NCVO recently published a report on trustee recruitment and retention, highlighting the huge challenge many charities face. Its survey shows that four in five charities have at least one vacant board position.
An effective recruitment process is a key area in which trustees can improve their charity's governance. A well-balanced and engaged board is essential for the successful operation of a charity, and identifying the best people for the role is extremely important. That's where a robust recruitment process can help.
What are the steps for recruiting charity trustees?
Before you recruit
Check your governing document
Your charity's governing document should contain key provisions such as how many Trustees can be appointed, how they are appointed and what their term of office will be. Your charity's legal structure will also dictate how your Trustees are to be appointed and how their appointments are to be confirmed.
It's useful to sense-check your governing document while you're doing this. Is it still fit for purpose, and do the trustee provisions still meet the charity's needs? Is it out of step with current governance best practice and charity law and regulation? You should always take advice before amending your governing document.
Carry out an audit of skills, knowledge and experience on the board
Have you got the skills, knowledge and experience you need from the current board of Trustees? A skills audit will help you to establish that and the recruitment process can then help you fill those gaps.
Create your role description
This document will set out what the charity requires of the role and will help candidate(s) understand what is expected of them.
Consider equality, diversity and inclusion
The Charity Governance Code sets out that Board diversity, in the widest sense, is crucial because it creates more balanced decision making. It goes on to state that it increases a charity's legitimacy and impact. A diverse board of trustees, with a range of knowledge, skills, and experiences, helps the charity manage challenges that may arise and think flexibly. Your board of Trustees should be representative of the community and beneficiaries that it serves.
How do you select charity trustees?
Advertise the role
One way to reach a broader range of potential Trustees is to avoid the typical "word of mouth" approach to Trustee recruitment and advertise the role in a range of places. Try to pinpoint the audience you want to reach to address your skills gaps, and that will help you identify the best places to advertise.
Shortlist and interview
Carrying out a more formal recruitment process is an open and transparent way to recruit trustees. It ensures you stay focused on the skills gaps you identified earlier in the process.
Check the eligibility of your prospective trustee
This is an absolutely fundamental step. You must carry out various checks on your prospective trustee to ensure they are actually eligible to take on the role. You can start by checking whether the person is disqualified from acting as a charity trustee, but there are various other checks to carry out, which might vary depending on the type of activities you carry out.
Confirm the appointment
Confirming the appointment in writing is good practice and crucial from a record-keeping perspective. Also, make sure that any provisions in the charity's governing document are complied with and those steps are recorded in the relevant meeting minutes or resolution and that your candidate confirms acceptance of the role. The charity's records at the Charity Commission should be updated following the appointment, and Companies House and HMRC records might also need to be considered.
How should you onboard charity trustees?
Carry out an induction
This element is vital and enables you to really make your new trustee feel part of the organisation and understand how it operates. Show them your key policies and procedures and introduce them to key people from your organisation. Consider creating a Trustee Induction pack.
Trustee handbook
A trustee handbook is a key component of giving your new trustee everything they need to get up to speed with the role and can include a copy of the governing document, key policies and procedures, a schedule of Trustee meetings and key contact details.
As with all things relating to charity law, it is advisable to speak to a charity lawyer who can advise trustee recruitment, from reviewing existing processes to helping implement a whole new suite of documents.
