Focus on Trustees - at the heart of community action

Along with our Community Help Hertfordshire partners, and starting in Trustee Week in early November, we're celebrating and showcasing the amazing work of Trustees in Hertfordshire. Trustees truly are the heart and centre of all the amazing work that charities do in our county, making such a difference to all of us. 

A huge thank you to our Hertfordshire trustees for all that you do - we see you, we applaud you and we recognise your hard work and commitment. We hope you'll share your experiences and help us encourage more people to consider becoming a trustee as an interesting and rewarding way to volunteer.

What is a charity trustee?

Trustees have the overall legal responsibility for a charity. The law describes charity trustees as ‘the persons having the general control and management of the administration of a charity’ (Charities Act 2011, section 177). It is vital that charities have strong trustee boards to drive their mission and ensure their good governance.

Could this be your perfect opportunity to give back to your community, develop your skills and join with a like-minded team to drive action for a cause that ignites your passion?

In looking for a volunteering role, you might not have considered being a trustee, but charities need people with different skills and life experiences in this role and actively welcome interest from new trustees to join their boards. They can help and support trustees who are new to the role.

During our recent Hertfordshire Trustee Conference, organised in partnership with Hertfordshire Community Foundation, we heard from young Trustee and charity founder Katie Callaghan and from Trustee John Arceno on how boards benefit from a diverse team of trustees, bringing their different perspectives, skills, experiences and connections into the mix to dramatically enhance the work of charities.

Browse current opportunities to become a trustee at the button below.

Are you an organisation needing to recruit trustees?

You are not alone! NCVO's recent research found that more than half of charities who responded had more than one vacancy on their board.

We are here to help. Post your vacancies on GoVolHerts and add ‘Other tags/ Trustee opportunity’. We've had great feedback from organisations who are recruiting new trustees through our platform.

Here are some further tips from NCVO’s research:

• Celebrate the work of your trustees
• Shine a light on the impact of their work
• Focus on the benefits to them as volunteers
• Highlight the guidance available to people in the role
• Demystify what is involved in being a trustee

We’ll be taking these tips on board ourselves to showcase and demystify the vital work that trustees do in our communities and how to get involved. Let’s together raise the profile of trustees, support new and diverse trusteeship and strengthen the governance of our amazing local charities.

You can also find our helpful resources for Trustees HERE