James Sinclair Taylor

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

At School. Being trustee of the Rag was actually just a way of breaking the monotony of a rather dull boarding school.

2. Which organisation(s) do you represent?

I am serial trustee. I tend to move on and try something different every five to ten years. I started in fundraising, moved on to the arts, spent a very happy period as a trustee of a medical charity and then was on the board of three very different grant making charities and a college. I whittled down grant makers to the one where I felt most comfortable with my fellow trustees and am now looking for an international aid charity.

3. What particularly attracted you to these organisations?

Curiosity and the hope that one might be helpful.

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

Getting a broader understanding of the environment in which any particular charity operates, particularly being able to more effectively evaluate external opportunities and threats.

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

Steering the medical charity through a period of prolonged financial crisis and facing up to the unpleasant prospect of redundancies and removing a chief executive.

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

Relations I make with people.

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

The job should be its own reward. Don’t do it if it is not.

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?

One certainly becomes more aware of the risks and potholes along the way, but that may be just getting older or having spent too many years as a solicitor advising charities in my day job.

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

The term depends a lot on the degree of change the organisation is facing. For a settled grant maker, a really long term as chair may be appropriate. For a charity in a rapidly changing environment, three to five years is probably maximum.

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

Be curious and make sure you are really thoroughly briefed on what your charity is doing.

11. If you weren’t a trustee, what would you do with that time?

Gardening or sailing.

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

Grant making trusts do not have to worry about membership, thank goodness.

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

What tips do you have to make being a trustee a rewarding experience for your fellow trustees?

To respond to James's question please click here

If you would like to feature as a Trustee of the Week, please contact Dawn Whyndham: dawn.w@trusteenet.org.uk