Communities are coming together to face challenges of the day

Over the last few months we have seen the power of people coming together to volunteer and support their communities. Many of these volunteers have been co-ordinated by charities and organisations who have rapidly adapted and developed new services to help in this seemingly ever changing world.

Trustees – volunteer leaders from all walks of life

Behind the scenes of many of these organisations have been the trustees – also known as board or committee members, directors or governors.  Trustees are those volunteers who lead these organisations, decide how they are run and make sure a charity is doing what it was set up to do.

Trustees come from all walks of life, backgrounds and life stages.  Some have roles needing specific skills, such as experience of senior management, finance or HR and increasingly digital. Others have roles requiring lived experience, enthusiasm and drive. Time commitments vary depending on an organisation’s size and activities.  In smaller charities involvement is more likely to be hands on, in larger organisations the role may involve more support and liaison with the staff team.

The difference you can make as a trustee

Being a trustee offers a unique opportunity to support a cause from the inside, to develop or enhance leadership skills, to use or develop professional/managerial/business skills and experience all while contributing ideas and knowledge to make a difference to an organisation and in turn the community it serves.

But don’t just take our word for it. Visit our Youtube channel and watch our playlist ‘Why be a trustee?’. Please note these pieces were filmed pre covid.

How can you get involved as a trustee?

If you’re interested in finding out more about what’s involved take a look at our information sheet on What Do Trustees Do?

Ahead of this Year’s Trustees Week (2 – 6 November) a wealth of new resources with further information about what’s involved in being a Trustee are also becoming available including this new book by Directory of Social Change How to Become a Charity Trustee  and a new guide with the same name from Getting on Board.

North Yorkshire needs trustees – could you be one of them?

If you think you have what it takes to help a charity have more impact now and in the future there are details of some opportunities on our Volunteering in North Yorkshire directory (VINY). Simply click on the trustee link. There are also details of range of different roles available on other websites.