“We’re having a real problem with trustee retention. We advertise the vacancies, and get a good response, but people seem to drop out within 3-6 months. We’re a small organisation, with only two paid staff, so we do need to ask our trustees for help on practical issues sometimes – is this what’s putting them off? Or isn’t that what they’re there for?”
(The above question was put to Karen Heenan, Chief Executive at CTN, in this month's VS Magazine. Her response can be found below and we hope other trustees will also add their comments).
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Trustees will in practise do many things, depending on the nature and size of the organisation. It’s not at all unusual for trustees of a small organisation like yours to be hands-on.
The key is ensuring this is clear at the outset. In the advert, outline the commitment required, and follow this up at interview. A good interview should explore the candidates’ motivations, identify the skills they could bring and ensure they understand your expectations. The staff will then need to be sensitive to the fact that trustees are volunteers and undertaking tasks for the charity will need to fit around their other commitments.
Once on board, induction will help ease them into the role and help them feel they belong. This need not be anything elaborate, but should include the key pieces of information on the charity and trusteeship - a copy of its governing document, recent minutes, the Charity Commission’s excellent CC3 publication on “The Essential Trustee” and arrangements for meeting staff, the Board and seeing the organisation in action.
It seems that your leavers are going after the first few board meetings. Your Chair could ask them their reasons, in confidence, and check the board dynamic. Are meetings inclusive? Are all trustees kept in the loop? Or maybe despite the volume of response, you’re not reaching people who understand or take the role seriously. Advertising widely and in places where your supporters might be found will also help reach those with greater personal commitment.
You might find further ideas for improving recruitment and retention by seeking others’ experiences through your local trustee network.
In times passed I have dropped out of trusteeships within the first six months. The main reasons have been the lack of any preparation for meetings - eg no agendas or no material to put agenda items in focus (so trustees sit like dummies receiving oral reports) and too much detail and too little time for vision and leadership. Whilst it is great if trustees can wear a second hat as a volunteer, it is usually a mistake to regard them as primarily additional labour. The culture should be choosing trustees who can contribute to the good governance and leadership of the organisation - anything else ought to be regarded as a welcome bonus but not an expectation. It is largely up to the Chair to ensure that individual trustees do not "feel bad" if they can't move chairs on a Saturday afternoon or fix the leak in the ceiling