This week marks the annual celebration of the UK’s near 1 million Trustees and their dedication to supporting the work of charities.
Many people think that the way to help charities is to donate (which they’ll appreciate too), but giving a charity your time and skills is invaluable. We thought we’d share some key reasons why being a charity Trustee matters to our Founder, Joanne, and why you might like to think about applying for a position on a charity’s Board too.
Giving back
There is nothing more gratifying than spearheading fundamental changes and being a Trustee gives you that opportunity. It opens doors to personal development. It gives you a sense of pride that you are spending your spare time advocating and supporting a cause which matters to you. Often this will be something local, or that you have a personal connection to.
Personal Wellbeing
Helping others is proven to increase feelings of wellbeing. Volunteering your time will help boost your wellbeing, giving you perspective and a sense of purpose.
Develop transferable skills
Becoming a trustee will make you a better leader. It will teach you how to channel your business oriented mindset into a drive to make real change. You will take new perspectives back to your job too. Joanne, finds that her experiences as a Trustee for Exeter Scouts trickles into her leadership at The Indispensary. It’s a large part of the why we champion the work of charities, choosing to help lift them up. We know they need our support, because we’ve learnt from being a part of charities ourselves.
Break the stereotypes
There’s a misguiding stereotype that to be a Trustee, you need to be a business owner, or high up in the corporate ladder. And the majority of trustees are older. 0.5% of all charity trustees are between the ages of 18-25. But anyone can be a Trustee. Young people have skills which are highly beneficial to charities, and being a leading member in a cause that’s important to you could also diversify the knowledge bank and experiences of charity’s Board. You’d be helping them out too.
If you’re thinking, “this sounds great!” the next step would be to research some charities that you care about, and find out whether they have any positions available. Charities will look for new Trustees when there are skills gaps in their Board, or if a Trustee reaches the end of their term. Think about what you could offer to the Board, and make sure to get involved with a charity which you personally care about, it will make you far more likely to be accepted for the position.
