Skills Audit

Organisation

A quick introduction to a Skills Audit and a Skills Register

This extended information section from TrusteeWorks aims to take you and your Board through a simple but strong process for carrying out a skills audit and keeping a register of charity Board skills and experience.

An effective charity Board will need a range of skills, attributes and personal experience to enable it to work towards the aims and objectives of the voluntary organisation.  The skills, diversity and experience a Board needs will come from a wide range of perspectives including business skills, service user experience, social or family experience, general interests or commitment to the goals of the organisation.

To find out whether the trustees together have the knowledge and experience the charity Board needs to meet the goals if the charity, it is helpful to carry out a skills audit and keep a register of trustee skills.

Even if you aren’t recruiting new charity trustees at the moment, building a picture of the skills of the current Board is an invaluable tool.  It gives the Board the information it needs to assess how the skills of the Board may be affected by retiring trustees or new challenges the charity is facing.  An established skills register will help voluntary organisations respond more quickly when new trustees do need to be found.

A skills audit will capture the current skills of the trustee Board and highlight possible gaps where new trustee skills or professional guidance may be required.  The audit will guide the Board when recruiting or co-opting new trustees to the knowledge, experience or skill required to enhance the performance and capability of the charity Board.

Skills and experience are not static and updating the Skills Register annually will help keep the information current and relevant.

Download the TrusteeWorks Simple Skills Audit