Trustee Recruitment

The Kreston UK Charity Survey conducted in 2023 highlighted a couple of familiar themes for the sector:

64% of survey respondents said that recruitment (including Trustees) had become more challenging since the pandemic of 2020
72% of survey respondents said that a lack of diversity amongst Trustees was a concern for them

The difficulty in recruiting Trustees could be seen as being at odds with a significant and well-documented withdrawal of experienced workers from the labour market over the past few years. A recent report prepared for the UK government estimated that over 550,000 people below retirement age had withdrawn from the labour market since the start of the Covid pandemic in early 2020. The large bulk of these people are over 50 years of age and were reported as having no stated intention of returning to paid work.

With so many experienced people giving up paid work, why do charities still find it so hard to recruit suitable candidates as Trustees, and how should they go about Trustee recruitment to attract strong candidates to open roles?

Charities may find it challenging to recruit trustees for various reasons, with the specific difficulties varying according to the charity concerned and the specific role. Common factors that contribute to the challenges charities face in recruiting trustees include:

Time Commitment: Volunteering as a Trustee often requires a significant time commitment. Many people, especially those with busy professional or personal schedules, may be reluctant to take on additional responsibilities. Charities can go some way towards diluting these concerns by having well-defined roles and meeting schedules so that time commitments can be planned well in advance
Skillset and Expertise: Charities often seek Trustees with specific skills, expertise, or professional backgrounds. Finding individuals who possess the right combination of skills and are willing to volunteer their time can be challenging
Risk and Liability Concerns: Trustees have legal and financial responsibilities, and some individuals may be hesitant to take on a role that exposes them to potential risks and liabilities, even if these are generally well-managed
Lack of Diversity: Charities may struggle to attract a diverse range of Trustees, both in terms of demographics and skills. There are multiple academic studies which link the diversity of charitable boards with effectiveness of charitable outcomes, showing that a lack of diversity can hinder the organisation's ability to represent and serve its community effectively
Awareness and Visibility: Potential trustees may not be aware of opportunities to serve as Trustees. This may be particularly the case where Trustee posts are not advertised, but are shortlisted from individuals already known to the existing board. An effective recruitment campaign needs to be able to reach a wide range of potential applicants and charities need effective communication strategies to raise awareness about the need for Trustees and to showcase the impact Trustees can have
Perceived Bureaucracy: Some individuals may perceive charity governance as bureaucratic or overly complex. This perception can discourage potential trustees from getting involved
Succession Planning: Charities may not have robust succession planning in place, making it difficult to identify and recruit suitable trustees when vacancies arise. As part of the Chair’s management of the board there should be a clear picture of each current Trustee’s personal plan in terms of how long they intend to remain in post as part of long term planning. Fixed term appointments and/or maximum service periods can help in succession planning as well as helping to bring new perspectives to the board over time

To overcome these challenges, charities may look at strategies including:

Effective Recruitment Campaigns: Clear and targeted recruitment campaigns can help raise awareness about trustee opportunities and attract individuals with the right skills and commitment. What will help someone decide to join the charity’s board? What will help the charity identify the skills, experiences and qualities they need from them? Recruiting a Trustee should be no different in principle to recruiting a senior executive: the charity should have a very clear idea of the skills and experience needed and should recruit and interview against those criteria
Training and Support: Providing training and support for new trustees can alleviate concerns about potential challenges and liabilities, making the role more attractive. An effective induction process is vital. It supports Trustees, helping them to get up to speed with the role, the organisation and their legal responsibilities. Induction also helps new trustees understand any key policies and procedures such as equal opportunities, health and safety, cyber security and data protection. Very few charities include Trustee CPD as part of their board plans or within their budgets
Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives: Actively promoting diversity and inclusion within the trustee board can make the role more appealing to a wider range of individuals, especially those who may not be experienced in what being a Trustee involves. Making use of more active, open and inclusive methods of recruitment, such as advertising or using trustee brokerage services may help to broaden the candidate pool
Flexible Arrangements: Offering flexible arrangements, such as part-time or remote trustee positions, can make it easier for individuals with busy diaries to get involved. Such arrangements may include organising board meetings at different times so that people who cannot attend at a particular time are not excluded, holding trustee board meetings in a venue which is accessible for people with disabilities or having a policy in place for paying childcare expenses or providing childcare arrangements

The UK has an effective prohibition on paying Trustees for acting as Trustees, which is not the case in some other countries. The argument to support this is that it ensures that people are not taking up Trustee roles simply for the ‘pay cheque’, which is generally believed to indicate a level of altruistic commitment to the role. The counter argument is that charities ought to be able to pay Trustees (whether the Trustees take the payment or not is another matter) if doing so would result in a directly attributable improvement in the effectiveness. Unfortunately, that is a difficult relationship to prove.

The labour market reports suggest that the pool of people with life experience and time on their hands is perhaps larger than it has ever been. By addressing some of the factors above, charities can enhance their ability to recruit Trustees and build strong, effective governance structures.

If you would like to discuss either of these topics further, then please contact a member of our Charities & Education team at James Cowper Kreston.