Charity trustees are some of the most important people in a charity. They have the potential to enable a charity to thrive or bring its operations grinding to a halt, and a charity’s service users are dependent on its trustees to make good decisions and lead well. Charities need a wide range of skills from their trustees, to understand and address the many challenges charities can face and navigate the changing context in which they operate. They need trustee boards that can challenge one another and the status quo, that bring different experiences, knowledge and ideas, but that are able to work constructively and enthusiastically as a team. That is why board diversity is so important – because diversity brings together the rich mix of qualities that make a healthy and effective board.
Getting on Board has launched new free guidance for charities looking to recruit diverse, robust and effective trustee boards. Getting on Board is a charity that helps individuals, employers and members of professional networks become new leaders in communities through board-level volunteering. They collated the learnings from their Trustee Recruitment Pathways programme into a comprehensive eight step guide to recruiting trustees.