“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail,” said Benjamin Franklin. In other words, succession planning needs to be a higher priority for many charity chairs and trustees
If you look at reports on charities’ succession planning, there’s an interesting split. Half of them talk about succession being one of the issues keeping charity trustees awake at night; the other half talk about it being one of the issues they’re neglecting.
At least the first camp is some of the way towards doing something about it, but in both cases, action is required.
"… making it part of your ‘business as usual’ routine reduces the risk of it causing a headache"
All trustees need to see this area of work for what it is: a key part of protecting your charity’s future by providing board continuity and renewal.
How to go about it
When starting on succession planning and recruiting new trustees, these five steps are worth following.
- Get your board on board. Remind your colleagues that ensuring your board is quorate is an essential part of your governance and regulatory requirements. Make it part of your annual governance cycle, and schedule yearly chats with all trustees about their intentions.
- Map where you are and where you want to go. Check that your trustees’ skills are suited to dealing with your challenges, opportunities and strategy – especially as you navigate post-Covid challenges. A skills audit doesn’t have to be a major undertaking: it could just be a chat or short questionnaire.
- Make a recruitment plan. There should be a plan for replacing each trustee, including the chair. Having terms of office for trustees in your constitution gives clarity and makes planning easier. Extending the skills mix and diversity is also recommended.
- Think differently. OSCR has found that 72% of charities find new trustees by word of mouth. This can be cost-effective and practical but can also forfeit diversity and limit choice. Look at options including utilising social media and professional or alumni networks to reach a wider audience.
- Good planning involves more than just recruitment. Recruitment needs to be matched with induction, ongoing training and leadership development. This applies especially if you want to recruit and retain younger or more diverse trustees and leaders.
All charities need strong succession planning. As with so many governance tasks, making it part of your ‘business as usual’ routine reduces the risk of it causing a headache. The value of getting this right cannot be overstated.
