Charity Trustees – Roles, Responsibilities and Best Practice

Charity trustees play an important role in the success of their charities. They often take on responsibility for governance, strategic direction, and accountability for the charity.

With their leadership and oversight, a good trustee ensures the charity meets its legal and regulatory obligations and, ultimately, helps it achieve its objectives and contribute positively to its community.

In brief: the key responsibilities of a charity trustee

Trustees need to apply their knowledge and expertise to provide guidance and support for charities to operate effectively. This means bringing a diverse skill set and valuable perspectives to the board and facilitating transparency, integrity and progress.

• Strategic Planning: A trustee should help the charity define its long-term goals, including its overall purpose and target outcomes, usually with input from key stakeholders.
• Financial Oversight: Trustees assist with the charity's finances by maintaining accurate financial records, adhering to budgetary constraints, and ensuring funds are allocated appropriately.
• Legal Compliance: A trustee will help ensure the charity operates in full compliance with the laws and regulations that govern its operations and finances. This will typically include fundraising, financial reporting, and any applicable taxes.
• Risk Management: Trustees will also help identify and mitigate potential risks to the charity through risk assessments, developing risk management strategies, and implementing preventative measures.
• Safeguarding Assets and Image: A trustee’s role will include protecting the charity's property, including buildings, equipment, and supplies, as well as its positive public image and standing in the community.
• Monitoring Performance: A Trustee’s job is to help the charity succeed. A key responsibility is regularly and reliably evaluating the charity's effectiveness and making necessary adjustments.

How to be a good trustee for a charity

The role of trustee for a charity is a significant responsibility. It demands commitment to the charity’s mission, strong governance, and financial responsibility. A trustee must exercise good judgement and maintain absolute integrity at every step to ensure the charity operates lawfully, ethically and efficiently.

Be effective in meetings

A good charity trustee will make effective use of meeting time with the board.

• They will bring professionalism and attentiveness (no mobile phones or distractions!)
• A trustee should be familiar with all paperwork, as well as previous meetings, their talking points and outcomes.
• They should appreciate that the board members may have heavy workloads and keep talking points concise and relevant.
• They should provide details of any complex questions ahead of the meeting so executives are given adequate opportunity to review and prepare responses.

Understand your role and its boundaries

Trustees play an important role, but it is important that they don’t overstep their boundaries and interfere in operational details that are not their responsibility.

• The trustee role is primarily one of governance, not executive
• A trustee should remind the executive team of the vision and goals of the charity but facilitate delivery by granting operational freedom
• However, it is good for trustees to involve themselves in subcommittees or certain projects if beneficial.

Be dependable in a crisis

Unfortunately, charitable organisations experience occasional crises. These can be distressing times for the charity leadership team, and it is a trustee’s role to help resolve them.

• More paperwork may not be helpful in a time of crisis – instead, the right conversations should be encouraged without excessive meetings or additional work.
• Governance does not mean seeking blame or assuming wrongdoing. A good trustee will focus on enabling solutions and helping plan the next steps.

Engage with the charity outside of board meetings

A good trust trustee will understand that the role of a trustee is not just confined to meetings with the board.

• A good charity trustee will continue to engage with the charity, offering support and expertise all year round.
• They will be easy to contact, respond to calls and emails promptly, and maintain a healthy line of communication.

Stay informed about the sector

Don't hesitate to seek guidance and support from the Charity Commission, legal professionals, or experienced trustees. This is important because keeping yourself updated on the latest developments in the charity sector and honing your skills through training and development are essential for a good trustee.

You may also find the following resources useful:

• Charity Commission: They provide guidance and support specifically tailored for trustees.
• Charity Excellence: This platform gives practical advice and training designed to empower trustees to make better decisions.
• NCVO: This organisation provides a wide range of resources and support services aimed at assisting the charity sector.