Governance Weekly for 4th May
The weekly roundup from VANEL on good governance, charity trusteeship and non-profit leadership. News, information, resources and ideas. Complemented by our monthly “View from the Top” e-newsletter (Trustee Network members only), our “aboutgovernance” online discussion space for leaders and trustees and our @aboutgovernance Twitter feed.
Five things you should do to become a decent Charity Trustee… Leon Ward just published an article for the Guardian Voluntary Sector Network here. I agree with all of his tips, and VANEL can help you with them all.
His tips:
Explore the guidance – understand what it really means to be a Charity Trustee. As well as following Leon’s advice and reading everything from the Charity Commission we can also help you with our “Induction and Refresher Training for Trustees”. Our next session has moved – it’s now on Friday 26th May, 10am-12noon at VANEL offices & £10pp for members. Find out more here and contact me to book a place.
Get some training. Again, VANEL can offer a variety of training sessions for trustees and boards, including bespoke training to your requirements. As well as the Induction training on 26th May, we’ve also got a “Technology for Trustees” training workshop on Friday 19th May at 10am and will be scheduling a “Better Boards” session soon too. Again, contact me for information or to book.
Get a mentor. Through the VANEL Trustee Network you can connect with other trustees and committee members from a range of organisations. This online peer mentoring network can help you get the most out of your role as a trustee. If you are a trustee or committee member of an organisation in VANEL membership then the Trustee Network is free to join. If you’re not already involved, contact me to find out more.
Insist on an induction. I’m very keen for every organisation to have a proper trustee induction process in place. It’s a way on getting the best out of new or ‘old hand’ trustees alike and it can help with succession planning and more. Our new SVAg accreditation will need to see good induction processes in place, but we can also help you to get this right. We run a “Improving the Induction Process” training course and can also provide consultancy and support to help you improve your own induction systems. Contact me for information.
Connect to trustee networks. As well as our weekly e-bulletin column “Governance Weekly”, VANEL also publishes an occasional “View from the Top” governance e-newsletter which goes to trustees and committee members only. If you’re not connecting into these sources of information, perhaps you should. If you’re not on the mailing lists then drop me a line.
On a similar note, an article was published on Civil Society news giving suggestions on how to ensure the governance of the board as a whole can be improved (as distinct to individual trustees). Read it here. The steps suggested are:
Start by opening up the conversation
Take a good, honest look at how you are doing
Develop the right skills
Look at the bigger picture
Check you’re fit for purpose
All sound advice and if you’d like to discuss these areas of development or get some support then just contact me.
Last week it was the Trustee Exchange conference by Civil Society in London. Just a couple of things I’ve picked up from following the event via the web…
I was taken by the “3 R’s for Board Papers”. Worth all trustees and committee members taking heed:
Read the papers.
Respect the work that went into them.
Respond.
Lord Lipton, a speaker at the conference spoke about Charity Trustees having a “strong moral duty to consider mergers”. It’s a tough stance and a major step for a charity but the reasons he puts forward are valid. Read more about his comments here. What do you think?
A comment on diversity from the event: Boards make the effort to recruit someone different to them to help with diversity but then work hard to make sure they think and act the same as them!
Are you recruiting?
If you currently have spaces on your board or committee for new volunteers to help support your organisation then don’t forget to let us know. We can promote this to our networks. Just drop me a line.
As always, any questions or issues about improving your governance, feel free to get in touch for a discussion.
To discuss governance, trusteeship or leadership, or to subscribe to the Trustee Network, please drop me a line.
Karl Elliott, Development Manager
www.vanel.org.uk/governance – for resources and information
www.theviewfromthetop.org.uk
www.youngleadersmatter.org.uk
@aboutgovernance