Dartford Giving

By Kate Hargreaves

Happy New Year! Let’s hope we have a good one ahead of us. If you want to up your karma, why not try out a new voluntary role. This month I’m writing about getting involved with charities in a more formal way.

Charity trustee “What is it?” The trustees of a charity are the people who jointly share responsibility for directing how the charity is managed and run. Trustees ensure the charity is carrying out the purpose for which it was set up. “Would I enjoy it?” I think the best thing about being a trustee is that you can make it what you want. You can choose a charity that you’re passionate about and then carve out a role that makes best use of your skills and interests. “What would I get out of it?” You can use your existing skills to support the charity, as well as developing new skills. As your involvement can vary from pretty hands-on to more strategic, it really is a case of you get out what you put in. “How much time do I need for it?” The absolute minimum will be attendance at the trustee meetings, but the timing of these varies a lot, depending on the size of the charity and the trustees’ involvement with the day-to-day activities. It’s common for there to be sub-committees that oversee certain areas, such as finance, fundraising, and managing specific events. Charities rely on the trustees a lot and a charity’s success and growth will be largely dependent on the dedication of its trustees, so the more time you are willing to give, the better. The duration of the trusteeship also varies, with some charities asking you to commit to a couple of years for example.

“Are there any requirements?” As this is a formal role, there are some requirements, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ charity-trustee-whats-involved. Similar to the school governor role that I wrote about in September, sometimes charities will be in need of certain skills, such as HR or marketing experience, but more generalist passionate people are

equally appreciated. “This sounds great, how do I get involved?” Have a look at https://www.charityjob.co.uk/ volunteer-jobs/trustees or https://jobs.theguardian.com/ landingpage/3000004/charitytrustee-html/ for some of the current vacancies. As noted above, it’s important to be passionate about the cause, so it might be worth reaching out to a charity that is close to your heart, as many vacancies are not advertised on those sites. Some wellknown national charities have local branches, so have a look for those too. The actual application process will vary between the charities

If you have any questions, feel free to email kate@dartfordliving.com. Happy volunteering!

St George’s Church Hall DA11 0DJ