WE NEED TRUSTEES

The audit may include:

• A review of the professional and personal skills and experience of your current Board members
• Consideration of the challenges and opportunities your charity will face over the next five years 
• Identification of any gaps between the skills and experience you have now, and what you need to meet your organisation’s challenges. Will this change because of existing Trustees standing down?
• Consideration of what diversity of experience, of economic, social and geographical background, and protected characteristics would enhance your Board. In particular, does your Board reflect your beneficiaries or do you need to recruit someone with Lived Experience of the issues you are seeking to tackle?

Your advert is the window to your charity. It needs to appeal, both visually and in terms of content, to the people you want to attract.  

Top Tips -

• Make it clear: Provide relevant information in an easy and accessible way
• Make it engaging: Use a catchy attention grabbing headline and a simple conversational style
• What is your angle? Be clear on the purpose/goal of your charity and how new Trustees can help you achieve that
• Who is your target audience? Write your advert with that audience in mind. Think about what information will be most important to them and what tone of voice will be most effective
• Make it inclusive: remember to advertise in different ways, use audio and visual methods of communication to ensure you are being sensitive to differing needs
• Finally… for further inspiration, see our Go Volunteer Glos article

A Trustee recruitment pack/summary/video should be created to provide more information, so you don’t have to cram everything into an advert. Information may include:

• The achievements and plans of your charity
• The Trustee role
• Time commitment involved
• What type of skills/experience you are looking for
• What training and support you will offer

Where you place your advert is just as important as what it says. The key is to reach the type of people you’re looking for. You may want to consider using:



• Go Volunteer Glos: Advertise your Trustee opportunity with us where it can be seen by 100s of active local volunteers and you can also use our volunteer pool to find your perfect Trustee
• Trustee listing websites: There are specialist websites that provide a useful platform to advertise your Trustee vacancies
• Proactive, direct advertising: Advertising directly to your target audience can bring people on board that wouldn’t have otherwise considered becoming a Trustee
• Social media and interest groups: Reach out to a wider digital network and/or consider using paid-for (but low-cost) advertising 
•  Other places to advertise: Your own website, local newspapers and newsletters, neighbourhood magazines, relevant membership bodies, and posters in community locations 

Here are some tips for converting interest into applications:

• Limit the number of steps in the recruitment process – don’t make it seem daunting or onerous
• Explain the process and give clear timelines
• Be clear about how they need to apply
• Give a named contact to speak with potential applicants 
• Make sure whoever is answering queries is well-briefed on the role and the application process
• Actively reach out to people you would like to apply
• Reinforce your messaging by ensuring your advert is available through a variety of channels and in a variety of formats

It is important to be clear from the outset the essential and desirable criteria you are using to assess applications. This will help you treat applicants fairly and prioritise those that most closely match what you’re looking for. Remember to make sure you address any inclusion and accessibility needs; here is a helpful checklist

The induction process can really help new Trustees settle in quickly and start making a difference from the outset. A well-thought-out induction should:

• Set the tone for your future relationship – it reinforces the impression the charity is well-run and shows you are serious about the important contribution Trustees make
• Manage expectations of both Trustees and the charity about the role and commitment
• Help Trustees quickly get up to speed
• Build cohesiveness between new and existing Trustees

Here is a useful checklist for what it could include.

Overall, the main goal is to make sure the induction provides Trustees with the tools they need to thrive in their new role, remembering this will be determined by individual need.

• Having recruited a diverse range of Trustees, it’s important to consider the ongoing support that may be required to enable them to function effectively
• Here’s a checklist of things to consider when supporting Trustees with Lived Experience
• Remember everybody’s needs may be different

Consider creating a forum by which those with diverse backgrounds or those with Lived Experience can feed information into the Board.

Examples include:

• The Voices Council Mencap
• The Barnwood Circle