Young trustees

Despite their low representation, a new survey carried out by Young Charity Trustees reveals that young people who are trustees overwhelmingly find their experience on charity boards a positive one, and the vast majority of young people without board experience would consider becoming trustees.

Charity Commission research suggests that 18-24 year olds made up just 0.5 percent of trustees in England and Wales in 2010, and the average age of a trustee is 57. Without young people as trustees, charity boards risk lacking diversity and not being representative of beneficiaries.

The results of the Young Charity Trustees survey showed real interest in trusteeship among people aged 35 and under. Of around 200 respondents, 85 percent would consider becoming a trustee, while 82 percent of those with charity board experience who rated the experience said it was positive or very positive. Only 2 percent rated it negatively.

Young peoples' motivations for considering trusteeship were also very positive, with the two most common being the desire to give something back, support a cause or organisation they cared about or had been involved with and the desire to develop skills, experience and networks.

The most common reasons given for not having considered trusteeship before were a lack of skills, experience or knowledge, concerns about time, and not having seen or been given an opportunity to do so.

When asked what charities should do to encourage young people to become trustees, the two most common themes in the responses were that charities should aid understanding and awareness of the role and that they should advertise, publicise and promote the role and vacancies.

The results underline the importance of initiatives such as Young Charity Trustees, which aim to raise awareness of trusteeship among young people, as well as more general campaigns such as Trustees Week. The results also suggest how to frame and advertise trusteeship to young people, emphasising how positive the experience is for young trustees and focusing on motivations such as giving something back, volunteering in a new way for a charity or cause they care about or gaining experience and skills that they don't get in their day job.

The survey respondents recommended that charities advertise positions on their boards more openly, target young people and give them the confidence that when they apply they will not be discounted on the basis of their age and will be supported in trusteeship.

For further information on Young Charity Trustees visit http://youngcharitytrustees.org.

For further information on Trustees Week, taking place from Monday 4 to Sunday 10 November, visit http://trusteesweek.blogspot.co.uk.