Most people have skills, knowledge or experience which they can bring to a charity and estimates suggest that almost half of all charities have at least one vacancy on their board.  

Charities are often keen to get new trustees so even if you are not sure if it is for you, get in touch and you can usually have an informal conversation before committing to the role.

Trustees have overall control of a charity and are responsible for making sure it’s doing what it was set up to do. They may be known by other titles, such as:

• directors
• board members
• governors
• committee members

Whatever they are called, trustees are the people who lead the charity and decide how it is run. Being a trustee means making decisions that will impact on people’s lives. Depending on what the charity does, you will be making a difference to your local community or to society as a whole.

Trustees use their skills and experience to support their charities, helping them achieve their aims. Trustees also often learn new skills during their time on the board.

For more information about what is involved in being a trustee, responsibilities and roles see the national gov.uk – the essential trustee.

You can also read case studies of other people who are trustees on the Trustees Week Stories page

On our volunteer platform (Search Volunteer Opportunities) you can select the ‘Trusteeships, Governance and Leadership’ box from the ‘Categories’ list on the filters list on the left of the page to see what’s currently available.

You can also download our Trustee Bulletin here.