Trustees Unlimited

Press and Media

HR Network Scotland: Trusteeships. Adding another string to your bow! (Sunday 1st January 2012)

On Thursday 3rd November, Trustees Unlimited celebrated its 2nd birthday at the offices of BWB overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral.

Since we were set up, we have grown considerably and recruited over 40 trustees for UK charities. These include big brand names such as Christian Aid, Rethink and Age UK to smaller organisations including the Charity Employee Benevolent Fund, Beating Bowel Cancer and The Larches Trust, a charity established in 1995 by a group of families to create opportunities for people with learning disabilities and/or autism.

The focus of Trustees Unlimited is to provide a solution for organisations struggling to recruit quality trustees and non executives in a rigorous and cost effective way. We do this through its database of over 1,300 trustee candidates and in partnership with a raft of other firms such as Centrica, BT and the NUS.

Ian Joseph, Director of Trustees Unlimited and Director, Charities and Not-for-Profit practice, Russam GMS said, “We set up Trustees Unlimited because we recognised that many organisations were finding it difficult to recruit outside their immediate networks and find new candidates. Two years on, we have helped many organisations find trustees who can bring specific skills or experience who are now making a real impact.

“In the current economic climate, charities and social enterprises need to have the best people on their boards to ensure they can face the challenges ahead and we can source such people at affordable prices. We are recruiting for a growing number of charities and social enterprises and have also just been appointed as a preferred supplier to the National Union of Students – and we are looking forward to recruiting young trustees for UK charities.”

Grapevine Magazine: Giving back to charity workers - With the voluntary sector hit by funding cuts, how can charities
ensure their talent management strategy doesn't fall behind?

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Demand Increases for Trustee Training

On 14 July, Trustees Unlimited, the joint venture trustee recruitment venture from Russam GMS, NCVO and Bates, Wells and Braithwaite, held its second successful pre-board training event (in conjunction with Trustee Works). Almost 100 aspiring trustees gathered at NCVO's offices in London to learn what being a trustee in a charity today is all about. Speakers from NCVO and Trustees Unlimited discussed the key responsibilities of trustees, as well as the rewards and liabilities and then gave the attendees plenty of advice and tips on how to secure a trustee role. These formal presentations were followed by a lively question and answer session.

Ian Joseph, Director, Charities and Not-for-Profit Practice, Russam GMS and Director of Trustees Unlimited said, "The training event was another full house, with attendees of all ages and from different walks of life. The event's popularity highlights that there is a huge number of people out there who want to volunteer their time and efforts for good causes – you could say it is the Big Society in action. Our July event was just as popular as our first event earlier this year. Consequently, we have decided to hold another event in November to satisfy demand."

Anne Moynihan, Head of NCVO's Governance and Leadership team

Top tips for aspiring Trustees at Trustees Unlimited's Pre-Board Training Event

It was a full house at Trustees Unlimited's first pre-board training event held on 28 March at NCVO's offices in London with over 100 aspiring trustees in attendance. The delegates came to find out what being a trustee is all about and the responsibilities, rewards and risks involved, and the challenges facing the Not for Profit sector.

To open the event, Stephen Brooker, one of Trustee Unlimited's directors and Chairman of the Charities and Not for Profit Practice at Russam GMS and Richard Williams, Director of Enterprise and Development at NCVO welcomed everyone and shared some of their own experiences working as trustees. They stressed how delighted they were that the event was well attended and there was such an interest in trusteeship, in spite of the current economic gloom. They emphasised that good boards are diverse ones, and that boards with trustees of different ages and backgrounds, with a mix of skills and experiences tend to be more robust and make better decisions.

Karl Wilding, NCVO's Head of Research, presented the audience with an overview of the UK's Civil Society Sector. It became evident quickly that with over 170,000 UK charitable organisations, from large big brand charities to small organisations employing just a few people, there are many and varied trustee opportunities. Karl stated that contrary to popular belief, the UK is a nation of volunteers, with one in four people volunteering their time and that a surprising 950,000 people are already trustees.

He also said that any new trustee needs to be aware that funding is the biggest challenge for the sector this year. Whilst income always has been skewed to the larger charities, the government cuts will mean that many smaller organisations who are reliant on government funding will now struggle to survive. Additionally, the government's changes to the commissioning of services under its Big Society agenda will leave some organisations struggling to adapt. The audience was advised to ask prudent questions about an organisation's governance, financial management and future growth plans before they take on any new trusteeship.

Anne Moynihan, Head of NCVO's Governance and Leadership team, discussed the roles and responsibilities of a trustee. She said that because the board of trustees is ultimately responsible for everything a charity does there are many considerations to think about and pitfalls to avoid before taking on a board position. Anne commented that whilst she wasn't trying to deter would-be trustees, they needed to understand the risks and liabilities involved in trusteeship.

Here are Anne's top ten checks for trustees at interview stage:

1. Be clear about the rules and responsibilities you will are taking on – who can make the decisions and who can't?

2. What is the leadership style within the organisation?

3. What is its strategic direction and business objectives?

4. What are the charities' resources? You need to include everything from the land it owns to intellectual property and trademarks

5. What are the training and induction processes for new trustees?

6. Every charity has a governance document containing rules for trustees. Make sure you see this at the outset, as it is your duty to comply with these rules and you may be held responsible if you do not

7. What are the time commitments – every charity will expect different things

8. Remember, you will need to put the organisation first if there is a crisis or urgent need. As a trustee it is your duty to put the charity before other commitments

9. Understand who the beneficiaries are as this is where the organisation's loyalty lies

10. Be very careful about the 'collective' board decisions that are made. If you do not agree with a decision, you must register your dissent. If you are not at a meeting, read the minutes and make sure you have your say, it is your duty and responsibility

Lastly, Ian Joseph, Head of Russam GMS's Not for Profit Practice and Director of Trustees Unlimited offered some further insight into how best to secure a trustee role.

The feedback from the event was excellent and Trustees Unlimited will be putting on another event like this in the summer ...watch this space!

Charity trusteeship can benefit unemployed
4 January 2012

With roughly 40,000 charitable organisations in the UK likely to have a trustee vacancy and 22% of young people unemployed, there are opportunities for both parties in 2012.

That’s according to Ian Joseph, director of Trustees Unlimited, a trustee recruitment company run as a joint venture between the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), legal firm Bates Wells and Braithwaite and interim recruiter Russam GMS.

Joseph says: “Charities would benefit from the skills, energy, ideas and creativity that young people could bring to their boards.

