What is a Trustee?
Current student Felicity talks us through what is a Trustee
A trustee is a volunteer who is part of the governing body of a charity and they are responsible for the general running of that charity. It allows you a chance to help shape the direction of charity and to see the real world impact of your work in action. By joining Discovery as a trustee you will become part of a group of like minded people who share your goals, but also be one of over 1 millions trustees in the UK who are working with nearly 200,000 charities
As a Trustee I can focus and specialise in areas of running the charity that I feel most interested in from health and safety, community engagement, fundraising and social media and communication. It allows me to shape the role in a manner that lets me build on skills I already have or learn new ones all with the support of Discovery and my fellow trustees. I began my role as a Trustee after volunteering and being a project co-ordinator, but you can run to be a Trustee at any point during your time with Discovery.
What are a Trustees Responsibilities?
As a Trustee I attend a couple of meetings a year, alongside some sub committee meetings in an area of interest, for me this is social media and communication. These meetings help lay down the pathway that Discovery will follow for the future and as a Trustee I get to be a decision maker in the strategic direction of Discovery.
The general responsibilities of a trustee are;
- Comply with Discovery’s governing document and the law around charities
- Help keep things accountable
- Ensure Discovery is carrying out projects that reflect its ethos and for the benefit of participants and volunteers.
- Act in Discovery’s best interests with reasonable care and skill
- Manage Discovery’s resources responsibly (finances and assests)
- Lead the strategic development of Discovery
- Contribute skills and expertise to the charity.
Why become a trustee?
The short answer is anyone can. You don’t have to have 20 years of experience or lots of qualifications to be on the trustee board. In fact, in recent years there has been a push to have more young people involved as Trustees. A charity must reflect the community it serves, and so a Trustee board is at its strongest when it is diverse as this ensures a wider range of skills and experiences within the team.
- Being a Trustee can enhance career prospects
- As a Trustee you are a decision maker and sitting at a senior table within the charity. It allows you to get involved with every single aspect of the charity and build professional networks. Variety is the spice of life and a role as a trustee can be as varied or as focused as you want it to be so you can tailor what you do to best reflect your career plans.
- Gain new skills
- The opportunities that arise with the role are great for building skills such as leadership and enhancing your CV. You can build on skills you already have or learn new ones all within a supportive environment. If you want to learn more about the fundraising that charities have to do there is a sub committee for that, if you prefer to explore social media management and communication you can focus on that instead. Overall, being a Trustee lets you operate at a senior level within the organisation, and working as a team in this role can develop skills for management roles – such as communication, goal-setting, teamwork, negotiation and leadership.
- Giving Back
- As a Trustee you are donating your time, skills, and attention to a cause you feel passionate about. Giving to others can make you feel good. In fact, research suggests giving back can boost your overall life satisfaction. The Women’s Philanthropy Institute published a report in 2017 that found that people are happier when they give to others and that the more, they give or do is related to how happy they are.
Being a Trustee with Discovery for this last year has been amazing. It has helped me enhance skills I already had while developing new ones and I’ve also made friends and been able to experience leadership roles I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to. I would recommend the role to anyone, especially those wishing to experience more management and leadership roles or who want to develop transferable skills that enhance their employability.
Discovery provides a safe and friendly space in which to experience this role and to develop these skills and it is an opportunity not to be missed.
If you are interested in applying drop Discovery an email . Please note that applications close on Friday 12th November at 10am.
