Thinking about the roles of Trustee, Management or Volunteer, but still have concerns?

1. “I don’t have the time”
The concern: You imagine it’s a big, ongoing commitment.

• As trustees, we meet once every month for a couple of hours.
• We have responsibilities which arise from that, but when we do, timescales are flexible
• With our new thinking on having different roles, the trustee one would be much less onerous and time consuming, and the other roles would be the same. The tasks would be shared out amongst the community.

2. “I’m not qualified”
The concern: You think it’s for experts in law, finance, or governance.

• If you care about our community, have some common sense and a bit of time, you’re qualified.
• You’d never be alone – we work together and learn as we go.
• For areas which require specific expertise, we contract expertise. If we have a legal issue to resolve, we talk to a lawyer. If we need electrical work done, we bring in a fully qualified electrician.

3. “I don’t know what trustees actually do”
The concern: The role feels vague or mysterious.

• As well as the examples above, we have a full list of what trustees would actually do in this new world
• We also have a full list of what the key management areas are, with a breakdown of the tasks in each one.

4. “It’s all cliquey or political”
The concern: You may fear being an outsider in a close-knit group.

• We absolutely want fresh perspectives and new ideas.
• We would like anyone to express interest, not just the usual suspects.

5. “I’m too young” or “That’s for retirees”
The concern: You think it’s only for older people or established community figures.

• We encourage underrepresented groups: parents, younger adults, hall users.
• You don’t need to be retired – just interested.
• Being a trustee can be a valuable addition to CVs and on university applications.

6. Fear of legal responsibility
The concern: Worry about personal liability.

• Personal risk is minimal and our insurance covers trustee decisions.
• We’re a registered charity with simple policies in place – it’s not scary.
• Whilst trustees can be held liable to their charity for any financial loss they cause or help to cause, the law generally protects trustees who have acted honestly and reasonably from personal liability to their charity.

7. “I’m away a lot, or travel for work”
The concern: Not being able to attend meetings.

• Trustees often attend meetings via Zoom or Teams.
• Trustees don’t need to attend every committee meeting

8. “I don’t enjoy meetings”
The concern: Feeling you couldn’t contribute via meetings.

• Managing a key task area wouldn’t involve you in committee meetings, just liaising with one or more trustees before and after trustee meetings.
• Volunteers wouldn’t ever have to attend meetings, just work on one or more task to contribute.