Charity Commission publishes research into trusteeship

Trustees are core to every charity – ensuring delivery of the charity's purposes and that legal and financial obligations are complied with. 

Despite an increase in trustee vacancies on charity boards, a collaborative research project between the Charity Commission and thinktank Pro Bono Economics ('PBE') has found that trustees are very likely to recommend trusteeship to others. 

The project's key findings are summarised below:

1. Reported rewards and benefits of trusteeship – 57% of trustees aged under 30 said trusteeship supported their career development, while older trustees said it enabled them to 'give back'. 6 in 10 reported that being a trustee gives them a sense of having a positive impact on the world;
2. Skills and expertise among trustees  - trustees generally feel confident and well-equipped to exercise their duties, with 95% asserting understanding of their role and responsibilities. Findings also highlighted that some boards could benefit from trustees with particular skills and expertise: 25% of trustees said they had to access legal expertise externally (potentially due to lack of relevant skills at board level). 59% of trustees reported that their board had significant finance skills and experience, but less than a quarter of respondents had anti-fraud, campaigning or marketing skills on their charity’s board.  
3. Demographic profile of trustees  - there appears to be a movement towards gender parity on trustee boards. 43% of trustees are female compared to 36% in 2017. This varied based on charities’ size, with smaller charities tending to have more female trustees proportionally. Over half of trustees are retired, more than double the proportion in the general population. People aged 44 and under represent only 8% of trustees, and just 1% overall aged 30 or under. The research indicates lack of diversity on trustee boards compared to the general population.

This piece was co-authored by Rebecca Willis, a trainee solicitor at the time of writing.