Trustees Week runs from 12- 16 November and is a time to celebrate the important part that trustees play in the running of charities.
But what are Trustees?
What are Trustees?
Trustees are the people who lead the charity and decide how it is run. Being a trustee means making decisions that will impact people in their community or society as a whole. Trustees use their skills and experience to support their charities, helping them achieve their aims. Trustees also often learn new skills during their time on the board so being a trustee is a great way to learn.
Volunteering as a Trustee is a rewarding role but one that most volunteers don’t tend to consider. However your experience could make a lasting impact on the charity, for example your social media skills could help a charity keep up in the digital age; or you may be able to bring a different viewpoint to represent a certain part of the community and ensure that all members of the community are heard.
Volunteering as a Trustee is a rewarding role but one that most volunteers don’t tend to consider. However your experience could make a lasting impact on the charity, for example your social media skills could help a charity keep up in the digital age; or you may be able to bring a different viewpoint to represent a certain part of the community and ensure that all members of the community are heard.
How do I become a trustee?
You will find trustee vacanies in our latest Star Opportunities newsletter and through Volunteer Connect.
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Meet a Trustee…
Anna from Kingston recently volunteered at Kingston Carers Network as a Treasurer. She has ths following to say about her experience as a Trustee (taken from Kingston Carers Network website):
“I was attracted to the worthwhile cause and the growth in the charity’s reach.”
Hello, My name is Rhiannon and I volunteered for the KCN treasurer position in August 2017.
I qualified as a chartered accountant back in 2008 and my accounting career has specialised in the charity sector ever since, having worked for organisations including the NSPCC and The British Museum.
Last year I decided to reduce my paid employment from full to part time to fit in with family commitments, which I also saw as the perfect time in my career to ‘give something back’ by using some of my spare time to volunteer for a charity. I hoped I could share my charity finance expertise, and in particular my experience of working with charity fundraisers to secure much needed money, with a dynamic local charity. This is when I came across the treasurer advert for KCN which fitted the bill perfectly. Having researched the charity, I was attracted to the worthwhile cause and the growth in the charity’s reach over the past years.
I applied for the position and had an interview with the Chairman, and also met some of the other board members. We got on well and I was keen to commit to the role, and they were keen to have me as treasurer and trustee. It’s been a great varied position. I have attended monthly board meetings to present the charity’s financial position, worked with the CEO to advise on funding proposals and worked with KCN’s Finance Officer to assist on financial procedures. The KCN board and staff are a fantastic bunch and I strongly encourage those reading this to consider if they too would like to apply to join KCN’s board.
You can apply to be a Trustee at Kingston Carers Network here (via the form on the right hand side of the page)
