Trustee / Non-exec Director

All registered non-profit organisations will have a Board of Trustees made up of volunteers who are appointed to bring specialist skills to the organisation. It is unusual for charities to remunerate their Trustees outside of expenses although most Articles of Association will directly deal with the possibility. The amount of time a Chair or Trustee role takes up each month varies – it is normal to give about two days a month made up of meetings, dealing with emails, and preparatory reading, although it can be as little as one day a quarter or as much as one day a week.

TPP, as experts in charity governance, actively recruits for Trustee vacancies, including Chair and Treasurer roles. We offer a free volunteer advertising service on the TPP website on other selected online job boards for all voluntary roles including Trusteeships. We also offer a charged-for service of varying levels of proactivity, tailored to suit all budgets.

Responsibilities & Duties for Chairs & Trustees

Together, the Chair and Board of Trustees are responsible for the welfare and strategic direction of their organisation; despite being a voluntary role in the vast majority of cases, it carries a large amount of responsibility. A Chair will be responsible for the overall governance of the non-executive board, leading and managing the board, and annual general meetings and committee meetings for the organisation. They will be expected to work closely with the Chief Executive to ensure the annual and strategic plans are delivered.

Skills Required for Chairs & Trustees

Chairs and Trustees must fulfil certain legal requirements to qualify as a Director of a company and have an understanding and commitment to the organisations vision, objectives and mission. They must appreciate the responsibility of non-profit governance, which can involve making difficult decisions on behalf of the beneficiaries. Chairs and Trustees must work effectively as part of a team and think analytically and strategically. It is currently not legal for a charity non-executive to be paid for trustee services, and therefore in the majority of circumstances they must be willing to commit to this responsibility on a voluntary basis – the work is its own reward.