“However, it is not just the charities that would benefit; with 22% of young people currently unemployed, becoming a trustee could open doors to new contacts, enable them to gain valuable work experience and pick up skills that could be transferred into any future role.”

Here are Joseph’s tips for those considering a charity trusteeship position:

• find a charity you feel passionate about
• understand who the charity’s beneficiaries are and what your responsibility and time commitments would be working for it
• check that the organisation’s strategy and objectives match.

Trustees Unlimited helps charities in challenging times
10 November 2011

Charities and social enterprises need to have the best people on their boards to ensure they can face the challenges ahead, according to Ian Joseph, director of Trustees Unlimited.

Speaking last week at the joint venture trustee recruitment firm’s second anniversary celebrations in London, Joseph told Recruiter: “We are recruiting for a growing number of charities and social enterprises, and have also just been appointed as a preferred supplier to the National Union of Students — and we are looking forward to recruiting young trustees for UK charities.”

Trustees Unlimited was set up by Russam GMS, law firm Bates Wells and Braithwaite (BWB) and the National Council for Voluntary and Community Organisations (NCVO) to help organisations struggling to recruit quality trustees and non-executives in a rigorous and cost-effective way.

Joseph, who is also director, charities and not-for-profit practice, Russam GMS, added: “We set up Trustees Unlimited because we recognised that many organisations were finding it difficult to recruit outside their immediate networks and find new candidates.

“Two years on, we have helped many organisations find trustees who can bring specific skills or experience who are now making a real impact.” Since it was established Trustees Unlimited has recruited over 40 trustees for UK charities. These include big brand names such as Christian Aid, Rethink and Age UK to smaller organisations including the Charity Employee Benevolent Fund, Beating Bowel Cancer and The Larches Trust, a charity established in 1995 by a group of families to create opportunities for people with learning disabilities and/or autism.

Trustees Unlimited has a database of over 1,300 trustee candidates and is in partnership with a number of other firms such as Centrica, BT and the NUS.

Original article here.

Growing social enterprise movement holds opportunities for volunteers
4 November 2011

Increasing pressure on social enterprises to trade their way to sustainability are forcing them to look for independent non-executive directors.

With Trustees' Week upon us and the 2012 Olympics around the corner, many people in the UK are turning their attention to volunteering and looking at ways in which they can contribute to society. The coalition government's "big society" agenda is intending to reinvigorate Britain's philanthropic spirit by encouraging people to take a more active role in their communities, and has a vision of charities and social enterprises delivering a greater number of future public services and being more self-sufficient. But becoming a trustee is not the only option available; the fast-growing social enterprise space, in which businesses and charities trade for social and environmental purposes, holds plenty of opportunities and might appeal more to some people – perhaps those with a purely commercial background. While we estimate that one in five charities currently has a vacancy on their boards for a trustee, there are equally a great many social enterprises and charity trading subsidiaries crying out for experienced individuals who can bring specialist skills and commercial experience to their boards as non-executive directors.

Currently 62,000 social enterprises exist in the UK, although, contrary to popular belief, many are charities and their wholly owned trading companies. Overall they contribute £24bn to the economy and employ around 800,000 people, and although this year there has been much excitement and debate about social enterprises and the "rise of the social entrepreneurs", there is nothing new about them. The first example of a social enterprise company can be traced back to 1840, when a Rochdale workers co-operative was set up to provide high-quality and affordable food for workers in response to poor factory conditions. And we only have to look at the success of charities such as The Big Issue, The Eden Project, The Sunlight Development Trust – a trading subsidiary of the Sunlight Centre Charity – or the many charities with retail arms such as Oxfam, Sue Ryder and RNIB, to recognise that, while this is a growing area, it is well-established and has its genesis in the charity sector.

However, the government has thrust this sector – neatly defined recently by Lawrence Simanowitz, a partner at law firm Bates Wells and Braithwaite, which specialises in this sector, as "the fourth way" – into the limelight this year. One of the government's big society missions is to make it easier for charities and social enterprises to compete with the private and public sectors to deliver public services in the future. It has made funding and support available for people starting social enterprises, and the upcoming public services bill – the private members' bill led by Chris White – suggests that commissioners will prioritise funding for organisations that offer genuine social change. It is also a confident sector. According to The state of social enterprises survey undertaken in November 2009, 48% of social enterprise companies were confident of future growth compared with just 24% of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in spite of the economic downturn. And, social enterprises also outperformed many SME companies during this period. An impressive 56% of social enterprises had increased their turnover from the previous year, compared to 28% of SMEs.

So what opportunities exist for people to get involved with social enterprises and charity trading companies? Well, there are many. Social enterprises operate in almost every industry in the UK, from health and social care to renewable energy, retail through to sport, education and housing.

But one important consideration for anyone thinking of joining the board of a social enterprise or a charity trading company is that they are businesses first and foremost – they need to make a profit in order to compete in the market, to ensure their survival and to invest in their social or environmental aims. So, like any good business, they will want to attract people with a diverse mix of skills and experience to their boards; people who can inject ideas, passion, creativity and who have the business knowledge and capabilities to help shape their future direction and ensure growth. Trustees of charities are there to act in the best interests of their beneficiaries, while directors of a social enterprise are there to act primarily in the interests of the shareholders. However, a director of a social enterprise will still be responsible for governance. They will still have to ensure that the social enterprise is financially solvent and meeting its financial goals as well as fulfilling its social mission. But, arguably, there may be fewer responsibilities and liabilities involved in joining a social enterprise or a charity trading company compared with trusteeship. Being a charity trustee has some other, obvious benefits and is often a stimulating, rewarding and interesting role – but it may not meet everyone's needs.

In some cases, unlike trusteeship, people will be paid for their efforts in social enterprises. Those who work for Community Interest Companies or CICs – a new form of company created by legislation, but initially designed by Bates Wells and Braithwaite specifically for social enterprises – can receive salaries, however people shouldn't expect large salaries and, if they do, they are joining for the wrong reasons. And, while the personal liabilities might be fewer, joining the board of a social enterprise is just as much of a commitment as becoming a trustee. Just as you wouldn't join a board of a business on a temporary basis, a social enterprise should be treated in exactly the same way if you want to make an impact on the business.

In recent months, Trustees Unlimited has received a greater number of briefs from social enterprises, so we know there is demand out there for great people and exciting opportunities available. In fact, with increasing pressure on charities to trade their way to sustainability, many companies owned by charities are also looking for independent non-executive directors to complement the trustees who also sit on the board. So for people considering their options this Trustees' Week, it is important to remember there is a "fourth way".

