Selecting new trustees

When charities recruit new trustees, they may want to follow a selection process to help identify those candidates who best meet the skills and qualities desired. 

A selection process can be particularly useful if the charity is looking for a specific skill and has a range of candidates to choose from.

A range of methods exist to help charities select trustees.

Some charities follow a very formal process, similar to that used to recruit staff – for example, by advertising a vacancy, shortlisting candidates based on a CV and trustee person specification and conducting a formal interview.

Some charities follow an informal process, meeting with each candidate and inviting those that are suitable and interested to observe a board meeting and meet trustees.

In some charities, the final decision might not be made by trustees but by members. Some membership organisations help members choose between candidates – for example, by:

• circulating candidate biographies to members before the AGM and alerting members to the role, skills and attributes required of trustees
• interviewing all candidates and presenting to members a list of those candidates that are recommended by the board.

The procedures for electing or appointing new trustees are usually set out in a charity’s governing document. Any selection method used must be consistent with these procedures. For example, if members elect the trustees at the AGM, the existing trustees might be able to suggest which candidates they feel are most suitable but will not have the final say on who is appointed.