Brand Trustee

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Brand Trustee
By Mark Atkinson

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Contents
Introduction and background 3
Brand Trustee Survey 4
Principal findings 5
Trustee recruitment 7
Trustee induction 10
Trustee engagement 13
Trustee visibility 15
Conclusions 17
Useful sources of information 18
About VCSchange 19
© 2015 VCSchange maintains the copyright on all content included in this report. Reprint or
reproduction is not permitted without prior consent.

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Introduction and background
With over 197,000 charities registered in the UK, a conservative estimate places the number
of Trustee roles in excess of 1 million.
Trustees are accountable for the
strategic decisions of the charities
they serve and with so much
responsibility, it is natural that they
are subject to scrutiny.
Being a Trustee should be an
enriching and satisfying experience
for the individual, the charity and all
those engaged in its running.
In order to achieve a high level of satisfaction between Trustee and charity, it is necessary to
ensure that the recruitment and induction processes for new Trustees are appropriately
rigorous and that all Trustees are sufficiently engaged in the work of the charity. There is
clearly a distinction between ‘engagement’ and ‘visibility’ which raises the question of the
merits of Trustee visibility to employees and volunteers involved in the day to day
operations of charities.
The size of the charity may well influence some or all of these factors but minimum
standards need to be reached or indeed aspired to.
This report focusses on the experiences collected from a group of 68 Trustees, employees
and volunteers presently engaged in charities of various sizes. It shares findings,
recommendations and the candid views of the contributors.
TRUSTEE - NOUN:
AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON OR MEMBER OF A
BOARD GIVEN CONTROL OR POWERS OF
ADMINISTRATION OF ASSETS WITH A LEGAL
OBLIGATION TO ADMINISTER THEM SOLELY
FOR THE PURPOSES SPECIFIED.

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Brand Trustee Survey
The Brand Trustee Survey was carried out by Mark Atkinson at VCSchange. In order to
encourage complete candour, respondents were invited to participate in the report
anonymously.
The survey considered the opinion of 3 groups:
 Employees of charities
 Trustees of charities
 Volunteers (non-Trustees)
The survey sought the views of these 3 constituent groups in 4 areas:
 Trustee recruitment
 Trustee induction
 Trustee engagement
 Trustee visibility
With reference to Trustee recruitment, induction, engagement and visibility, the aims of the
survey were specifically to:
 add further insight to, validate or indeed invalidate the perceptions held by those
engaged in the sector
 identify areas of good practice and opportunities to highlight were good practice
may be achieved
 ascertain what additional support might be needed to ensure better outcomes for
Trustees and the charities they work with
Responses to the survey indicated that there remains a possible research gap. Size of charity
is an influencing factor when it comes to Trustee recruitment, induction, engagement and
visibility. We suggest that a further study on the interrelationship between charity turnover
and the specific topic areas would be of benefit to the sector.

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Principal findings
 More than 1 in 5 respondents (22%) felt that Trustee recruitment processes at their
charity were not sufficiently rigorous or not rigorous at all. This rose to 24% of
respondents who were Trustees. 46% cited the processes as “sufficiently rigorous”.
 Only 54% of respondents felt that Trustee induction processes were good with 34%
citing the processes as “sufficiently good.” Almost a third of respondents (31%) felt
that induction processes were “not very good” or “not good at all.” 39% of Trustee
respondents felt that induction processes were inadequate.
 75% of respondents felt that their Trustees were engaged in the work of the charity
outside the normal cycle of board meetings with the majority (42%) citing their
Trustees as being “sufficiently engaged.”
 41% of respondents felt that Trustees at their charity were “not very visible” or “not
visible at all” to staff other than senior managers. The figures further revealed that
55% of employee respondents felt that their Trustees were “not very visible” or “not
visible at all” compared to 26% of Trustee respondents.

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We asked respondents the following opening question:
Are you answering this survey in your capacity as an employee, Trustee or volunteer (non
Trustee) of a UK charity?
Employee 20 29%
Trustee 46 68%
Volunteer (non Trustee) 2 3%

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Trustee recruitment
We asked respondents the following question:
How rigorous is the Trustee recruitment process at your charity?
Extremely rigorous 3 4%
Very rigorous 13 19%
Sufficiently rigorous 31 46%
Not very rigorous 10 15%
Not rigorous at all 5 7%
Don't know 6 9%
“We are a member organisation
and more often than not when a
vacancy for a Trustee occurs
members who are voted in are
normally done so because they are
known by other members socially.
The result is that we often lack
specific skills on the Board but have
changed the Trustee recruitment
process to ensure that potential
Trustees recognise the skills
required and responsibilities
involved.”“We carry out a skills audit but
then don't do anything with it.”
“Trustee recruitment is to ask for volunteers and hold a
ballot of members if necessary so no account of skills
needed/ balance on the board.”
When I took over my charity three years ago I let the
5 Trustees I had go as they were just bums on seats.”