Richard Williams is director of enterprise and development at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and director of Trustees Unlimited
Original article here.

What every new trustee of a charity must know
23 August 2011

Ian Joseph from Trustees Unlimited offers some invaluable advice on the questions trustees must ask to ensure they are fully aware of what they are getting into:

With over 170,000 UK charitable organisations, from large big brand charities to small organisations employing just a few people, there are many and varied opportunities for trustees. Contrary to the perception of many, the UK is a nation of volunteers. 25% of people volunteer at least once a month and four out of ten people volunteer at least once a year. There are an estimated 950,000 trustee positions in the UK, so there are plenty of diverse and interesting opportunities for first time trustees.

An estimated one in five UK charities has at least one vacant position on their trustee boards and notably, there is an absence of young people. According to a Charity Commission report last year, young people are seriously under-represented on charity boards and less than 1% of under 25s are trustees. These figures need to change if we are to improve the robustness and effectiveness of charity boards, as the best boards tend to have a diverse mix of experience and age and reflect the makeup of society and their beneficiaries.

With youth unemployment at a high and graduate unemployment specifically at its highest for many years, volunteering and trusteeship could be a very useful opportunity for young jobseekers to learn valuable skills, gain new experiences, make good contacts, enhance their CVs and at the same time contribute to society. Volunteering can encourage people to have a stake in their communities, something which has taken on extra significance in light of the recent disturbances across the country.

In the past two years, we have seen a rise in the number of people from all walks of life, with diverse backgrounds and experience wanting to become trustees. This is hugely positive. However, before these people take the plunge, we advise them first of the many responsibilities that rest on the shoulders of a trustee. We are candid about the responsibilities and rewards involved, but also about the risks and the current funding challenges facing the not-for-profit sector, which is likely to impact their work.

Any new trustee needs to be aware that funding is the biggest short term challenge for the sector this year, a factor borne out in NCVO's latest quarterly Charity Forecast which surveyed a range of charity leaders. In the report, the majority of charity leaders stated that their organisation's financial situation got worse last year and predicted it will get even worse over the next year. Almost all of them believe that economic conditions for the voluntary sector as a whole will be negative for the next 12 months.

Additionally, the government's proposed changes to the commissioning of services under its big society agenda will leave many organisations struggling to adapt, so we counsel any would-be trustee to ask prudent questions about an organisation's governance, financial management and future growth plans. However, we also stress that during such a time of change, there will be exciting new opportunities for trustees who will be able to play a vital role shaping the future of organisations.

Trustees are ultimately responsible for everything a charity does and can be held legally accountable for the decisions they make. Consequently, we urge people to understand the risks and liabilities involved in trusteeship and to undertake due diligence and research into an organisation before they accept a role.

The interview stage is crucial - it has to be a two way conversation. This is the opportunity for candidates to get the information and answers they need to ensure they are making the right decision.

Here is some advice and questions that trustees should ask before accepting a role:

1. Be clear about the rules and responsibilities you are taking on – who makes what decisions? Where does the power lie, with the chief executive or the board?

2. What is the leadership style within the organisation? Is the chair a team player? Does the chief executive respect the board?

3. What is its strategic direction and business objectives? Is there a plan in place? Who drives it?

4. What are the charities' resources? You need to include everything from the land it owns to intellectual property and trademarks.

5. What are the training and induction processes for new trustees?

6. Every charity has a governance document containing rules for trustees. Make sure you see this at the outset, as it is your duty to comply with these rules and you may be held responsible if you do not.

7. What are the time commitments? Every charity will have different expectations.

8. Remember, you will need to put the organisation first if there is a crisis or urgent need. As a trustee it is your duty to put the charity before other commitments – are the other board members committed to this?

9. Understand who the beneficiaries are, as this is where the organisation's loyalty lies.

10. Be very careful about the collective board decisions that are made. If you do not agree with a decision, you must register your dissent. If you are not at a meeting, read the minutes and make sure you have your say, it is your duty and responsibility.

There are some huge benefits and rewards in being a trustee and for many people it can be a life changing experience or the route to new career path. UK charities are crying out for trustee talent and many want to attract young trustees from different backgrounds to inject some energy and fresh ideas into their boards. However, we would urge any new trustee to do their homework and be aware of the challenges and opportunities first before taking on a trusteeship.

Ian Joseph is director of Trustees Unlimited

Original article here.

Charity sector mergers: a good way to weather the storm?
29 June 2011

Mergers make an awful lot of sense in bleak financial times, says NCVO director Richard Williams.

The financial outlook may be bleak, but not all the news is bad - some charities could benefit from greater collaboration, or even merging.

To merge or not to merge – that is the question being asked around many boardroom tables in UK charities. According to the preliminary findings of NCVO's Leadership 20:20 Commission report, funding is likely to be the number one concern of charity leaders this year. What's more, they don't see the situation changing until at least 2020. In light of this potentially bleak financial outlook, it is not surprising that leaders are considering potential partnerships with other organisations, including mergers and collaborations.

As we know, some organisations like Help the Aged and Age Concern have taken the plunge already and have done so successfully. In addition, the last couple of months have been awash with news of organisations stating their intentions to merge. These have included Poppy Scotland and Royal British Legion as well as two of Scotland's oldest deaf charities, Deaf Action and Tayside Deaf Association, a combination which will create the UK's largest deaf charity.

For organisations like these that share common goals, merging can make a great deal of sense. There is strength in numbers, major cost savings to be made and, if two organisations have similar charitable objectives and share the same values and audiences, then there is often no better strategic option. If they occupy the same space then a merger also cuts out the competition for funds in this sector immediately.

In any merger situation good governance is essential, and at such times, the role of a trustee is incredibly important. It falls to the trustees to ensure their organisation gets its governance right. Ultimately, it is their responsibility to ensure that a merger is not only is the best option for the charity strategically and culturally, but that it adheres to the charity's objectives and the interests of its beneficiaries. This means prioritising charitable objectives at all times throughout any merger process. It is down to them also to analyse carefully if the merger is the right strategic move and being driven by the right motivations, and not purely for financial reasons. The cultural fit between the two organisations is equally important, and again, it is the trustees' role to analyse this and if they have any misgivings or objections they must communicate them.

However, mergers aren't for everyone. There is significant resistance to them within the sector. The recent Charity Commission's third Economic Survey of Charities found that only 9% of charities have considered merging, collaborating or forming a consortium with another charity. However, this had increased by six percentage points on the previous survey. Incidentally, regular surveys of NCVO members' confidence report much higher levels of anticipated collaboration, but interest in mergers isn't a subject that is asked about.

