The Board

Whilst shareholders or individuals may own companies, and the organisations may be in public ownership, voluntary sector organisations cannot be owned. Instead they have a board of trustees who act as custodians of the organisation and endeavour to cherish its values and ensure that it fulfils its mission. They have a form of accountability to the many stakeholders including funders, staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.

Boards in voluntary organisations can be called, amongst other things, management committees, executive committees or boards of trustees. If they are registered charities the roles and responsibilities of the trustees are defined in law and overseen by the Charity Commission or the OSCR.

In practice, boards of trustees are groups of people with different motives, backgrounds and skills. Effective boards provide leadership to any staff of the organisation, but do not carry out the tasks at an operational level. If the organisation is small and without any paid workers it is highly likely that the trustees will also be volunteers performing operational tasks. If this is the case it is important for them to be clear when they are acting as a trustee and when they are acting as volunteer workers.

Trustees usually carry out their trustee business by regular meetings, the frequency and timing of which is very dependent on the nature of the organisation. Sub-committees, special-interest groups and steering groups can be set up to run in parallel, involving trustees with special skills and other non-trustee volunteers. These must however report back and be accountable to the management board of trustees.

Trustees come from all walks of life and many voluntary sector organisations are endeavouring to create more diverse and representative boards that reflect their beneficiaries and other stakeholders.