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Respondents were asked the following supplementary question:
If you have any ideas that could inject further rigour into Trustee recruitment processes,
please share them.
Comments received have been banded into the following 5 areas demonstrating a degree of
consensus on thinking:
SKILLS AUDIT
“Clearer identification of skills required and deliberate matching to those requirements”
“Audit of Trustee skills prior to search for Trustees, rather than just jumping into the water.”
“Our CEO did skills mapping and recruited to gaps as much as possible”
“Look at the strengths and weaknesses of the board and target the gaps.”
“Identifying the skills gap within existing Trustees and specifically appoint to fill those gaps.”
“(Undertake) a skills audit of existing Trustees.”
CHECKING COMMITMENT LEVELS
“There are not so many people out there with the time, commitment and necessary skills to
be a Trustee, given the rather onerous responsibilities a Trustee takes on.”
“Part of the problem is that anyone who actually understands what the Charity Commission,
funders, regulators, child protection agencies etc. require, might not feel willing to do the
job.”
“Seek commitment to more than just attending board meetings.”
“The 'four board meetings a year with a bit of prep time' may be far from reality if there are
serious issues within the Charity.”
“We are a specialist faith based charity, with operations across the country, but not a
household name. The main challenge in recruiting Trustees is to reach potential candidates
who have both the faith commitment and skill range.”
INTERVIEWING
“Ensure that Trustees have an informal meeting with another Trustee other than the Chair.”
Have a 'getting to know the organisation' session prior to first stage interview.”
“Interview potential Trustees against the competencies required for the role.”

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“(Have an) open and transparent attraction process utilising a two stage interview process”
“Part of the recruitment process should be situation specific and honest with Trustees about
the tests they will face and the time commitment required.”
“Ensure that the individuals can work with one another.”
“Look for real evidence of skills and behaviours at interview”
REFEREES
“Ensure that references are obtained.”
“Get the lowdown ... ask for three references - and don't just ask for general comments but
specific input relevant to the competency you seek.”
OFFER PROBATIONARY PERIODS
“(Offer) a probationary period for Trustees to ensure they are of use to the organisation.”
“We appoint new Trustees as co-optees for a period of about 6 months, to allow both them
and the Board to assess whether they should continue. This is helpful all round, and
occasionally people do withdraw during this period.”
Recommendations:
 Undertake a board skills audit to identify gaps
 Ensure role descriptions are up to date
 Be honest about the requirements and check candidates have the
necessary commitment
 Have a proper interview process
 Obtain references and check social media profiles
 Allow prospective Trustees to observe a Board meeting before
appointment
 Consider the use of “probationary periods” for new board members

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Trustee induction
How good is the induction process for new Trustees at your charity?
Extremely good 3 4%
Very good 11 16%
Sufficiently good 23 34%
Not very good 18 27%
Not good at all 3 4%
Don't know 9 13%
“The charity commission website
is over-complicated in its advice
for charities. They could do with
simplifying a lot of their content
and offering more support for
smaller charities.”
“For small charities
induction is difficult,
usually as there are no
proper processes in
place!”
“I'm still in this (induction) process but so far
I'm enjoying the balance of prescribed
information and meetings and my own scope
to ask for and suggest meetings and visits to
enhance my knowledge.”
“New Trustees don't meet with
me or my team or have a full
induction but make decisions.”

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If you have any ideas that could enhance induction processes for new Trustees, please
share them.
Comments received have been banded into the following 4 areas demonstrating degree of
SPEND TIME WITH STAFF AND OTHER TRUSTEES
“Meeting staff as part of the induction process would help.”
“We have residential Board meetings twice a year which are a key time for new Trustees to
get to know other Trustees and executives.”
“Spend time with front-line staff.”
Meet the teams, place bios on web site, informal meetings with key staff, participate in team
building stuff (only if appropriate), early involvement in strategy workshops, one-to-ones
with chair.”
TRAINING
“Have an in house workshop to understand the nature of the charity’s work.”
“Provide low cost training.”
“Provide a briefing on current strategy and objectives of the charity.”
“Some good local basic courses at low or zero cost would be good, just to teach them their
responsibilities and also what policies and procedures a well governed charity should have in
place.”
“Specific Trustee training on things like strategic approaches to fundraising, publicity,
financial monitoring etc. are needed.”
“Ensure all new Trustees undertake training on the role and responsibilities of Trustees.”
“Identify skills required and provide training.”
“Education about the nature of governance and familiarisation with the governing
documents.”
MENTORING
“Provide a mentoring contact with knowledge of whole charity.”

