It\u2019s the start of Trustees\u2019 Week, and the start of our AboutGovernance blog. So I\u2019m going back to basics – the words we use. When we say \u2018governance\u2019 what do we mean and what do people actually understand? And are you a \u2018Trustee\u2019? Or do you not know?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s clear when speaking to people involved with charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises that this terminology gets confusing. And outside the sector I\u2019ve found it can be even less clear.<\/p>\n
Many people attend \u2018board meetings\u2019 or \u2018committees\u2019, yet can be unclear as to whether they are a Charity Trustee (and \u2018trustee\u2019 normally refers to those wishing registered charities) or just a Committee Member. Or are they a \u2018director\u2019 too (if the charity is a company too)?<\/p>\n
When the national press helps to shake trust in \u2018Charities\u2019 and \u2018Trustees\u2019 might it be a good idea to use the right words to help rebuild trust in our sector?<\/p>\n
NCVO<\/a> undertook research and discovered that the terminology – the words we used – does and can make a difference.<\/p>\n People prefer to hear about \u2018the board of volunteers who run the charity\u2019 rather than \u2018trustees\u2019 \u2013 a word that is poorly understood and which some actually had negative perceptions of. NCVO 2017<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n For a long time we at VANEL have used the generic term \u2018Trustee\u2019 to refer to anyone on the steering committee running a voluntary organisation – whether they are a Trustee of a charity, a committee member, a board member and director or some other designation. And similarly we use \u2018Governance\u2019 to refer to the act of leading and steering a voluntary, community, charitable or social sector organisation. And governance is separate from the operational business of \u2018doing\u2019 the chores and activities of the organisation. (The blurring of boundaries between Governance and Operational matters can be an issue in itself – a discussion for another time.)<\/p>\n So, generally you\u2019ll find me continuing to use these Trustee and Governance terms generally. \u2018Governance\u2019 refers to practices that are general to the good running of organisations whether they are legal charities, CIO\u2019s, CIC\u2019s, or simply constituted voluntary or community groups. And Trustee is a convenient label to mean anyone who is responsible for the steering of their organisation in a strategic manner. So forgive me if I continue to use these terms.<\/p>\n In September 2017, NCVO published a guide, \u201cTelling a Better Story about Charities\u201d (read about it here<\/a> or download as a .pdf here<\/a>). You might want to use a lot of its advice in the way you talk about your own charity\/organisation\/committee\/board\/trustees.<\/p>\n Where I have a general conversation now I\u2019ll be talking about \u2018the board of volunteers who run the charity\u2019 rather than Trustee. It emphasises the very important fact that Trustees are volunteers first and foremost. (I\u2019m guessing in a funding application the single word \u2018trustee\u2019 will be used more than the eight words that the longer sentence takes, so the shorthand is going to be in use for a long while yet).<\/p>\n So what are you? What do you call yourself? What words does your board\/committee use? Do you understand whether these terms have the right understanding, the right impact or connotations? Do your staff, volunteers, partners, funders, advocates, champions, beneficiaries understand these words? Do they even care?<\/p>\n Let\u2019s remember that those people – you \/ us – are \u2018volunteers that help to run the charity\u2019. That\u2019s perhaps the important message to learn and share.<\/p>\n So at the start of \u2018Trustees\u2019 Week\u2019 and as I head to the NCVO Trustees Conference tomorrow it\u2019s important that we\u2019re clear who we\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\n Karl Elliott, Development Manager, VANEL
\nGood Governance Champion (that\u2019s an unofficial title I just gave myself).<\/em><\/p>\n