When we look at potential barriers and reasons why they are against them, it is important to look at how civil society is comprised. Just 5% of the 170,000 UK charities have incomes of more than one million pounds and the majority are very small organisations. Many of these charities operate as micro businesses; they are run by few staff and often are small local charities. Such charities tend to be embedded in their community and well known by everyone; merging with another organisation would mean a loss of brand identity and this could ultimately put the charity at risk.

The civil society sector is no different to the private sector in terms of how it responds to mergers. Any charity would fear being swallowed up by another organisation, losing its identity and its brand image. They would be concerned about the impact on their organisation, their people and fear that under a new guise they might not be able to deliver their charitable objectives.

A more palatable alternative for charities is collaborative partnerships. Collaboration can deliver huge benefits, efficiencies and cost savings for both parties – whether that comes from sharing staff, office premises, back office systems, pooling resources, jointly working on projects or fundraising for a shared cause. Collaborating with the right partner can deliver multiple benefits, not just in terms of cost savings. It can help organisations develop; introduce new business methods and processes, new technology and better ways of working. Employees and volunteers from within both organisations can also learn from the expertise of each by working in partnership.

But even in collaborative partnerships, it is important for charities to recognise that the responsibility still lies with the trustees to ensure good governance and that the charitable objectives are met. No matter how small the partnership, trustees must analyse the strategic impact on the organisation to ensure that any working arrangement has the interests of the charities beneficiaries at its core.

Richard Williams is director of enterprise at NCVO and director of Trustees Unlimited

Original article here.

Need more girls on your board? Look beyond your old boys' network, then
4 May 2011

Charities' persistent tendency to fill up their boards with their mates is holding back the sector's progress in producing more diverse boards, says Richard Williams.

Women are still under-represented on the boards of top charities, according to new research from Charity Finance. With less than a third (31 per cent) of women on the boards of the top 100 charities, and with more than a quarter of these organisations having less than 25 per cent of women in their boardrooms, charities clearly need to work harder to improve boardroom diversity.

While the charity sector is leading the private sector in terms of progressing women onto its boards, men still dominate the top jobs. Only 12 per cent of chairs are women, a surprisingly low figure given that the sector is such a large employer of women. This research really begs the question: why are so few charities failing to prioritise the progression and positive contribution of women?

One of the main reasons I believe is linked to the recruitment methods that still exist in many charities today, where trustees are recruited by word-of-mouth recommendations from within existing networks. Such practices are akin to the 'old boys' network' and ultimately limiting in a number of ways. It creates a lack of diversity on boards, limited perspectives around the boardroom table and at worst, skills and talent shortages that could hinder organisational development.

In addition to these risks, the failure to progress more women onto boards of charities could have other organisational repercussions. Lord Davies' recent report concluded there was a "clear business case" for increasing the number of women on boards. This follows a report from McKinsey which showed that companies with a higher proportion of women in senior positions were more likely to achieve greater stock-market growth.

The recruitment of trustees was a big issue that was raised in the Institute of Philanthropy's study of trustee appointments, The State of UK Charity Boards, which found that around half of trustees are appointed through personal recommendations and just 20 per cent of charities advertised to fill their trustee vacancies. Clearly change is needed, particularly given the fact that almost one in five charities has a board vacancy.

The report stated that boards need to work harder on trustee recruitment. I would agree with this view entirely. Organisations need to adapt their recruitment strategies to ensure they are attracting people with the best skills and experience, and this can only happen if they recruit from a diverse gene pool. Skills audits need to be undertaken regularly to evaluate if a board has the right mix of talent and skills that not only reflects the needs of their key stakeholders and beneficiaries, but will best position them to realise their business plans.

Charities need to look outside their existing networks to recruit trustees and it doesn't have to be difficult or expensive. There are several free resources, such as social networking sites, which could be used to source talent. Additionally, NCVO's Trusteebank and our part-ownership of Trustees Unlimited is predicated around developing a rich diverse resource of potential trustees to enable charities and social enterprises to access a much wider selection of candidates.

NCVO can also help to induct this rich vein of potential trustees and ensure that they are well versed in trustee responsibilities, and the culture and shape of the sector. This kind of training and development will ensure they become active and participative trustees more quickly and bring their skills and attributes to a well functioning, balanced and strategically-aware board.

Richard Williams is director of enterprise and development at NCVO and director at Trustees Unlimited.

Original article here.

Does the 'big society' mean it's time to reshape the board?
14 March 2011

The jury is still out on how David Cameron's vision will affect not for profit companies, says Ian Joseph
The voluntary sector must work out how and why David Cameron's 'big society' will affect their work.

At the "big society" re-launch earlier this month, David Cameron reaffirmed his commitment and passion for this ideology. However, in the not for profit sector it seems that the jury is still out in terms of what the big society is, how it will work and how it will affect them. What is clear is that boards need to adapt to the changing environment around them.

While Cameron has spent months focusing on the idea of volunteering, as well as the importance of community groups and charities getting involved in the delivery of public services, he has also confirmed that local authority spending cuts will result in serious pain for many organisations. I met with a large service provider this week and they told me they are facing up to 18% cuts in their local authority funding. This will result in new contracts for staff with many now working longer hours for the same or less money. The reality of cuts is hitting home – hard.

Cameron's intention to open up all public services to private contractors and voluntary organisations will mean opportunities and challenges to the sector in terms of winning work, and I hope that the sector will grow as it proves its ability to deliver. However, with more contracts comes increased accountability to the public for delivery. Furthermore, payment by results will be the modus operandi. Charities consistently rank near the top in terms of public trust but hard-fought reputations run the risk of exposure, as more contracts are awarded and the public demand excellence. The brave new world we are entering, whether willingly or not, means that the old world where boards were assembled in a less than robust way is, or rather, should be completely over. The sector embarked on a professionalisation journey some 20 years ago, but good governance is still very much a work in progress. As the sector docks at the quayside of the "big society" it needs to have boards in the bridge that are fit for purpose or run the risk of damage of titanic proportions.

Governance is made all the more complex when the traditional structures of organisations are changing and where we have hybrid organisations, perhaps social businesses spun off from the state. It is vital that boards reflect the interests of the beneficiaries, rather than a particular stakeholder group such as employees or financial backers.

