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Charity Digital explore the challenges facing trustees at small charities, the main skills the role requires, and the best ways for trustees to support small charities...

Taking on a trustee role at a small charity can be a rewarding experience. But there are a number of challenges that small charity trustees face that are different to those who volunteer with larger charities.

It’s important for people who are considering a trusteeship role to be aware of the challenges so they can fulfil the responsibilities of being a trustee and effectively support the small charity.

UK charities with an income below £100,000 make up over 80% of the sector. This means if you are taking on a trustee role, you are likely to work with a small charity.

Challenges facing trustees of small charities

The biggest issue for trustees of small charities is managing limited funds and staff capacity. They may find themselves head down in operational tasks as well as shaping the strategy of the charity.

Also, they may feel less supported to carry out their role than trustees of large charities as staff may not have enough time to support them. For example, not carrying out trustee inductions or providing relevant information and reading about a charity ahead of board meetings.

For those trustees who hold responsibility for an organisation’s finances, the pressure may be even greater. With fewer resources and less staff involvement, trustees will need to put plans in place so the charity doesn’t experience financial difficulty. This can be a lonely experience for trustees.

Here are some ways to get ahead as a small charity trustee.

Understand your responsibilities as a charity trustee

The first thing to is understand what a trustee does and your responsibilities. This will help to make sure you are fulfilling your legal duties as a trustee. Look at the Charity Commission website and the Charity Governance Code for more information on what good governance is.

Speak to other charity trustees

If you can’t get a lot of support and guidance from staff at the charity as they are busy – or the organisation is volunteer run – speak to other trustees to get their support.

This includes trustees on your board and those from other small charities. It’s a good way to learn more about trusteeship and working with small charities.

Play an active part in board responsibility

Figures show that more than half of the UK’s small charities are struggling to recruit trustees and around one in five organisations continue to have a vacancy on their board.

So, it’s even more important that all trustees take joint responsibility for all aspects of the organisation. This includes safeguarding and finance.

Be strategic

As small charity trustees are often involved in the day to day running of the organisation, it can be challenging to separate out the governance role from staff tasks.

All trustees need to think about the charity’s strategy. Trustees are responsible for developing a strategy to help achieve the charity’s mission. To be effective, a strategy must be realistic, measurable and impactful.

Remember you have a duty to be objective and provide constructive criticism to staff. Don’t let regular chats and staff meetings take the place of formal board meetings.

In small charities, board members can often end up doing staff work. For example, providing technical advice and writing funding applications. You may enjoy this work, but make sure your trustee role doesn’t become blurred. Work with other trustees on the board to put boundaries in place, so people are clear on the different roles of staff and trustees.

Communicate clearly

Communication is important in all charities, but it’s even more important in small charities. Make sure you communicate well with the rest of the board, staff and other volunteers. Before you go to a board meeting, think carefully about what you want to communicate.

Also, find out how other people like to be communicated with as this can help to avoid misunderstandings from happening.

Get the support of other people

There is more decision making for smaller trustees to do. But they may have access to less information to be able to make these decisions. So, it’s important for trustees to ask for help.

Small charity trustees need to use their networks and ask questions. This includes speaking to supporters and getting professional advice from outside of the organisation.

It’s great to access free support but you need to make sure the person has the skills to carry out the activity. Make sure the charity allocates resources to getting the skills it needs and doesn’t try to get by.

Trustees of small charities can also get in touch with the NCVO’s small charity helpdesk. There’s online information and guidance on the NCVO website about being a trustee.

Be enthusiastic

It’s important for trustees of small charities to have enthusiasm for the role. Your contribution is important and will affect whether the charity achieves its mission.

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