On Board: What is a Trustee?

While I officially joined the Board of Trustees just five months ago, I have learnt a great deal in that time. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to grips with the role, meeting the charity’s Senior Management Team, getting to know the rest of the board and attending my first board meetings.

The role of a trustee in any charity is an important one, and one that must exist in order for a charity to operate. However, prior to applying to become a trustee myself, I wasn’t fully aware of the many legal reasons behind this.

After all, the word ‘trustee’ can be a little vague if you don’t have much experience of the term. It’s not a role that exists in private businesses, or in the public sector - so what exactly does it mean in the context of a charity?

The gov.uk website defines a charity trustee as having “overall control of a charity” and being “responsible for making sure it’s doing what it was set up to do.”

It also states that “trustees are the people who lead the charity and decide how it is run” and “use their skills and experience to support their charities, helping them achieve their aims”.

So, when it comes to the structure of Age UK Plymouth, the Board of Trustees sits above the CEO of the charity. This means that all decisions made by the CEO and Senior Management team on how the charity is run must also be approved by the trustees.

The role of a charity trustee is normally an unpaid one, so all those who sit on a charity’s board are volunteers who give up their time to support the charity. The Age UK Plymouth Board meets six times a year, and many trustees are also members of sub-committees and attend meetings for these as well.

It is a big commitment, but also a very rewarding role to fulfill.

What responsibilities does a trustee have?

Want to know a bit more about the responsibilities of a charity trustee? Here are the six main duties of the role:

1.   Ensure the charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit

This is perhaps the most important responsibility of a charity trustee. All trustees must make sure that the charity is always fulfilling the purpose for which it was set up, and no other purpose.

This includes making sure that all decisions made by the CEO help to meet the charity’s goals and achieve the things that the charity was set up for.

2.   Comply with the charity’s governing document and the law

Trustees must also make sure that the charity complies with its governing document. This document includes things like the charity’s purpose, who the trustees are, how trustees should be appointed and removed, and how trustee meetings are arranged and carried out.

In addition to this, trustees also need to make sure that the charity complies with charity law requirements.

3.   Act in the charity’s best interests

Trustees should work together to make balanced and informed decisions that act in the best interests of the charity.

They must also always do what the whole board decides will best serve the charity’s purposes.

4.   Manage the charity’s resources responsibly

This one is all about acting reasonably, responsibly and honestly.

This includes not taking any risks with the charity’s assets or reputation, and making sure that any assets are only used to support the charity’s purpose.

5.   Act with reasonable care and skill

Trustees must also act with reasonable care and skill and use their experience, knowledge and skills when making decisions for the charity.

They should also dedicate adequate time and thought to the role by properly preparing for and participating in board meetings.

6.   Ensure the charity is accountable

Trustees must also comply with statutory accounting and reporting requirements, as well as being able to demonstrate that the charity complies with the law and runs effectively.

So, that’s what trustees are responsible for. But how about who sits on a charity’s board?

As trustees have an important role to play in how a charity is run, most charities seek to maintain a diverse and inclusive board.

By recruiting a board that has experience of working in a wide range of industries, as well as a mix of ages, genders and social backgrounds, a charity can ensure that they have a variety of voices contributing to running the charity as effectively as possible.

When I applied to become a trustee for Age UK Plymouth, I decided to do so for a number of reasons. But one of those reasons was because the charity was specifically looking for trustees who had marketing experience, as this was something they didn’t have on their board at the time.

I have four years’ experience in marketing and communications, so this felt like the perfect opportunity to use my knowledge and experience to help play a small part in such an amazing charity.

I’ll go into more detail on my reasons for becoming a trustee at Age UK Plymouth in my blog post next month - so keep an eye out for this!