One of the fundamental responsibilities of the board is to be the custodian of the organisation's vision, mission and values. As they adapt to the inevitable changes the big society will impose on them, boards needs to ensure they remain true to their purpose. That means that individual board members need to be engaged, attending meetings, reading reports before meetings and contributing. This sounds obvious but it's amazing how many boards are carrying dead weights. I sat in a two and a half hour board meeting recently and a fellow trustee did not say one word the whole time; what was she doing there? But having engaged board members is not enough. Not for profits should be undertaking a skills assessment to pinpoint any skills gaps regularly.

My sense is that many boards will need to start recruiting individuals with strong commercial skills. Organisations will need to attract people from both the private and public sectors, and ideally those that have worked at the nexus of all three sectors. They may also need to improve the skills of existing board members and invest in training – particularly in the areas of governance and finance. Organisations will also have to consider if their boards are diverse enough; if they are balanced and truly reflective of the people they serve. This is not about tokenism, but rather about ensuring the board is as possible close to the market it serves. Christian Aid and London-based mental health charity Community Options are two organisations which have recently used Trustees Unlimited's recruitment services to find trustees from diverse backgrounds. Christian Aid recruited Tom Hinton, a finance director of one of Centrica's businesses, because it wanted to strengthen its financial and risk management capabilities.

Community Options recruited John Schuster, a marketing communications expert with a financial background, to its board to help raise the organisation's profile and highlight its work in mental health. Both organisations and many like them have wrestled with what they need and then gone out and found them (often with a little help from a professional recruitment firm). This must be the correct way to help our organisations be relevant.

One in five charities have at least one vacancy on their boards. Given that there are gaps on boards and gaps in skills, now is the perfect time to grab hold of our boards and fill those vacant positions with top-quality people who can help us all prepare for the journey ahead.

Ian Joseph is the director of Trustees Unlimited

Original article here.

Big society, needs big ideas and the right people at the helm
8 July 2010

While not for profit organisations are being encouraged to deliver more public services, many don't have the knowhow to cope with the new demands - could recruiting more diverse trustees be the answer?

The new coalition government has pledged to place the civil society sector at the heart of its 'Big Society' programme.

Part of its aim, as it devolves power to people, is for not for profit organisations to work more closely with the state and compete with public sector organisations to deliver a greater number of public services.

These are ambitious plans for a sector that is famously under resourced. Some charity leaders have expressed doubts already about the ability of smaller charities to cope with such pressures, questioning if they have the knowhow and resources available to adopt such a role.

There is little doubt the sector is facing an unprecedented level of change and uncertainty and many organisations are suffering still from the impact of the recession and feel threatened by the planned public sector cuts.

In this climate, strong governance and leadership is essential. Recent research from both PricewaterhouseCoopers and interim management provider, Russam GMS highlighted that better financial management and governance is now a top priority for charities and considered vital to get them through these difficult times.

Now is the time for organisations of all sizes to strengthen their boards to ensure they are led by the people who will ensure they have a sustainable future.

A diverse range of trustees

The best boards will include a diverse range of trustees – people from different industry and functional backgrounds with a range of skills, talent, knowledge and experience, which will ensure they make the best decisions about the future of the organisation.

But finding such individuals has been a long standing challenge for the sector, and consequently, there has been an over reliance on personal networks in the past, resulting in boards recruiting in their own likeness.

Some organisations have however, recently tackled this problem by investing in a trustee recruitment service, like Trustees Unlimited, to enable them to tap into a wider pool of potential trustees, ensure trustees are rigorously vetted and that their skills are assessed.

Christian Aid recently enlisted our help to find a new financial expert to join its trustee board. It needed a qualified accountant with strong risk management skills on its board and the tough economic climate, coupled with its desire to expand internationally had highlighted this skills gap.

The organisation had tried several channels to find such a trustee; including using its own network of individuals, but none had produced the right person.

Through Trustees Unlimited, it appointed Tom Hinton, the financial controller of British Gas who as well as being a Christian, is just 30 years old.

Christian Aid sees Tom as a 'breath of fresh air' and hopes that his dynamic approach and strong commercial experience will strengthen its financial and risk management capabilities.

The recruitment service is not just aimed at larger organisations with bigger budgets.

Community Options is a small London-based charity that provides services and accommodation for people with mental health needs. Through us, it recently appointed John Schuster, a marketing expert to its trustee board to raise the organisation's profile and brand and to input into its five year strategic plan.

John has a 20-year track record of delivering marketing campaigns to financial services companies and Community Options is now confident it has the right level of marketing expertise on its board to build its profile successfully.

For too long charities have struggled to recruit the best talent to their boards, and with such uncertainty and change in the sector, this problem can no longer be overlooked.

There are plenty of talented people in the market who want to serve as trustees and we are providing a cost-effective recruitment service that will bring trustee/non executive talent into small and large third civil society organisations.

In time, we hope this will help to improve the governance across the whole sector.

Ian Joseph is a board member of Trustees Unlimited.

Original article here

Problems and solutions to trustee recruitment for small charities
7 April 2010

Small charities need skilled leaders to guide them through difficult economic times but finding and recruiting the right people can be problematic. A new specialist trustee recruitment service could help.

Small voluntary and community organisations never fail to impress me with their ability to instinctively know how to get more "bang for their buck" when it comes to stretching money for frontline services. Their passion and enthusiasm for their cause means they consistently deliver high quality services under the most challenging of circumstances.

While funding is obviously important, the success of any voluntary and community organisation, regardless of its size, is down to the way in which it is governed and led. Funders are increasingly expecting voluntary and community organisations to demonstrate their impact and accountability and expect to see business plans and diversity strategies as part of funding applications.

The recession and impending public sector cuts mean we are facing lean years as a sector and all organisations will need skilled leaders, more than ever, to guide us through this difficult period.

More than a million people are already charity trustees, responsible for everything their organisation does. Yet the role of charity trusteeship is sorely under recognised and many charities – particularly smaller ones – have problems finding and recruiting the right people.

Almost half of all voluntary and community organisations say they are finding it more difficult to recruit now than they did five years ago.

For smaller organisations with few or no paid staff, this can place even greater demands on individual trustees who may be expected to take on a number of roles beyond that of governing the organisation.

NCVO, together with law firm Bates, Wells & Braithwaite and interim management recruitment consultancy Russam GMS, has now launched a specialist trustee recruitment service for small charities, through company Trustees Unlimited. The service enables organisations to tap into candidates with a wide range of backgrounds and experience, filling skills gaps and thereby strengthening boards.

