It’s Trustees Week on 4-8 November, and across Scotland and the rest of the UK, the spotlight is shining on the priceless contribution made by charity trustees to charities, voluntary organisations and wider society. In Scotland alone, it is believed that there are over 150,000 [1] trustees supporting anything from local sports clubs and heritage groups to nationally known health, social welfare and environment charities.
Among these 150,000 trustees are a number of Lindsays lawyers. Around 20% of our partners and 10% of our lawyers overall currently have trustee roles, supporting 28 different organisations – and that doesn’t include the charities our people engage with through volunteering and fundraising.
I am incredibly proud that our firm that encourages colleagues to back the charity sector with their expertise and time. I am also impressed by the breadth of good causes my colleagues champion as charity trustees – including tackling financial hardship and child poverty, providing relationship counselling, and supporting hospices, local schools, arts organisations and retired greyhounds!
Superheroes and everyday people
Without the contribution of their trustees, none of the 25,000 or so charities on the Scottish Charity Register could meet their legal and regulatory requirements. Ultimately, that means they would not be able to operate.
Given this indispensable contribution, I have often seen trustees referred to as ‘superheroes’, which is certainly true in terms of how they help. But don’t be misled by this label because you don’t need to have superhuman skills or experience to become a charity trustee. Nor do you have to be at a particular age or level of professional seniority.
All trustees need support
Whilst trustees certainly don’t need to be lawyers, they do need to understand the legal duties and responsibilities that come with their role. This includes being on top of the fundamentals such as reporting, minute-taking and record-keeping, declaring any conflicts of interest, and being up to speed with recent and forthcoming changes to charity law and regulation in Scotland.
So, while it is invaluable for trustees to be passionate, engaged, entrepreneurial and creative, it is also essential that they are properly equipped and supported to perform their role. A board skills audit can establish what is needed here.
Governance essentials
Both new and existing trustees will usually benefit from trustee training – sometimes in combination with mentoring. The purpose is to show them what good charity governance looks like, both legally and practically, helping them contribute to collective goals.
At Lindsays, we tailor trustee training to suit the specific needs of the board and its members, covering essentials like governance, decision-making and board behaviours, managing conflicts of interest, and the implications of recent charity law changes in Scotland.
A governance health check can also identify areas for improvement, helping the charity to safeguard its reputation, finances and achieve its objectives.
Why do it?
At a time when charities face pressures on all sides – not just legislative changes but rising costs, increased demand for their help, and a public-sector funding crisis – there are certainly challenges involved in being a trustee and I would not underplay those.
But we should also celebrate the upsides of being a trustee – the experiences, new skills, doors opened, and immense satisfaction that can come from actively supporting a cause or place you care about.
Louise Norris, a Commercial Property Partner at Lindsays and a trustee of an arts organisation in Glasgow, sums this up perfectly:
“As a trustee you are asked to make strategic decisions that enhance the charitable aims. It is incredibly rewarding to see the positive impact those decisions have on the larger community and the organisations the charity supports. You’re making a difference.”
There are other benefits too, says Louise:
“On a personal level, being a trustee has developed my communication skills and my decision-making. I have been exposed to many scenarios as a trustee that I would not otherwise have needed to make decisions about such as financial planning and budgets, governance and employment matters.
“I bring this experience to my ‘day’ job, and I’m much more effective because of it.”
John Thom, a Partner in Lindsays’ Perth office, has been on the boards of multiple charitable trusts and charities including a school, angling and curling clubs, and care providers, and agrees with Louise about the personal and professional benefits:
“I have gained much from seeing how other trustees from a wide and varied background have addressed issues related to service delivery – such as governance, HR, training and supervision, that have been invaluable in my role as a partner.
“It has allowed me to meet a lot of people over the years, and last but not least, some of it has actually been fun!”
If you would like to know more about our trustee training and governance health check options, we would be delighted to tell you more.
Ian Beattie, COO
Published 4 November 2024
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