Set yourself up for success: finding new trustees

Recruiting trustees is more than filling seats – it’s about strengthening the organisation’s leadership and resilience. Trustees are the custodians of charities and finding the right person for the role requires careful planning and reflection. If everyone on the board has similar skills, backgrounds and experience, it can be tricky to identify opportunities and blind spots, tackle challenges and manage change. While it’s tempting, and sometimes can feel necessary, to just look within your own networks, in the long run you will inevitably save time and money if you invest in finding the right person for the role, rather than someone that’s just in easy reach.

When a trustee vacancy arises, or there’s one on the horizon, your charity’s governing document should be your first point of call. It might outline how many trustees your charity should have, how long they can remain in post and the process you must follow to appoint new board members. Once you’ve got to grips with these basics, you can start to build up a picture of what you’re looking for.

There is no such thing as a model board: every charity will have different wants and needs, and much is dependent on the size, income and complexity of the organisation and its charitable purposes. Take time to reflect. Don’t just think about the here and now; give some thought to the future too. Think about where you want the charity to be in the short, medium and long term, the skills and experience that will help you get there, and any stumbling blocks you might come up against.

Also give some thought to what might put people off from applying. Do you really require a trustee with board experience, or could a first-time trustee have just as much to offer?

If you don’t already have term limits in place, the planning stage is a good point to think about it. It’s all about balance – mixing new and fresh ideas with experience and organisational memory.

1. Check your governing document
2. Reflect on what you have and what you need. Don’t ask for or imply experience or qualifications that you don’t need.
3. Future-proof your board

• Read the Charity Commission’s recently updated guidance, Finding and appointing new trustees (CC30)

^{*the views expressed are the author's and not ICAEW's}