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About trustees

Trustees can be known by a number of other titles including:

• governor
• member of the board
• committee member
• director (if the charity is also a limited company)

• Additional obligations for limited liability company charities Opens new window

Age limits

If you are over 18 years of age you can become a trustee, unless you have been disqualified from being a company director or convicted of a criminal offence. If you are under 18 you can only become a trustee of a charity that is also a limited company.

Experience

You don’t need any experience to become a trustee but individual charities may be looking for specific requirements. For example a human rights charity could be looking for someone who has experience of working with refugees or an interest in legal matters.

Payment and employment

Trustees are generally unpaid and not allowed to gain financial benefit, directly or indirectly, from the work of the charity. Trustees can’t usually become an employee of the charity, and employees of the charity can’t usually become trustees.

Read the article ‘Types of charity’ to find out about how the type of charity your organisation is affects what you can do as a trustee.

• Types of charities

• How to volunteer

What trustees are expected to do

As a trustee you will need to:

• take legal responsibility for the organisation and ensure it is solvent, well-run and doing what it was set up to do
  
• make sure the charity operates within the rules and guidelines set out in the charity’s governing documents and relevant legislation including charity, company law and employment law
  
• put the interests of the charity above your personal or business interests
• be aware of any problems and ensure they are being dealt with, and get professional advice where necessary
  
• give an account of the activities of the charity to the Charity Commission (making sure that any change to the registered details are kept up to date, and, if the charity has income of more than £10,000 a year, submitting its annual report and accounts to the Charity Commission)
  

• Trustee duties advice from the Charity Commission Opens new window

Personal liability

A trustee will make important decisions about a charity and in some instances enter into legally binding contracts and commit money to be spent in specific ways. All trustees have a legal duty to ensure a charity can meet any commitment entered into. This is particularly important where financial matters are concerned.

Checking a potential charity

If you have been asked to become a trustee:

• find out as much as you can about the charity and read its governing document carefully
• talk to existing staff and trustees to find out what the organisation is like and how it is run
  
• attend trustee meetings to see the kind of decisions you might need to make
  
• speak to the people who benefit from your chosen charity and see how it works within your community
  
• check what level of commitment and time you will have to put into your position as trustee

Also check:

• annual reports – this will provide an overview of how the charity is doing
  
• accounts and financial documents – are they up to date and organised?
  
• minutes of recent meetings – are these meetings pro-active and recorded properly?
  
• fundraising information – does the charity have good funding opportunities?
  
• business or strategic plans – what’s the future like for your chosen charity?
  
• documents relating to any property or land owned by the organisation – get an overview of what the charity is doing with its assets, is it being used effectively?

Some charities may offer an induction pack that includes some of this information, so ask if one is available.

The Charity Commission provides detailed advice for trustees which you can find from the link below.

• The essential trustee guide from the Charity Commission Opens new window

• Get in touch with other trustees through the Charity Trustees network Opens new window

More useful links

• Resources for those running community and voluntary groups Opens new window

Useful contacts

• Home and community contacts