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“New Trustees could be mentored by an existing, more experienced Trustee, outside of board
meetings, as part of their induction process.”
“Mentors, programme of reading, observation, training in governance essentials,
performance reviews, having an allocated training/ development budget all help”
SERVICE VISITS
“We arrange a visit programme tailored to each new Trustee to give them a sense of what
the services look like in practice.”
“Spend a day or two looking at the day to day operations.”
Recommendations:
 Have a core induction process with bolt-on extras as necessary for
specific Trustees.
 In the absence of a sector wide solution, larger charities may wish to
consider working together to develop an e-learning Trustee induction
programme which could potentially be licenced for a small fee to other
charities.
 Offer new Trustees a mentor for a fixed period
 Ensure new Trustees get to meet with staff and have service visits as
early as possible to develop a strong appreciation of operational
realities.

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Trustee engagement
How engaged are your Trustees in the work of your charity outside the normal cycle of
board meetings?
Extremely engaged 6 9%
Very engaged 16 24%
Sufficiently engaged 28 42%
Not very engaged 11 16%
Not engaged at all 0 0%
Don't know 6 9%
“I always say our Trustees are
not just keeping the seat warm
there is a job to be done outside
of Board meetings.”
“We aim to keep a balance
between encouraging executives
to draw on the specialist skills of
Trustees and letting Trustees get
too involved in operational
detail. We also encourage
opportunities such as award
ceremonies where Trustees can
meet service users and staff
informally.”
“Trustees can be amazing
ambassadors for charities
networking and linking them
with funders and supporters.”
“I worked at one charity where each Trustee was attached to a department in which
they either had an applicable skill or interest. They worked with the head of department
and staff to gain sufficient knowledge of what was happening and future plans so that
their understanding was enhanced. As staff we really valued someone who championed
our area.”

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If you have any ideas that could enhance the engagement of Trustees outside the normal
cycle of board meetings, please share them.
“We encourage our Trustees to liaise with the staff via focused sub-committees with/without
CEO/Chair involvement.”
“More effective use of Trustee: Trustee networking to enable Trustees to build awareness of
their charity from other perspectives.”
“We are a friendly little local charity and it would help if I could get Trustees together more
for brainstorming and sharing days with the staff.”
“I don't really know what the Trustees can offer, what they are prepared to do and therefore
when it is appropriate to engage with them. If they had published 'biogs' with these details
and how they could help, with what, timescales, times of day etc. that would help.”
“Encourage Trustees to sponsor a department, function or work stream.”
“Ensure that they participate in a number of networking and profile raising events.”
“Make sure that they are informed of events and invited. Often they do not know that events
are happening until they have happened!”
Recommendations:
 Discuss engagement expectations with Trustees as part of recruitment
processes.
 Provide and discuss with Trustees an indicative list of ways in which they
could engage with the charity outside the normal cycle of board
meetings e.g. attendance at events, public speaking, social networking,
assignment to a particular work strand or area to obtain a deeper
understanding and enrich board level dialogue.
 Ensure there is a clear protocol in place so that operational and board
roles are not blurred.

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Trustee visibility
Other than senior managers, how "visible" are your Trustees to the people who work at
your charity (both staff and non-Trustee volunteers)?
Extremely visible 3 5%
Very visible 14 25%
Sufficiently visible 15 26%
Not very visible 18 32%
Not visible at all 5 9%
Don't know 2 4%
“It's difficult when Trustees are
not available during working
hours, and staff are
geographically spread.”
“There is a fine line between visibility and interference”

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If you have any ideas for how Trustees could enhance their visibility, please share them.
Comments received have been banded into the following 3 areas demonstrating degree of
MEETINGS
“Attend staff meetings.”
“Get Trustees to spend time at staff meetings speaking about performance or strategy.”
“What works in our organisation is to have relevant staff attend parts of the Board meeting
which concern their area of operation with the CEO present, that way visibility is
maintained.”
“Allow staff to observe the work of Trustees i.e. staff member attend board meetings on a
rotational basis.”
BENEFICIARY VISIBILITY
“Attend meetings with beneficiaries.”
“(Go on) visits to projects and services.”
ONLINE VISIBILITY
“Place bios on intranet / website.”
“Through digital e.g. LinkedIn, tweeting and blogging.”
“Use LinkedIn updates and other social streams to share details on the impact of the charity
that they lead.”
Recommendations:
 If your charity produces a regular internal communications bulletin,
consider having a Trustee column with a spotlight on recent activity
Trustees have been involved in.
 Make the most of online opportunities for showcasing the work of
Trustees and devise a simple protocol for social media activity to help
encourage and guide Trustees in sharing positive stories.

