Step 6: What Next?

Recruiting trustees is part of the development of your board and it is important to keep the momentum going. Start by reviewing your trustee recruitment process. Now you have successfully recruited new trustees, you should record what you have learned for next time, and think about how you will continue to make your board an attractive and worthwhile opportunity.

By recording how you have decided to recruit trustees now, the process will be much easier the next time you need to recruit, and you can make sure you repeat what worked. Why not adapt our model policy template for your own policy? See Activity 10: Trustee Recruitment Policy (.doc 226KB).

Developing your board

The successful recruitment of a new trustee is not the end of the process. Your board should be committed to developing your trustees, whether they are new or have been involved with the board for a while. Development can be achieved in a number of ways, and does not need to cost a lot of money. You should also consider whether you can allocate any money or resources to trustee development - it doesn’t have to be much.  Options for development include:

• Training courses. These can either be run externally or one of your trustees, staff or volunteers with a particular skill could be responsible for running a training session.
• Letting trustees shadow honorary officers, volunteers or staff to find out more about the role of project
• Long standing trustees mentoring new trustees
• Taking part in forums or networks to meet other volunteers and trustees. Your local Volunteer Centre may host these forums or know of forums in existence. See the help and support section below for details on where to find the address of your local Volunteer Centre

How you develop your board is dependent on the skills of your current trustees and what your budget will allow. If funding for training is an issue, your local infrastructure organisation may be able to support you to find funding for development. See the help and support section below for details on where to find your local infrastructure organisation.

And finally…

Remember that good trustee recruitment is at the heart of an effective board. You might want to put trustee recruitment on your board’s agenda as a rolling agenda item. If you take time to select the right people with the right skills and knowledge and invest in their development as well, you will have a strong and successful board that will be committed and passionate about their work and the work of your organisation.

Help and support

• Local infrastructure organisations (LIO’s) - your LIO can help you to find funding for development or point you to workshops and training opportunities. To find your LIO visit www.navca.org.uk/liodir

• Volunteer Centres- provide support and expertise within the local community to potential volunteers, existing volunteers and organisations that involve volunteers. To find your local Volunteer Centre visit www.volunteering.org.uk

• NCVO Trustee and Governance information centre provides information and resources to support your work at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk.governanceandleadership

• Trustees Unlimited http://www.trustees-unlimited.co.uk/ 

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