User:Sacha healy/Charity Trustees

Charity Trustees

Trustees of a charity hold the overall legal responsibility for the charity. The trustees are usually described as the Board, Management Committee or Council. The law describes charity trustees as ‘the persons having the general control and management of the administration of a charity’.

Simply put, trustees are responsible for the work of the organisation, making sure it has a clearly defined purpose and its work is in line with that purpose. Trustees are not the doers in a charity, they may be a volunteer as well as a trustee but the two roles are distinct and different.

A charity trustee, working with the other trustees, should be clear what the goals of the organisation are (its strategy), whether it is making appropriate progress towards those goals (operational oversight) and that it is meeting its legal and governing document requirements. Trustees have no authority to act on their own as a trustee unless this has been authorised by the trustee board as a whole. Therefore, trustees act collectively to direct the charity and take decisions.

Trustees can be elected or appointed in different ways, depending on the charity’s governing document (see charity governance). They might be elected by members or appointed by the other trustees, or appointed by an outside body.

Trustees hold overall legal responsibility for the charity. They have responsibilities laid down in law.

• Trustees act as a single body
• Trustees takes decisions collectively and meet as often as needed to in order to carry out their responsibilities
• Trustees ensure the organisation has a clear strategy or set of goals
• Trustees ensure the work and goals of the organisation are in line with its stated vision, usually defined in a governing document and often called the organisation’s ‘objects’
• Trustees ensure the charity complies with the appropriate law and with its own governing documents
• Trustees keep a check on the organisation’s finances and activities, ensuring the charity remains solvent and is not exposed to undue risk
• Trustees appoint and support the head of staff (e.g. the chief executive or manager of the overall charity or organisation)
• Trustees delegate authority for day to day activities to appropriate staff and/or volunteers
• Trustees take overall legal responsibility for the organisation's work
• Trustees must act in the interests of the organisation not themselves
• Trustees are volunteers and should not, generally, be paid though they should be reimbursed out of pocket expenses for their involvement as a trustee.

Charity Trustee Eligibility

The Charity Commission provides guidance on who can be a trustee. At its simplest, most people over 18 years of age can become trustees, but a few are not eligible. People under 18 can be trustees of an incorporated charity, but cannot be trustees of an unincorporated charity.

Those who have already been disqualified as company directors and those who have been convicted of an offence involving dishonesty or deception cannot usually become trustees. (link to charity commission sample declaration which should be uploaded shortly)

Becoming a Charity Trustee

Being a trustee should be rewarding and enjoyable. It is a great way to be involved in a community or cause which matters to you. Trustees come from all walks of life and being a trustee can help you meet new people, change your community for the better, learn new skills or use your existing skills in a new context.

At its heart, being a trustee puts you at the centre of the action for the organisation you are involved in. The more effective the Board of trustees, the greater difference you and your organisation will make.

External links

• The Charities Act 2006
• TrusteeWorks
• Charity Trustee Networks
• NCVO Governance & Leadership Information Centre
• Governance Magazine