Our advice is that voluntary and community organisations need to take trustee recruitment as seriously as they would staff recruitment. Organisations should look beyond their immediate networks and reach out to a wide group of people as potential trustees.

Historically, many organisations have relied on "word of mouth" to recruit their trustees and this obviously limits the pool of interest for trustee roles and can mean they do not recruit people with the skills and experience they require to govern effectively.

This, of course, poses particular issues for smaller organisations where budgets are extremely tight and spending money on anything other than direct delivery of services can appear to be wrong.

One London-based voluntary organisation told us: "We don't really have a budget line for governance. We've got one for trustee meetings – for sandwiches and so on – does that count?"

If as a sector we want to ensure that we speak with even greater authority when representing our most marginalised communities, we need to invest in trustee recruitment and recognise that finding and keeping trustees is a vital task for all voluntary and community organisations.

I hope that our new service is an affordable way of making this process easier for smaller charities, that have so much to gain from getting leadership right.

Ben Kernighan is deputy chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations For more information visit Trustees Unlimited

Smaller charities to benefit from new Trustees Unlimited recruitment service
6 April 2010

A new trustee recruitment service to help small not for profit organisations recruit a more diverse pool of talented trustees is being launched today by Trustees Unlimited, the joint venture trustee recruitment company from NCVO, Bates Wells and Braithwaite and Russam GMS set up in November 2009.

The new, cost effective service is an extension of Trustees Unlimited's existing trustee recruitment offerings. It has been set up in response to significant demand from organisations with a turnover of less than £500K who want to access the growing numbers of professional people wanting to serve as trustees who are registered with Trustees Unlimited.

This basic version of the Trustees Unlimited recruitment service will be available for a one off fee of £750. It will include a briefing conversation with the selection committee of the recruiting organisation to ensure clarity on the type of trustee required and a search of suitable candidates from the Trustees Unlimited database of around one thousand people.

Ben Kernighan, Deputy Chief Executive, NCVO says, "Leadership is a crucial area that all charities, regardless of their size, must get right if they want to ensure their long-term success so finding and recruiting the right trustees is a hugely important task. Trustees Unlimited has already successfully placed trustees in larger organisations and I'm delighted we are expanding the service so smaller charities can access high calibre candidates at affordable prices."

Ian Joseph, Head of the Not for Profit Practice at Russam GMS added, "Trustees Unlimited is committed to good governance in the sector. We want to make it easier for every not for profit organisation in the UK to recruit high quality trustees and this new inclusive and accessible service will make that possible."

Trustees Unlimited was established to help not for profit organisations solve the difficult challenge of trustee recruitment and recruit talented and professional trustees more easily. Research from NCVO highlighted that 43% of boards find it more difficult to recruit trustees today than five years ago; 81% of charities rely on word of mouth recommendations to recruit trustees which can limit the talent pool, and 76% of trustees are over 45 years old which means that charities need to think about succession planning to replace them when they retire.

Since its launch, over 1,000 professionals looking for trustee roles have signed up to Trustees Unlimited; there has been significant demand for trustees from not for profit organisations of all sizes and several trustee placements have been made in large not for profit organisations, such as Christian Aid, through to smaller organisations such as London based, Community Options.

Trustee Unlimited launches service for small charities
26 March 2010

Trustees Unlimited has launched a new trustee recruitment service costing a one-off fee of £750 for small charities.

The new service will be available to civil society organisations with a turnover of less than £500,000 and include a briefing conversation with the selection committee of the recruiting organisation to ensure clarity on the type of trustee required and a search of suitable candidates from the Trustees Unlimited database of around one thousand people.

Ben Kernighan, deputy chief executive, NCVO said, "Leadership is a crucial area that all charities, regardless of their size, must get right if they want to ensure their long-term success so finding and recruiting the right trustees is a hugely important task. Trustees Unlimited has already successfully placed trustees in larger organisations and I'm delighted we are expanding the service so smaller charities can access high calibre candidates at affordable prices."

Trustees Unlimited is a joint venture trustee recruitment company from NCVO, Bates Wells & Braithwaite and Russam GMS, set up in November 2009 to help not for profit organisations solve the difficult challenge of trustee recruitment and recruit talented and professional trustees more easily.

Research from NCVO highlighted that 43% of boards find it more difficult to recruit trustees today than five years ago; 81% of charities rely on word of mouth recommendations to recruit trustees which can limit the talent pool, and 76% of trustees are over 45 years old which means that charities need to think about succession planning to replace them when they retire.

Trustees Unlimited's new not-for-profit service
25 March 2010

Trustees Unlimited has launched a new trustee recruitment service to help small not-for-profit organisations recruit a more diverse pool of talented trustees. The new service is an extension of Trustees Unlimited's existing offerings and has been set up in response to demand from organisations with a turnover of less than £500k who want to access the growing numbers of professionals wanting to serve as trustees who are registered with Trustees Unlimited.

This basic version of the Trustees Unlimited recruitment service will be available for a one-off fee of £750. It will include a briefing conversation with the selection committee of the recruiting organisation to ensure clarity on the type of trustee required and a search of suitable candidates from the Trustees Unlimited database of around 1,000 people.

Trustees Unlimited is the joint venture trustee recruitment company set up last November 2009 by voluntary organisation NCVO, law firm Bates Wells and Braithwaite, and interim management specialist Russam GMS.

Specialist recruitment service launched for charities
25 March 2010

A new trustee recruitment service to help small not-for-profit organisations recruit a more diverse pool of talented trustees has been launched by Trustees Unlimited, the joint venture trustee recruitment company from NCVO, Bates Wells and Braithwaite and Russam GMS.

The service is an extension of Trustees Unlimited's existing offerings. It has been set up in response to significant demand from organisations with a turnover of less than £500,000 who want to access the growing numbers of professional people wanting to serve as trustees who are registered with Trustees Unlimited.

This basic version of the Trustees Unlimited recruitment service will be available for a one off fee of £750. It will include a briefing conversation with the selection committee of the recruiting organisation to ensure clarity on the type of trustee required and a search of suitable candidates from the Trustees Unlimited database of around 1000 people.

Ben Kernighan, Deputy Chief Executive, NCVO said: "Leadership is a crucial area that all charities, regardless of their size, must get right if they want to ensure their long-term success so finding and recruiting the right trustees is a hugely important task.

"Trustees Unlimited has already successfully placed trustees in larger organisations and I'm delighted we are expanding the service so smaller charities can access high-calibre candidates at affordable prices."

