction to help them understand their roles and responsiblities. Where appropriate, some trustees may also need training, and there are a number of organisations that offer support and guidance, which are listed below. As with other volunteers, it's important for trustees to build good working relationships with paid staff, and feel that they are a part of the organisation's daily life.
Articles
Examples
Please visit the links below for examples of policies and documents relating to governance.
Links
- Councils for Voluntary Service can often offer support and resources on governance and trustee issues. Some also have Trustee or Chairs' Networks, which enable local trustees (or Chairs) to share good practice and discuss specific issues with their peers. For more information please visit:
http://www.navca.org.uk/localvs/governance/
Publications
Free publications
Priced publications
Share your experiences!
The Good Practice Bank is growing steadily as more information is added to it. An important feature of the Bank is allowing users to share their documents with other volunteering organisations. We are particularly interested in receiving example policies or documents that you are happy to share with others. If we use your contribution, you could win a book on volunteering from our regular prize draw.
