Trustees’ Week, an annual November event and this year running from 7th to 11th, is a time to collectively celebrate the achievements of trustees across the UK. 

The theme for this year's Trustees' Week is 'Making a difference in changing times'.  As local organisations continue to face new challenges that difficult external circumstances bring, the impact of trustees’ support and the positive impact that brings is invaluable.

Being a trustee involves taking on significant responsibilities and time commitments and Trustees’ Week provides a platform to showcase the great work that trustees do, give thanks and highlight opportunities for people from all walks of life to get involved and make a difference. 

What are you going to do for Trustees Week? Here are some ideas for getting involved:

• Take the time to thank your trustees for their contribution
• Take the opportunity to advertise any trustee vacancies you may have
• Use #trusteesweek on social media to raise awareness and join the discussion
• Attend an event that will be happening during the week.

There is a range of information and support available;

The Charity Commission’s 5-minute guides

These guides are a handy way to help you be sure of your responsibilities and confident that you’re doing the right thing for your charity.  The guides cover the basics of charity governance that all trustees should be familiar with. Areas covered include; Delivering Purpose, Making Decisions, Managing Finances, Managing Conflicts of Interest, Reporting Information and Safeguarding People.

NCVO is offering a range of support including FREE events to help you enhance your governance skills.

Webinars cover the following topics 

Monday 7 November: Being a charity trustee in the current climate
Tuesday 8 November: Setting direction in changing times
Wednesday 9 November: Leading tough conversations
Thursday 10 November: Specialist skills and how to find them
Friday 11 November: Trustees and continuous learning  

NCVO, additionally has a wealth of help and guidance for trustees at different stages of their governance journey including the following eight sections: 

What is governance? 

Making decisions as a board
Responsibilities for boards
Improving your work as a board
Managing board relationships
Carrying out a governance review
Board basics
Financial procedures manual

Getting on Board’s Festival of Trusteeship

The festival will take place between 7-11 November.

It’s a week-long online series of events, during Trustees Week, full of with exciting options for people who want to become trustees, trustees who want to keep learning and developing, and for charity leaders who want to understand best practice in trustee recruitment and diversity.

Four different content strands will cover all aspects of trusteeship: Aspiring Trustees, Trustee Recruitment, Good Governance and Thought Leadership delivered in a mix of interactive webinars, clinics and panel discussions about the topics that matter to trusteeship diversity and beyond, today.

The line-up includes a free interactive webinar on the future of trusteeship with the Chair of the Charity Commission for England and Wales, Orlando Fraser; an interactive webinar: Is my board mediocre?, and a panel discussion: Smashing the cut glass ceiling – is being working class a barrier to trusteeship?

This is a great opportunity to strengthen your organisation’s governance knowledge as well as network with other trustees and charity employees.

Running a shadow board programme

A key barrier preventing board diversity is the recruitment process for trustees. Dr Ambreen Shah, a trustee at the Smallwood Trust, has been championing a shadowing programme to provide people with lived experience the opportunity to shadow existing Board members at the charity. Based on this work, she has produced some useful resources to share with others who are interested in doing the same:

Board Shadowing Webinar: What it is, how it benefits charities and getting involved

Running a Shadow Board Programme – FAQs