Third sector governance in the spotlight
27 January 2010

Economic woes are pushing board members and trustees to take on stronger leadership roles so ensure the future stability of charitable organisations.

Private sector expertise meets public sector dedication: chairman Ramez Sousou and chief executive Shaks Ghosh of the Private Equity Foundation.

Almost 1 million trustees steer a combined income of £36bn from around 190,000 organisations in England and Wales, but the public remains largely unaware of their work. The low profile held by the trustees and board members of the not-for-profit sector belies their enormous responsibility, as figures from independent regulator the Charity Commission show.

A trustee is a member of the trust or board which takes ultimate legal responsibility for a charity's work, ensuring it is run in line with the aims of the organisation. Generally unpaid, the role involves attending several meetings a year, acting in the best interests of the charity, while day-to-day tasks are covered by staff and volunteers. However, the banking crisis and recession has drawn attention to failures in the governance of financial institutions and led other sectors, including the charity sector, to focus on its own management issues. This, in addition to competition for contracts to deliver public services, demands much more dynamic leadership from trustees.

Prepared for the future

"The recession has made clear that, now more than ever, charities need good strategic leadership and the ability to mitigate risk and seize opportunities," says Ralph Michell, head of policy at the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (Acevo). Ben Kernighan, deputy chief executive at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), says the ability to develop strategy, deal with human resources or collaboration and merger issues are also important.

With the public sector braced for cuts, demand for charity services will increase and organisations will face tough decisions about carving up scant resources. Charities should therefore be thinking much more about what skills they want their trustees and board members to have – financial expertise might be one desirable quality.

The sector has a code of good governance, drawn up by umbrella bodies, such as Acevo and NCVO, in 2005. However, according to a report published last May by consultants New Philanthropy Capital, charities do not always prioritise governance. According to the report, Board Matters: A Review of Charity Trusteeship in the UK, recruitment, training and evaluation of board members is neglected. The report also underlines the low-profile status of trustees – 95% of people in the UK, according to the report, are unaware that they can support a charity by becoming a trustee.

Recruitment is a huge challenge. The Charity Commission estimates that about half of all charities have at least one board vacancy, with the most common recruitment method being through friends or via existing board members.

A handful of organisations exist to help charities find trustees. These include the Trusteefinder service from the Charity Trustee Network, TrusteeWorks run by volunteering charity Reach and third-sector recruitment consultancy Prospectus, and the NCVO's Trustees Unlimited service.

According to the Charity Commission report, Trustee Recruitment, Selection and Induction, a failure to focus on recruitment creates problems with governance. "Often, difficulties result from trustees not knowing or understanding their responsibilities, or not having access to basic information about the charity's structure and remit."

However, many in the sector feel it is misleading to talk of a recruitment crisis because the real issue is that of quality, not quantity. Michell says: "There's no ideal number to have on the board – it's more about making sure you do have the right mix of skills, experience and links."

A high-quality board should be diverse, but the commission estimates that 76% of trustees are aged 45 or over, hence the prevailing stereotype of trustees being white, well-heeled and retired.

Yet it can be hard to balance the need for board members who boast professional skills with the need to involve members of the community and create a truly diverse board. Community representatives or service users encouraged into the boardroom might lack the experience and confidence to grapple with complex decisions. One answer, says Michell, is to involve people in ways other than being on the board, through forums that feed back to the board.

Private-sector experience

Professional diversity is also important. Shaks Ghosh, former head of homelessness charity Crisis, says trustees with private-sector experience have a lot to offer. Ghosh, who is now chief executive of the Private Equity Foundation (PEF), a cross-industry body that invests in youth educational charities, says: "Trustees see the business behind the charity as well as the need that it is striving to meet. Inevitably there's a focus on efficiency and sustainability."

A typical example of this type of key advisory role is that filled by the PEF's chairman, Ramez Sousou, founder and joint chief executive of international private equity and investment firm TowerBrook Capital Partners. Ghosh values Sousou's private-sector experience and business perspective, and insights derived from his seat on numerous corporate boards and his work as a trustee with the NSPCC.

One way to recruit a good mix of trustees is by paying them, thereby encouraging those who cannot afford to take on unpaid work. However, many feel that compensating board members and trustees tarnishes the ethos of the charitable sector. Currently, third-sector organisations cannot pay trustees without suitable authority, either in their governing document, from the commission or the court.

Acevo's Michell says: "You'd not think twice about paying staff, but we've an aversion to paying those charged with steering an organisation through a recession." Joe Saxton, founder of NFP Synergy, says: "You've paid chief executives of charities espousing no payment for trustees. It's ironic. Why the difference?" Acevo's governance reform group supports members aiming to change governance arrangements, which include payment of trustees.

So what shape might the ideal board or trust take? Saxton says organsiations should be "smaller, fitter but bigger in impact". Basically, says Michell, boards must understand their roles better. "Governance is actually about ensuring the delivery of the organisation's purpose."

The NCVO urges boards to think more long-term about their organisation's future, especially at this time of greater uncertainty. "Boards and trusts are invisible," says Ghosh. "We do not need much radical change, but we do need them to have more visibility."

Online trustee recruitment service launches
6 November 2009

An online trustee recruitment service for charities to find effective board members has been launched by NCVO, Bates Wells and Braithwaite and interim manager recruitment firm Russam GMS.

Trustees Unlimited will charge charities a tailored price based on their annual income for an in-depth trustee recruitment process which will include a meeting with the charity board to find out what kind of candidates are needed. It aims to deliver a shortlist to clients within ten days.

Charities with incomes under £500,000 will be charged £3,000; those with incomes between £500,000 and £5m will be charged £4,000, and those incomes of over £5m will be charged £5,000.

An enhanced services, including a strategic trustee induction run by BWB and NCVO, is £500 extra.

Ben Kernighan (pictured), deputy chief executive at NCVO, said the service will help charities struggling to find trustees with the right skills.

"As many organisations in the sector face tough times, the role of trustees has never been more important. Trustees Unlimited will play an important role in helping organisations recruit the trustees that are right for them. Having the right trustees can make the difference between an organisation flourishing or failing."

Firm solves 'not for profit' trustee recruitment challenges
6 November 2009

A new trustee recruitment service to help not for profit organisations recruit experienced, "board ready" trustees in a rigorous and cost-effective way has been launched by Trustees Unlimited - a new joint venture organisation set up by NCVO, Bates Wells and Braithwaite and Russam GMS.

