If you’re thinking about putting yourself forward as a trustee, Trustees Week (9 – 13 November) is a good time to find out more. For ICAEW member Josie Woodward, a love of animals had already piqued her interest in the RSPCA, so becoming a trustee at a local branch eight years ago felt like a good fit. For the last two she has been a national trustee. Here she shares her top 10 reasons for taking the plunge.

1. It doesn’t have to be time consuming

Don’t let the fear of a big time commitment put you off exploring your options for becoming a trustee. The time involved will vary hugely from role to role. Do your research to make sure you get a realistic grasp of how much time you’ll have to commit.

Woodward, who is an Internal Audit Director at BDO, says: “If people don't have loads of spare time, I advise them to go into a charity with at least a few employees, because they'll be doing a lot of the day-to-day management and you'll probably be fulfilling more of a governance and leadership role.”

Bear in mind too that many organisations have a volunteering policy so you may find your employer will give you time off to fulfil your trustee duties. “BDO gives me 10 days of volunteering a year, which is quite generous. But five is quite common and that may cover the majority of your time,” she says.

2. Support a cause you care about

Choosing a charity in an area that you feel passionate about makes it much easier to find time to do the role. Let’s be honest, if you’re doing something you love, it’s never going to feel like a chore.

The huge diversity of the charity sector means there’s a charity that’s right for you. Woodward says: “I spent a while looking for organisations that I thought would be interesting because there's so many trustee roles out there. There is amazing impact being delivered through charities every day.”

3. Putting your professional skills to good use

Becoming a trustee is an opportunity to put into practice expertise that you’ve spent years honing. And, when you’re a qualified chartered accountant, your skills will always be in demand. If you’re still working that makes your skills all the more relevant, Woodward says.

“Don’t underestimate the value of skills you take for granted to a trustee role, whether that’s knowledge of technology, experience of using artificial intelligence or data management skills.”

4. An opportunity to practice what you preach

As part of her day job in BDO’s risk advisory services team, Woodward advises large charities and NGOs on their risk, control and governance environments.

For Woodward, being on the “client” side of the fence as a trustee gives a useful perspective. She says: “If you work in professional services, it can feeI like you spend a lot of time telling people to do things so it's nice to actually do it yourself.”

5. You can hone new skills

Being a trustee has given Woodward exposure to responsibilities beyond her day job. As a result, it has allowed her to develop new skills, particularly in leadership and management.

She says: “Coming together with people from a variety of backgrounds allows me to see a diversity of styles, approaches and thought processes. It has definitely made me better at people management and communication.”

6. You don’t have to do a finance role

There's a misconception that because you're an accountant, any trustee role you do will have to be finance oriented. Becoming a trustee can be an opportunity to turn your hand to something completely different to your usual job.

It's great if you want to use your existing skills to go into a finance role, but that doesn't mean you need to be pigeonholed into that, says Woodward.

“If you're really passionate about overseeing the social media, or fundraising, or something else, just because you don’t have a background in that doesn't mean you can't expand your skills and your knowledge.”

7. It can expand your network

Being a trustee is a great way to meet interesting people outside of your usual day-to-day sphere. That network can give you exposure to those at a senior level in the charity sector plus a host of other people you wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

“I get exposure to the other leaders in the sector and I have contacts in a load of other charities now,” says Woodward. “Trustees and management teams move around and a lot of trustees used to work in business or still do so the people you meet allows you to build up an amazing network.”

8. There’s something for everyone

There are thousands of charities and therefore demand for trustees is strong. The challenge is knowing where to find opportunities, particularly as many charity trustee roles are not advertised. Woodward suggests looking on LinkedIn or searching for voluntary roles including trusteeships on ICAEW’s dedicated volunteering website.

Consider also approaching charities that you're interested in to find out whether they have any opportunities. Woodward suggests: “If you're interested in being a trustee, volunteering with them first is a great opportunity to get to know the organisation before you fully commit.”

9. Charities need diversity of trustees

Technically, the minimum age limit for being a charity trustee is just 16 or 18 depending on the charity – so if you're young, don’t think for one minute that you don’t have any skills or experience to contribute to a trustee role. Woodward found her initial trustee role through the Young Trustee Movement.

As a young person you have so many different skill sets, she says. “Newly qualified accountants have just received three years’ worth of training. They really challenge approaches, challenge thinking. People sometimes undervalue what they can contribute – it might be a calm attitude or enthusiasm for the topic.”

The need for diversity across the sector makes encouraging young people, people from ethnic minorities, and those from different social economic backgrounds into trustee roles even more important.

“In an ideal world, trustees need to represent the population that we're helping, and a lot of the times they don’t,” says Woodward. “Diversity is the best way to approach problem solving and to come up with new ideas.”

10. Trusteeship is great for career development

Trusteeship isn’t just about volunteering but it’s also a practical way to gain experience that can support your wider career, according to Woodward.

“It gives you practical experience of board-level decision-making, governance and leadership, often earlier than you might gain that exposure through your day job,” she says.

“It also helps you build confidence in constructively challenging others, working through complex issues and contributing outside your immediate area of expertise.”