Janet Thorne: Is there really a crisis in trustee recruitment?

19 May 2017 Voices

Janet Thorne from Reach Volunteering argues that trustee recruitment practices are actually improving and offers some tips.

Is trustee recruitment in crisis? A report was published this week with the alarming title The looming crisis in trustee recruitment. It warns of unprofessional practices threatening effectiveness of charity governance. 

As the chief executive of a charity which specialises in trustee recruitment, I read the report with interest. It focuses on demand side problems - how charities recruit - and this makes a welcome change from the usual approach which assumes that the issue is the supply of willing candidates. It describes familiar but important concerns including the lack of open recruitment and poor communication, and draws attention to the woeful lack of focus by charities on how they recruit trustees, given the importance of the role.  

We see these issues on a daily basis at Reach Volunteering so every effort to tackle them is very welcome, but the overall message of doom does not chime with my experience. Governance has taken plenty of knocking in the last couple of years, so I think it’s important to keep the conversation balanced. 

Crisis receding 

Far from “looming”, I’d say that the crisis is receding, albeit very slowly.  Perhaps it is unsurprising that we at Reach tend to have a more optimistic outlook, because the boards that we are talking to are the ones that have chosen to recruit openly.  But even given this caveat, we are seeing trends that indicate that good practice in trustee recruitment is growing. Charities recruited an all time record of 450 trustees through Reach last year – and this year we have seen a 15 per cent increase in trustee vacancies posted. 

There is growing acceptance that open recruitment should be standard practice, bolstered by the recommendation in the new version of the excellent Code of Good Governance . More charities are beginning to think strategically about the expertise that they want around the board table and how best to find it. We are also seeing better targeted role descriptions and more compelling copy. 

That said, there are plenty of charities that could up their game a little, so below are my tips to get the ball rolling.

Be prepared to invest time and effort

Recruitment is hard. This is true of any role, but how much harder for one which combines significant responsibility with no financial reward? If you recruit well, you can secure good trustees, but it takes considerable thought and organisation (although not necessarily money!), so you need to commit sufficient resource to the process. 

Believe in yourselves

Honestly, lack of belief is a surprisingly common problem. Boards frequently seem doubtful that anyone would really want to join their ranks. In fact there are many people out there willing to become trustees, and some of them will be an ideal fit for your board.

If you believe that your cause is important, and that your organisation is effective (and if you don’t believe this, that’s a larger problem!), then it is a privilege to join your board. Approach your recruitment with confidence and purpose, not apologetically. 

Agree who you want

Clarify what your board is lacking. Which skills, qualities, expertise and lived experience will help you make more rounded decisions, ensure that your beneficiaries’ voice is heard, and achieve your strategy?  There are many resources to help you do this. Here are a couple: 

The most important thing is that all of the board agrees who you want before you start recruiting. It is not uncommon to find boards debating this at the appointment stage. That is too late. Usually this is due to an underlying conflict about future direction or ‘professionalising’ the board. Recruiting new trustees can be an effective way to instigate these changes, but only once everyone has signed up to it.  

Sell your opportunity

Once you have identified who you need and why you want them, you have a good story to tell that will appeal to the right candidates. Now you need to create good recruitment copy.   

  • Sell your charity. Make a short, succinct and compelling case for why your work is so important.
  • Strategic direction. Explain where you are at the moment, and where you want to be in a few years’ time. This is the journey that you are asking the trustee to join you on. Make it interesting.
  • Seduce the candidate.Spell out why you looking for someone with their particular expertise. What contribution will they make to strengthening your charity’s work and reaching its goals? 
  • Summarise the role. Write a clear role description, but don’t list every legal duty of a trustee. Summarise key duties, and describe the specific focus you want this trustee to have. 
  • Specify the qualities you are looking for. The more specific you are, the more likely it is that the right candidate will identify with the role. But keep an open mind: skills can be transferable across industries and sectors. It can be useful to define what it essential and what is a ‘nice-to-have’. Soft skills are important too. 
  • Promote your role widely. Promote the role on your website, use free services like Reach, job boards, and share through your networks (LinkedIn can be particularly productive). 

Engage early and often

Trustee recruitment is a two way process. Any trustee worth their salt will want to get a good picture of your organisation and the rest of the board before committing to the role.

It amazes me how often charities seem to ignore this. We see many excellent candidates drop out because the charity makes it difficult to ask questions, or worse, does not respond to their application in a timely manner. 

Design a recruitment process that gives candidates opportunities to get to know your work and offer an informal conversation with a board member or the CEO at an early stage. This is particularly true if you want to recruit trustees from other sectors such as digital, who are used to more informal or social ways of recruiting. Keep in mind that interested candidates are offering to shoulder a considerable responsibly for your charity, on a voluntary basis. Respect this. 

Follow through

There many different ways to run a good selection process. The key thing is to ensure that you get a rounded view of the candidates. Do not get blinded by impressive credentials (will they be a good team player? Will they stick around if the going gets tough?). Do not overlook transferable skills and expertise just because the candidate does not ‘look the part’. Take time to let the unsuccessful candidates down gently, and then invest more time and effort in a good induction for the appointees. 

It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.

Janet Thorne is the chief executive of Reach Volunteering

Civil Society Media hosts a number of governance training courses throughout the year. For more information, and to book, click here.