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Paying trustees will destroy charities, says Directory of Social Change

Governance | 7 Feb 2008

its guidance on the payment of trustees, Directory of Social Change has taken the opportunity to reiterate its longstanding position that the role of charity trustees should remain voluntary and that they should not be paid. In November DSC surveyed the readers of its monthly e-news to find out if they agreed. The results show that a resounding majority of the survey participants agree with DSC’s position:

82% agreed with DSC’s position that trustees should not be paid

18% disagreed with DSC’s position that trustees should not be paid
 
932 people responded to the survey and 250 people were sufficiently concerned to leave additional comments.
 
‘We believe that the essential characteristic of the voluntary sector is its voluntary nature, and voluntary trusteeship is an important cornerstone of this’ said Jay Kennedy, DSC’s Policy Officer. ‘Even if charities employ large numbers of staff they are governed by volunteer trustees who have no personal financial interest in the charity’s activities. Their role is to guide the organisation in the interests of the people and needs the charity exists to serve. Making trustees professionals destroys this.’
 
Kennedy acknowledged the need to attract people with specialised knowledge and skills to guide the organisation effectively, but insisted that paying trustees is not the solution for the following reasons:

• Payment does not necessarily make people more competent and dedicated.  Plenty of charities of all sizes and types have very dedicated, voluntary trustees and effective boards.  The idea that payment will improve trusteeship in charities where trustee or board performance is a problem is wrong.
• Paying trustees even limited bursaries diverts financial resources from front-line activities, and could have the effect of turning off those who wish to contribute their energy and skills voluntarily, whilst attracting people whose main motivations might be primarily financial. 

The full survey analysis can be found at: http://www.dsc.org.uk/charityexchange/surveyanalysis1207.htm
 
Note
 
The wording of the survey, which was published in the November edition of the DSC monthly e-news, was: ‘The Charity Commission is currently reviewing its guidance on the remuneration of trustees, which it will be publishing in the New Year. DSC has long maintained that unpaid trusteeship is a fundamental characteristic of the voluntary sector and that trustees should not receive remuneration either for their contribution as trustees, or for other services delivered to the charities they govern. What we want to know is, do you agree with us?’

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Directory: Charity Commission | Directory of Social Change (DSC)