While all not for profit organisations need a trustee board, many struggle to find people with the relevant skills and experience. NCVO research highlighted that 43% of boards find it more difficult to recruit trustees today than five years ago; 81% of charities rely on word of mouth recommendations to recruit trustees which can limit the talent pool, and 76% of trustees are over 45 years old, so some charities may struggle to replace trustees when they retire.

Trustees Unlimited will address the shortfall offering an extensive range of high calibre, trustee candidates with a broad range of experience covering the private, public and third sectors. The recruitment process will involve a meeting with the Chair or senior trustees to take a detailed brief before suitable trustees are selected. All trustees will be interviewed and have references checked before being shortlisted for client interviews. The company aims to deliver a shortlist to its clients just 10 days after taking the initial brief.

Ben Kernighan, Deputy Chief Executive, NCVO said: "Getting governance right should be a very high priority for all organisations. Our research shows that many organisations have trustee vacancies and struggle to find trustees with the right skills. The best boards are diverse, coming from a wide range of backgrounds and bringing a broad range of skills and perspectives. Trustees Unlimited will play an important role in helping organisations recruit the trustees that are right for them. Having the right trustees can make the difference between an organisation flourishing or failing."

Trustees Unlimited recruits new band of trustees
4 November 2009

Trustees Unlimited, a new recruitment service for not-for-profit organisations, launched in London yesterday to enable charities and voluntary groups to recruit vetted and experienced trustees cost effectively.

Trustees Unlimited is a joint venture set up by the National Council for Voluntary Orgainsations (NCVO), Bates Wells and Braithwaite (BWB), a leading firm of solicitors for the charity and not-for-profit sector, and interim management provider Russam GMS.

Combining the joint contacts of the three organisations, including Russam's database of 10,000 interims, Trustees Unlimited aims to source a wider variety of future trustees for the UK's 150,000 plus charities, many of which struggle to find volunteers with the relevant skills and experience.

Peter Bennett from BWB told Recruiter at the launch: "There are 1m charity trustees in the UK and their age and diversity profile is not changing. One of the aims of Trustees Unlimited is to source a new profile of trustee."

Ben Kernighan, deputy chief executive of NCVO, added that becoming a trustee "is a great way for younger people, especially, to develop their skills and raise their own profile, as well as contributing to the charity".

Russam's head of charity/not-for-profit practice, Ian Joseph, told Recruiter: "An effective board is a diverse board. People really want to get involved. In the first week of the website going live, we have had 700 people registering to become a trustee already."

Russam will carry out the initial vetting and sifting of suitable applicants for a charity. The costs and terms of business are shown on the website, which aims at the middle-range and above charities.

Charities and people interested in becoming trustees should visit Trustees Unlimited's website for more information. www.trustees-unlimited.co.uk

Online trustee recruitment service launches
4 November 2009

Charity trustees are the backbone of the sector
3 November 2009

Charities must endeavour to create inclusive and diverse boards and while finding new suitable trustees is important, equally the commitment by those already contributing to their communities needs to be recognised.

The debate about the future of the voluntary sector is often about funding and resources, obscuring the crucial area of leadership that charities must get right if they want to weather the impact of the recession and build a sustainable future.

There are already one million charity trustees who regularly contribute to their communities and help form the backbone of civil society. They are ultimately responsible for everything their organisation does and yet this is a sorely under-recognised role.

There is limited public awareness that becoming a trustee is a great way to make a difference to communities and gain new skills in working strategically, dealing with finance as well as honing interpersonal skills – all of which are recognised and highly valued by employers.

With the recession and impending cuts in the public sector, demand for charity services is going to increase and many charities are going to face tough decisions about how to allocate limited resources, making the role of trustees – and the job of finding them – even more important.

Yet it is increasingly difficult for charities to find suitable people for these posts with 43% of voluntary and community organisations stating they find it more difficult to recruit trustees now than they did five years ago.

An ageing trustee population

Compounding this problem is an ageing trustee population with 76% over the age of 45 while less than 1% of trustees are under 25 and the fact that only 5% of trustees are from a black, minority or ethnic backgrounds.

This means many trustee boards are not representative of the communities they exist to serve.

Currently, 80 per cent of charities use word-of-mouth to recruit trustees, meaning they often fail to recruit at all or fail to get the right mix of people and skills they need.

There are many possible reasons for this shortage and lack of diversity but the sector must take ownership of this problem and address it. The National Council for Voluntary Organisation's (NCVO) 'Get on Board' campaign proved it is possible to engage younger and more diverse audiences by using a range of measures including new technology such as text messages and targeting ethnic and specialist media.

The sector must invest in this process to make it successful and it must make a commitment to changing the culture of boards.

Ensuring voluntary organisations have diverse boards is not just about getting a good mix in terms of gender, age and race.

It's also about having people with a range of work and life backgrounds and the strongest boards bring together people with this diversity of experience.

From this week, charities will be able to use a new specialist trustee recruitment service run collaboratively by NCVO, law firm Bates Wells & Braithwaite and interim management recruitment consultancy Russam GMS.

Trustees Unlimited offers a professional and cost-effective service to recruit people from across the, private, public and voluntary sectors.

All candidates will be interviewed and reference checked to ensure they offer the right combination of skills, experience and diversity.

All charities need to work hard to create more inclusive and diverse boards. These will bring fresh perspectives to the ways organisations are governed and led and be more responsive to the communities they exist to serve.

That said, while it's clear we must step up our efforts to find new trustees, we must not forget to celebrate and promote the work of those who already have made this commitment and whose efforts make a vital contribution to communities and neighbourhoods across the country.

Ben Kernighan is deputy chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations

Trustee-finding service launched
3 November 2009

Trustees Unlimited will drawn on a 'new gene pool' of potential board members

A new trustee recruitment service will charge charities up to £5,500 to find and train board members who are not the "usual suspects".

Trustees Unlimited, which is launched today, is a joint venture by umbrella body the NCVO, law firm Bates Wells & Braithwaite and interim management agency Russam GMS.

It offers to draw up and interview a long list of candidates and then present its client charity with a shortlist of five. If the charity chooses one, it will be charged between £3,000 and £5,000, depending on its income. Inducting the new board member will cost another £500.

Stephen Lloyd, the senior partner at BWB who came up with the idea, said it would plug the gap between free lists of trustees and expensive recruitment agencies. He said Russam GMS's database of 10,000 interim managers, which the service will draw on, constituted a "new gene pool" of trustees who were not the "usual suspects".

"I am a trustee of five organisations, but I often get people ringing me up asking me to be a trustee for them," he said. "I thought that there must be a better way of finding trustees than asking me."

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