Step 3: Attracting New Trustees

Attracting new trustees

Now you have a good understanding of who you are looking for and what might attract people to join your board, you need to get the message out there. You will need to consider how and where to promote the opportunity and then how you will find out whether these people are suitable for the role.

Advertising the role

Your promotion ideas will be led by who you want to attract.  For example, if you have to recruit from your current membership then your promotional activity will be focused upon them. If you are looking to recruit someone new to your organisation then your promotional activity will be much more externally focused. Put yourselves in the shoes of your ideal person and think about where they are likely to go, what activities they may undertake and where they would get their information.  For example, would the person you are looking for use the local library, attend a local church or use a professional network?

Your board will need to decide which promotional activities are best suited to finding the person they identified in the Finding the Right Fit section. Take a look at Activity 5: Promotional ideas (.doc 3.97MB) to help your board decide which promotional techniques are right for you. There is also an Action column so you can ensure that tasks can be divided between trustees to share the work fairly.
 
If your board has decided that an advert or poster is the best way to promote your trustee vacancy, take a look at Activity 6: How to write a killer advert (.pdf 1.27MB), which will give you some idea of what information to include.  You may also want to refer to the list that you completed in Activity 2 Trustee Motivations so that you can include the benefits of becoming a trustee with your organisation in the advertisement.  You should focus just as much on ‘selling the role’ to your members (where you have them) as to those outside your organisation.

“There is a lot of competition for willing volunteers out there. In our area there is a playgroup, a nursery and two primary schools each with a parent body. So we really have to stand out to get noticed.” - South Oxford Community Association

What if people want to know more?

It is difficult to provide everything about the role and your organisation in a single advert. Consider adding information to a website so people can read more (where you have one). Potential trustees may want to talk to someone from the organisation to find out more about the role, so you might want to offer people the opportunity to email or call someone for an informal chat. You need to think about who is best placed to respond to enquiries.

Meeting with potential trustees

It is a good idea to meet potential trustees.  This will give them the opportunity to ask any questions that they might have about your organisation or board.   It also gives you an opportunity to find out if the person is right for the role.

Being a trustee requires a big commitment from an individual but a formal interview may not be appropriate. It may dissuade potential trustees from showing an interest and may also give the wrong impression of your board. Try to create a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and explain the purpose of the meeting to the applicants in a way that puts them at ease.

Board meeting observation

You may find that one of the reasons people are reluctant to become a trustee is because they feel it is all hard work with no benefit. Why not let people attend one of your meetings to observe what happens at a typical meeting, meet you all and see what being a trustee is all about. Please note: If there are any disputes or conflicts within your board these need to be addressed before you invite new people in to observe your meetings.

Dealing with worries

One key issue for many people may be worries about personal liability.  You need to be able to frankly discuss this and let them know about the measures such as insurance or incorporation that you have taken to manage this.

Help and support

• Do-it – www.do-it.org.uk. Do-it is part of Youthnet and is an online place where trustee vacancies can be posted by your local Volunteer Centre. Potential volunteers can then log on and find the volunteer opportunities in their local area.

• Volunteering England – www.volunteering.org.uk. Volunteering England has a directory that lets you find the contact details of your nearest Volunteer Centre.

• NCVO’s Trustee Bank - a free site to promote and search for vacancies. www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/Trusteebank

• NCVO’s Reducing the Risk publication

• NCVO's Trustee and Governance information centre has general information that may help at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/governanceandleadership  

Next Step - 4. Selection and appointment of new trustees

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