Maurizio Fantato

1. First of all, about you: what attracted you to becoming a chair/trustee?
I know this may sound trite, but I wanted to make a positive contribution to the community. I had worked as a volunteer for a number of organisations since the age of 14.  With seniority came expertise and being able to work towards specific strategic objective suited me, so I ended up as a Trustee.

2. Which organisation(s) do you represent?
Our organisation is very small and very unusual.  We are a chivalric order, so we take a pledge to help ‘widows, orphans and the needy’.  All members contribute financially, but only few take a direct involvement in the running of the charitable foundation.  The charitable foundation is mainly a grant making institutions, we don’t have the resources, financially and otherwise, to fully run projects, but we have been very successful in aiding thousands of people in less developing countries lead a better life.  For example, our support for the Blind Institute in Delhi has enabled hundreds of people to be trained and therefore make a positive contribution to society, instead of simply ending up begging in the streets.

3. What particularly attracted you to these organisations?
When I started volunteering, in my early teens, I was very interested in the environment.  As I grew older, though I retained a keen interest in the environment, I realised that if we wanted to have a fairer world we needed to ensure that people had access to what we in the West take for granted, like water, housing, food, education and primary care.  Travelling around the world I became acutely aware of these needs and I wanted to do something, however insignificant, to improve the lot of humankind.  There are many humanitarian organisations in the UK and in the world, but I wanted to be able to help at strategic level, which is what attracted me to the MOC Foundation.  In addition to this, having to take a formal oath of service, offered me the inner strength to work in this direction.

4. Is there anything that would make you an even more effective trustee/Chair?
Time.  With family commitment and work, time is in short supply.

5. What’s the biggest challenge you have faced in your role?
Although we are a very small organisation there are always group dynamics that need to be taken into account.  People adopt ‘pet projects’ and it’s easy for each of us some time to loose sight of the bigger picture.  Trying to get everyone else to refocus can sometime be a challenge.

6. What do you consider the most satisfying aspect of your role?
Reading the reports from the various organisations we help.  The testimonials of those people we have been able to assist is definitely the most satisfying aspect of the role. It never ceases to amaze me how with sound investments relatively little money can go such a long way.  Following through the progress of our long term projects can also be a very rewarding experience.

7. Do you think there is enough general recognition of the value of the trustee/Chair role?
Definitely not.  More people should be encouraged to take an active role in charitable activities.  The government should recognise volunteering, especially at Board level, perhaps by offering small tax incentives (small enough to deter those people who would just do it for the incentive, but gratifyingly enough to those who are working hard in the sector).  Employers should also recognise work in the community a lot more.  There is a lot of jaw-jaw about volunteering, but little practical encouragement.

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?
I am the Foundation’s Secretary and Treasurer so I can definitely say that there are more evaluations, assessments and in essence a lot more paperwork, even for small charities.  There are also more collegiate bodies to join and one could simply go from one conference to another without doing much else. So demands on Trustees’ time have definitely increased.  There is also a greater demand for aid, with the result that more time is being spent assessing requests much more thoroughly.

9. What do you think is the ideal term of office that a trustee/Chair should serve?
That really depends on the size of the organisation.  For large organisations I guess it would be around five years.  For smaller bodies there shouldn’t be a time limit – after all it can be incredibly difficult to find volunteers, so if the group is thriving and its results are positive time limits can only be artificial barriers.

10. What tip would you give to a new trustee?
They need to be completely acquainted with the objectives of the organisation they join, share and live its vision.  It also helps tremendously if they get on well with the rest of the Board.

11. If you weren’t a trustee, what would you do with that time?
I can’t think of myself doing nothing for the community, so I would probably be a volunteer for some humanitarian organisation and I may eventually end up taking over more and more responsibilities, possibly ending up as a Trustee!

12. What steps do you take to increase/retain your organisation’s membership?
We believe in leading by example and in results. Our membership has grown steadily in tandem with the resources spent on humanitarian projects.

13. What question do you want to ask next week’s trustee?
With greater competition for funds available how do you increase fund raising awareness within a board?

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