Hello and welcome to Governance Matters, the podcast where we dive into what makes charities thrive—with strong leadership, clear mission, and boards that can steer the ship through calm and storm alike. I’m Adrian Lawrence, and in today’s episode, we’re exploring something central to every nonprofit’s success: trustee recruitment. Why it matters, the challenges, and how to do it well. We’ll also discover how Ned Capital can help organisations get this right.
Segment 1: Why Trustee Recruitment is So Important
Host:
When I say “trustees,” what comes to mind? Passion, commitment, strong values—yes. But trustees are also the backbone of governance. They set strategy, keep the mission alive, ensure legal compliance, oversee finances, manage risk. Their impact is enormous:
- The right trustees bring skills that fill gaps in the board—maybe financial expertise, perhaps sector-specific knowledge, or governance and compliance experience.
- Diversity matters: different backgrounds, perspectives, life experience can lead to more creative, more resilient decision-making.
- Strong governance builds trust: with donors, partners, staff, and the public.
Without clarity in who we are recruiting and why, boards can become stagnant, ill-equipped to face emerging challenges, or out of touch with the communities they serve.
Segment 2: Key Challenges Many Organisations Face
Host:
Recruiting trustees isn’t easy. Some common hurdles nonprofits often tell me about:
- Limited pools of candidates who have the mix of skills, time, and interest.
- Competition—other charities, other boards—in attracting people who could serve.
- Lack of clarity in the role—if potential trustees aren’t sure what is expected of them, especially around time commitment, legal/financial duties, or fiduciary responsibility.
- Diversity issues—boards sometimes skew too similar: in gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, profession. This limits perspective.
- Onboarding & support—even once recruited, trustees can be overwhelmed or disengaged without proper induction and mentoring.
These are not insurmountable, but they require strategic thinking and sometimes external help.
Segment 3: Best Practices — What Works
Host:
So, what works well? Based on research, interviews, and case studies, here are some best practices:
- Start with a needs assessment: review your current board. What skills are missing? What perspectives aren’t represented? What challenges are coming up (funding, regulation, growth)?
- Define Trustee Roles Clearly: Build role descriptions, set expectations—meeting frequency, committees, decision-making responsibilities, legal/good governance duties.
- Use a structured recruitment process: Standard interview questions, panels, referencing. Make the process fair, transparent.
- Go wide with your search: professional networks, sector events, community / local groups; social media; perhaps search partners.
- Focus on diversity & inclusion: Be intentional about bringing in voices that reflect the communities served, as well as differing experience levels.
- Provide good onboarding, mentoring and ongoing support: Equipping new trustees with guidance, documents, and maybe pairing them with experienced trustees helps them contribute more quickly and stay engaged.
- Evaluate and learn: After appointments, gather feedback, assess what worked and what didn’t. Adapt for next time.
Find out more at https://www.nedcapital.co.uk/trustee-recruitment/
