Being a Trustee – Trustees’ Week 2020
People become Trustees for many reasons. It may be related to personal experiences, work they have been involved in or connections they have made over the years.
Generally, they take on the role because they care about an organisation and want to support the work that it does and the way it does it. Trustees volunteer their time, skills and experience to try to make a difference in whatever way they can. Here we care about the values of our organisation which keeps carers and disabled people at the heart of everything we do and work hard to ensure there are opportunities for everyone to have a voice and be involved in the direction and development of the organisation.
The Trustee role is to take collective, overall responsibility for governing the organisation. That involves ensuring it is well managed, is in sound financial health, operates within its set aims and purpose, keeps within legal boundaries and delivers what it was set up to do. It means always working in the best interests of the organisation. It also involves attending Board meetings, being part of the yearly Annual General Meeting and sometimes working in subgroups focussed on specific areas.
Some may feel this responsibility is daunting and wonder if they can contribute but that should not be a barrier. For Boards to be effective, there must be a range of Trustees with different lived experiences and different expertise to contribute. That helps to ensure the focus and direction of the organisation is maintained for the benefit of the people it supports.
You can get so much from being a Trustee – a voice, new skills, being able to influence change and the opportunity to make a difference in your community. In our organisation, there is encouragement, support and training available if you have never been a Trustee before. There are opportunities to work together with everyone involved with the organisation in different activities. Most importantly you would be part of a friendly, supportive group of people who are very much a part of the whole organisation and whilst taking their responsibilities seriously also enjoy what they do.
We are currently looking for new Trustees. If you are interested, please telephone us on 01382 200422. We would be happy to provide you with more details, arrange an informal chat with you and take you through the application and recruitment process.