A Trusted Role

Trustees are getting too bogged down by the bureaucracy of a charity to address the big, strategic issues, a new report by the founder of nfpSynergy, entitled A Trusted Role.

Based on Joe Saxton’s 25 years of experience as a charity trustee, staff member and consultant, the report sets out his concerns about the skills of trustees going to waste on lengthy meetings and rubber-stamping proposals.

It outlines four challenges that every charities have in trying to create an effective, strategic board, including:

  • Choosing the right trustees;
  • Using each trustee to the full;
  • Trustees playing multiple roles; and
  • Making strategic choices.

The report states that to be in control of big decisions, trustees should identify what the big issues are that affect the charity, what its strengths and weaknesses are and the opportunities and threats it faces. The board should be discussing the big issues in meetings and identify the major decisions it want to be involved with.

The report lists fives things a trustee can to be more effective, including:

  • Getting to know members of staff and other trustees;
  • Getting to know three specific areas of an organisation’s work;
  • Asking for non-financial as well as financial performance indicators;
  • Being the grit in the oyster in a particular aspect of the charity’s work by engaging in constructive discontent; and
  • Making trustee meetings make the big decisions.

To download the report visit http://nfpsynergy.net/free-report/trusted-role-challenges-creating-effective-trustee-board.