Helen Ralston

1. First of all, about you: What attracted you to becoming a trustee/chair?

The chance of contributing to a field where otherwise I would have been unlikely to get involved in a professional capacity. And to challenge myself in so many ways - working with great people whom I would otherwise never have met - and tackling a range of issues completely new to me. But also hopefully bringing some past experiences and current insights which are useful to the charities.


2. Which organisation(s) do you represent?

Asthma UK - which does as it says - and Penrose, which provides resettlement support for ex-offenders.


3. What particularly attracted you to these organisation(s)?

Asthma UK fitted very well with my past experience but gave me new angles to learn in the campaigning and medical research sides - and they specifically were looking for a trustee who would question the status quo and bring robust challenges. Penrose is in a vitally important field which is not immediately attractive to many but gave me the chance to get out of my comfort zone.


4. Is there anything that would make you an even more effective trustee/chair?

More patience!!


5. What's the biggest challenge you have faced in your role?

As Chair, keeping a very disparate group of trustees - in terms of professional backgrounds, experience in the charity sector, knowledge of the specific area of operation and time availability - interested, engaged and contributing so as support and be a critical friend to the senior management. And getting the funds in - whether voluntary or contract income.


6. What do you consider to be the most satisfying aspect of your role?

Almost five years on, finding that I know staff at all levels of the organisations and hopefully am seen as being of use to them - and being able to be an external ambassador for both organisations. Being able to give help outside of trustee meetings on workgroups or one-off topics as requested. And just the tremendous variety of topics which come up.


7. Do you think there is enough general recognition of the value of the trustee/chair role?

No - many people misunderstand the role - and think we are paid non-executives there for reasons which are in fact far removed from the true motivation for most trustees.


8. (If you have been a trustee/chair for some time) have you felt that the demands made on trustees/chairs have grown over time?

Demands are growing but that is true of most roles in life!


9. What do you think is the ideal term of office that a trustee/chair could serve?

I don't think there is an ideal - it depends on the person and the stage of development of the charity. It probably takes a couple of years to get grips with the field of operation (if new) and the idiosyncrasies of the entity. I know six years is common as an end date but the guiding factor to me should be a) are people contributing in a constructive and effective way b) are they open to new ideas or just saying we tried that before and it didn't work c) are they pulling their weight and doing more than just turning up for meetings and d) is there a good mix of tenures on the board. I don't think anyone should stay more than nine years without a break.

10. What tip would you give to a new trustee/chair?

If you think of a question, ask it. If you have something useful to say, say it. If you don't have anything to add of value on a topic, stay quiet. And get out and about - meeting supporters, service users, staff.


11. If you weren't a trustee/chair, what would you do with that extra time?

Get a dog and do agility work - long cherished ambition but does not fit with my commitments at the moment.


12. What steps do you take to increase/retain your organisation's membership?

First of all , understand why they want to be involved as members rather than in any other capacity. Then make sure that what is offered is what they want and need.


13. What question do you want to ask next week's trustee?

What keeps you awake if anything?

To see all trustees of the week click here and if you’d like to be our next Trustee of the Week, please complete the survey here.