All registered charities must, by law, be governed by a board of trustees.
The trustee board is tasked with setting the strategy for the charity which the executive is then tasked with delivering. The board is accountable in law to the charity’s donors through the Attorney General and the courts, and is ultimately responsible for everything the charity does.
There is normally a chair of trustees, and in bigger charities smaller groups of trustees often form committees to examine particular topics, such as audit or risk management.
For many years most trustees tended to be appointed because they knew someone who was already a board member, but more recently lots of charities have attempted to be more professional about the way they recruit board members, conducting skills audits to identify gaps and then advertising publicly for suitable candidates.
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Paul Stallard has joined the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association as its first paid chair, succeeding Michael Naidu who has been acting chair since 2008.
Governance expert Lindsay Driscoll has mooted whether the UK should explore the US model for trustees, where they are expected to fundraise, find contacts who would give and donate to their charity.
Risk-averse trustee boards are holding back progress on finding new ways of fundraising, according to fundraisers debating the value of innovation at the International Fundraising Congress.
Stephen George, Julie Hunt, Gordon Michie and Joseph Cuff have been appointed as new trustees to the Institute of Fundraising board while Stephen Pidgeon has been re-elected to the board after his three-year term expired.
A fundraiser's guide to working the board
Trustee boards can be a funny thing for fundraisers. They can both open doors and block routes. Celina Ribeiro looks at the problems that arise in the trustee-fundraiser relationship and how fundraisers can – and are – getting the board working for them.
Increasing fundraising activity is charity trustees' highest priority for protecting and growing finances, according to new research from Rathbone Investment Management.
Sir Clive Booth has resigned from his position of chair of the Big Lottery Fund after taking the organisation through what has been a sometimes difficult period.
The Institute of Fundraising has announced the appointment of four new trustees and five new fellows.
The Big Give is launching another massive match funding scheme this year, partnering with sector specific organisations to raise a target of £20m for charities before Christmas.
David Philpott, the former London Air Ambulance chief who was sacked after he raised concerns with the trustee board about the charity’s solvency and began investigating complaints against some board members, has set himself up as a consultant.
Tony Banks, the chairman of Balhousie Care Group who became acquainted with the work of Combat Stress when he appeared on the Secret Millionaire TV show, has joined the board of the charity’s ‘Enemy Within’ appeal which aims to raise £30m.
Fundraising grows up: The push for professional development
The Institute of Fundraising’s new five-year learning strategy aims to make career-long learning synonymous with Institute membership, and to elevate fundraising to an aspirational profession.
Beyond borders: Fundraising from trustee boards heats up
Traditionally a no-go area for British fundraisers, trustees are increasingly proving to be a valuable source of fundraising income and support. Celina Ribeiro talks to fundraisers who are starting to get their boards on board.
The board of the London Air Ambulance charity that sacked chief executive David Philpott after he raised concerns about alleged malpractice by some trustees, has reportedly commissioned an independent review into the circumstances surrounding his dismissal.
More than £3m has been donated to charity in just over two hours in the first day of the Big Give’s match fund challenge.
Dragons’ Den star James Caan has been appointed chair of The Big Issue magazine to help stimulate corporate giving through subscriptions.
David Philpott, chief executive of the London Air Ambulance charity, has been sacked as he was investigating allegations about conflicts of interest and misuse of funds against some of the trustees.
Is your board of trustees an asset or a liability?
Trustees are an important part of any charity, but Kimberley MacKenzie asks: are you making the most of your board?
Julia Unwin, director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, has been appointed as the chair of the Intelligent Funder Fellowship scheme.
The Governance Hub is calling on more people with fundraising experience to become trustees as part of a new recruitment campaign.
International development charity VSO has invited Mark Astarita, director of fundraising at the British Red Cross, to become a trustee on its international board.
The Institute of Fundraising has invited Mark Astarita, director of fundraising at the British Red Cross and a recent critic of its handling of the debate over direct mail incentives, to become a trustee.
Charities should aim to recruit trustees with communications experience on their boards to make sure communications is taken seriously by chief executives and other trustees, according to Joe Saxton, driver of ideas at the think-tank nfpSynergy.
The Disasters Emergency Committee has postponed until December the outcome of a long-awaited strategic review on whether it should take on a campaigning role as well as a fundraising remit.
Trading dangers: a voyage on stormy seas
How a charity was left in seriously deep water by a trustee's plans to raise money through trading. Dominic Lawrance reports.
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