TRUSTEE DIVERSITY MATTERS
There’s growing evidence that a diverse trustee board will power up your charity to be more effective. So how do you recruit a diverse board of trustees? Open recruitment.
Once you’ve decided that you want to run an open recruitment process for your trustees, how do you go about it? What are the steps you need to take?
The first thing is to work out what is missing from your board. Base this on what your particular charity needs given the likely challenges and opportunities ahead and who you’ve already got on your board.
Then write a clear advert and information pack. Don’t forget the basics: what does your charity do, why should someone consider becoming a trustee, what’s the commitment and how should they apply.
When it comes to advertising, the most important principle is that you shouldn’t expect your new trustees to find you, nor necessarily to have heard of your charity or even to necessarily know that they want to be a trustee. You must go out to find your new trustees, targeting the places that you think they are most likely to see your advert based on the skills, knowledge and experience that you are looking to add to your board.
Getting on Board shares trustee vacancies via email. Fill out this form to advertise your vacancy over their list.
Once you have the applicants, the shortlisting, interview, appointment and induction stages are critical.
You can read more about their eight-step trustee recruitment process in their recent publication: How to recruit trustees for your charity – a practical guide. This is free to download.
