FAQs

Organisations

What do I need to consider when recruiting a charity trustee or management committee member?

The quick introduction to recruiting great charity trustees section of our resource library will help you with the things to think about when recruiting a new trustee or management committee member.

How should charity trustees be managed and what support should we offer our trustees?

The best place to start in supporting trustees is from the moment you and they agree that they are the right person to join your charity board or management committee.  A good induction is the foundation of the next step on the trustee journey. A simple introduction to a good induction is available in the TrusteeWorks Resources for Organisations section.  It is good practice for the Chair of Trustees to meet each trustee on a 1:1 basis periodically. We recommend this is at least once a year, to review how they are finding their role, to offer feedback on their contribution and to discuss the coming year for the charity board and trustee.  A parallel review by the board as a team is a good way to see how effective the Board is and whether further support is needed.  TrusteeWorks will be developing its Resources section to include ongoing development and support for trustees and boards.  TrusteeWorks can also help organisations access a network of governance advisers offering support locally to you.  This service will be rolled out UK wide in 2010 but in the meantime, please contact the TrusteeWorks team on 0207 582 6543 and we will help you access the support you need.

What help can you offer me on legal governance issues?

The Resources for Organisations section of the TrusteeWorks website includes a section of useful resources on legal and governance matters.  If you can’t see what you need, email us on trusteeworks@reachskills.org.uk and we will help you find the right information.

Can you offer help with setting up our constitution?

The Resources for Organisations section of the TrusteeWorks website includes a section of useful resources on legal and governance matters. The Charity Commission and Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator offer guidance on setting up a charity. For more information see governing documents and registration.

We have always recruited our charity trustees from amongst our personal contacts, why is it better to use TrusteeWorks?

It is important that your charity board has a cross section of skills, experience, backgrounds and represents different perspectives and approaches to the issues that you face. The people that you have contact with may not enable you to get the full range of skills and experience your organisations needs. With TrusteeWorks, you can identify skill gaps in your charity board and recruit to fill them specifically. We will aim to meet all your trustee recruitment needs but we recognise that not all vacancies require skilled candidates so if we cannot help on this occasion we will aim to put you in contact with someone who can.  For more information on general charity trustee recruitment options, visit the Resources for organisations section of the TrusteeWorks website.

What are the differences between the three TrusteeWorks services and how do I choose between them?

The main difference between the services is the level of support which you get and the amount of time which you will have to commit to the process.

With our Matching Service you will be responsible for defining your role and communicating with the candidates we introduce to you to engage them with the role. 

Click here for the Matching Service detailed service benefits

With our Premium Service, we engage candidates before they are introduced to you by providing them with a bespoke candidate information pack, which we develop for you, and personally qualifying their interest.  This saves you time when you come to your final selection process by ensuring that you can select from a shortlist of committed, engaged candidates with the right experience and motivations for your role.

Click here for Premium Service detailed service benefits

The Bespoke Service will be right for you if you are looking for a full search, with much of the process of the recruitment procedure handled for you.

For more information, call Borge Andreassen at Prospectus on 0207 691 1925.

What kind of volunteers will our organisation be able to access?

Reach has over 4,000 registered volunteers, many of whom have expressed an interest in becoming a charity trustee. They generally have a least three years' experience in strategic planning, marketing, accountancy, project management, HR, finance, business, general management or other relevant disciplines.

How do I pay for the service?

Matching service: Once we have received your registration form and checked it, we will email you with an invoice for £75 + VAT. This is an administration fee. The invoice is payable within 30 days.

Click here to download our Matching Service terms and conditions

Click here to register a role

Premium service: Once we have received your registration form and checked it, we will email you with a first invoice for £175 + VAT.  We will then contact you to discuss your needs in greater depth and develop the brief and candidate information pack. A second invoice for £300 will be issued on production of one or more suitable candidates, as specified in the brief. Both invoices are payable within 30 days of issue.

Click here to download our Premium Service terms and conditions

Click here to register a role

How long before we can start meeting candidates?

The length of time taken to find potential candidates varies. It can take from one to four months to identify suitable candidates and confirm with them whether they are interested in your role. Typically organisations can start arranging to see candidates within six to eight weeks.

Most potential trustees will want to attend a trustee meeting as part of their own decision making process before joining your organisation’s charity board. Trustees formally join a charity board at the annual general meeting (AGM) though they can be co-opted in the interim if your constitution allows (or does not specifically preclude this). On average, our experience shows it takes six months or so to complete the process of seeking, selecting, carrying out checks and approving a trustee on to the board.

How long will it take to find the right volunteer?

You may find someone very quickly but sometimes it can take a while to find someone who fits you perfectly. We will continue searching for you but you may need to be patient especially if you want a trustee with a very sought-after skill set, such as fundraising or finance.

Does Reach screen volunteers?

All our volunteers are screened to ensure that they have the right skills and experience for your role. Reach does not however check CVs, take up references or carry out police checks. Your organisation will need to verify the candidate’s experience at interview and take up reference and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks as appropriate.

For advice and guidance on how to identify your trustee needs and do a skills audit of your current board please click here