Jonathan Jewell

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

I became aware of trustees through my involvement with the organisation I now work at, the Royal College of Nursing. For me the role, in such a big organisation, seemed really distant and I felt it was something I couldn’t do, but at the same time a role I really respected and I went off to find out what I could do to get involved as a trustee elsewhere

2. Which organisation(s) do you represent?

The Evelina Family Trust (providing accommodation for families of sick children)
Relate North London (couple counselling and mediation services)
Umbrella (who deal in social housing for people with mental health problems)

3. What particularly attracted you to these organisations?

I joined Relate first, and I think it was because, as a children’s nurse by background training, I really believed that it was so important in protecting families through its work. RNL was my local branch of the Relate Federation

With Umbrella it was because I have significant mental health issues (bipolar disorder) and I believed that my insight might be valuable on the board. Because of those problems, I identified with Umbrella when I saw it in the papers

For the Evelina, I was a volunteer for many years doing relief management and looking after parents who were staying in the accommodation

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

I think having the time is critical, for making the meetings, preparing from them, taking on sub-group work and so on. However, at the moment I am really appreciating the ability of the trustees to function collectively with all the diversity that brings together and strength in unity, so perhaps I would suggest that building relationships with individuals and the board as a whole is one important key in being effective

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

I think this is probably around the question of merger. Right from the start discussion around this has been exciting but also anxiety provoking. I believe the right merger can present so many opportunities, but at the same time has so many complexities, both for trustees and management on both sides of the merger. And a lot of time is spent trying to decide whether it is right in the first place

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

Working with real professionals on the board is definitely one of the most satisfying. It is really interesting to sit with accountants and lawyers, HR practitioners, fundraisers and so on, all established within their fields and now giving up time for what they care about

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

Generally no. If you say you are a director, in my experience, that impresses people. When you clarify you are a director/trustee, I find that people are less excited. Perhaps for very large charities their brand may affect that, but there is a lot of misunderstanding generally about it, even with trustee groups. One example was when I was a trustee for my son’s Parent-Teacher Association. I joined many years after it was set up and I found that no one even knew they were trustees and preferred what they found more meaningful – Officers (even though they were trustees). Because of such misunderstanding about what trustees are and do, I don’t think it is yet well recognised

8. Have you felt that the demands made on trustees/Chairs have grown over time?

I am not sure about the overall quantity of demands in terms of technical legal and regulatory requirements, but I know that a lot is changing and there is a lot you need to be aware of as well as making sure you keep up with changes. I think however, as time has gone by and I have more experience of being a trustee, I expect higher standards from myself in what I do. I know from sitting on different boards things that I can bring to whichever board I am on at the time. By knowing more I can tell where I am not doing enough and I demand more of myself

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

From my experience I think a chair should probably be three years in post and  a trustee about six. I think there is a risk of assuming a trustee and particularly a chair might be there for the far foreseeable future and that measures for succession planning are not properly considered. And I think there is a time when people need to move on and find new challenges and the board needs to make room for finding new people looking for new challenges.

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

Read the Charity Commission’s CC3 before you do anything

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

I’m quite happy doing this kind of thing. If I wasn’t a trustee I would probably look for a remunerated non-exec position or work as a school governor

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

I think it is first about collaboration and then about communication. If you get people working with you, and they are signed up to what you are about, then they will work on your behalf for as long as they feel part of it (I do know this is a simplification, yes). But you can’t neglect communicating with people so they know what you are doing and why you are doing it, and very importantly, what they could do to get involved

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

What is the best way to collaborate with the Senior Management Team (SMT) to get maximum value from both parties?

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