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Conclusions
Some charities clearly need to inject more rigour into their Trustee recruitment and
induction processes. With 39% of Trustee respondents citing a degree of inadequacy in
induction processes, this is a particular concern that warrants closer attention. Whilst
Trustees must appreciate the legal and technical governance aspects of their role, it is also
of fundamental importance that they are given a thorough grounding in the work of the
charity. In the absence of this, it can only impact upon their performance…How can a
Trustee really act as an effective custodian and support the strategic development of a
charity if he / she does not have a solid grasp of the market drivers and the key challenges
and constraints under which the charity is operating? If charities have any doubt as to the
strength of their induction processes, they should review them with the input of the Chief
Executive, Chair and HR Director and address any deficiencies as a matter of priority.
There is a stark difference between Trustee engagement and Trustee visibility. Whilst the
majority of respondents (75%) felt that Trustees are well engaged in the work of their
charity outside the normal cycle of Board meetings, it would appear that much of this work
is not visible to those outside of the senior management team according to 55% of
employee respondents. This begs the question…does it matter? Is it important that
employees and volunteers see and understand what their Trustees are doing for the charity?
Naturally, not all work can be visible. Some activity is very sensitive and can’t simply be put
out to everyone to see for reasons of confidentiality. However, from a motivational and
morale perspective, it is surely in the interests of charities to share as much information as
possible with their employees and volunteers and this includes what their Trustees have
been doing, are doing…and are planning to do on behalf of the charity. In the digital age,
there are a multitude of ways in which this can be achieved and Marketing Directors should
be discussing this with Chief Executives and Chairs to devise realistically achievable plans.
Whilst it is important to recognise the differences between large and small charities in terms
of resource and infrastructure constraints, all charities should have minimum standards and
expectations with regards to the recruitment, induction, engagement and visibility of
Trustees. There are lots of resources and training opportunities available but there is no
recognised programme for establishing “Excellence in Trusteeship.” If established, this could
provide charities with a charter mark at varying levels in recognition of the investment they
make in Trustees whilst simultaneously supporting the training and development of
individual Trustees through accredited learning with records of achievement stored on a
central database. Such a development could be worthy of significant financial investment
and the sector infrastructure bodies could work together to produce the business case.
Many charities already engage in programmes such as Investors in People, Investors in
Volunteers, and Investors in Diversity….why not Investors in Trustees?
This is the essence of “Brand Trustee”…

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Useful sources of information
Charity Commission:
The Commission website hosts a range of resources on what being a Trustee involves,
payments, expenses, how Trustees work together to make decisions, handle disagreements
or conflicts of interest and more.
www.gov.uk/running-charity/trustee-role-board
Small Charities Coalition:
The SCC provides a range of useful Trustee services to smaller UK charities with an annual
income of less than £1million.
www.smallcharities.org.uk/trustee-networks/
www.smallcharities.org.uk/trustee-matching/
www.smallcharities.org.uk/trustee-finder/ (being redeveloped at time of writing)
NCVO:
NCVO provides a range of on and off line resources and training. KnowHow Nonprofit is
their main advice and support website and hosts a variety of governance resources. NCVO
StudyZone is a video training platform which offers several relevant introductory courses. A
range of How-to guides are also available for download on various governance topics.
NCVO’s Trustees Unlimited offers voluntary organisations a service to recruit Trustees from
across the private, public and voluntary sectors.

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About VCSchange
Our mission is to support the creation of strong and vibrant voluntary and community sector
organisations through well thought through, carefully planned and expertly executed
change.
The Brand Trustee Survey and Report was produced by Mark Atkinson of VCSchange.
Mark Atkinson, founder and Chief Executive of VCSchange, has worked in the voluntary
sector for over 16 years. He has directed income generation and operational departments
for UK, national and local charities and has particular expertise in the development and
maintenance of complex partnerships and strategic relationships. Mark’s experience
includes strategy development; working with Boards on merger activity; income generation
audits and feasibility studies; production of £multimillion tenders; creation of an award
winning commercial income generation team, and being the MD of 3 charity e-commerce
businesses.
VCSchange would like to express its gratitude to everyone who took part in Brand Trustee
and shared their experiences and opinions so generously.
© 2015 VCSchange maintains
the copyright on all content
included in this report.
Reprint or reproduction is
not permitted without prior
consent.
Contact details
enquiry@vcschange.co.uk
Tel 0203 667 7326
www.vcschange.co.uk
Twitter @VCSchange

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