Celebrating Trustees

Trustee Debate 11th January

Thursday, 26 January 2012 16:10

The last Trustee Debate in January focused on governance.  We looked at the following areas

• set and maintain vision, mission and values;
• develop strategy
• establish and monitor policies
• ensure compliance with the governing document
• ensure accountability
• ensure compliance with the law
• maintain proper fiscal oversight
• respect the role of staff / volunteers
• maintain effective board performance
• promote the organisations
• with staff – set up employment procedures and select and support the CO

The following is a useful website link on governance 

http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Charity_requirements_guidance/Charity_governance/Good_governance/good_gov_code.aspx

The next debate will be on Wednesday 7th March refreshments from 5pm business at 5.30 -7.30  The focus will be on the financial responsibilities of all Trustees.

Trustee Debates

Thursday, 05 January 2012 11:18

In September 2011 we began our bi-monthly Trustee Debates.  We want to give all our member trustees an opportunity to meet around topics of interest to them in setting where they can discuss and share ideas with colleagues who are facing the same challenges.

So far the debates have been welcomed and we have been encouraged by the attendance and positive feedback we have received.

• 'The Trustee Debate was both useful and informative.'

• 'I like the timing, after working hours but not in the middle of the evening when we should be at home.  Venue handy, sandwiches nice!'

•  '......it was attended by a whole range of representatives of different charities of different sizes, funding arrangements and working practices.'

The first debate in September was on Partnership and Consortia and we were fortunate to have two experienced speakers: Janie Keeble from Westbank who has recent experience of forming a complex partnership within the sector and James Evans a partner in Foot Anstey who tackled the legal side of partnerships.

• 'It was also good having a lawyer to speak on this subject,that would inevitably involve legal input.'

• ' ..........it was good to get infomation on how these could be more formal, along with the posible pitfalls of both situations.'

The second debate in November was in Trustees Week and focussed on how to Strengthen your Board, we looked at a range of activities to help identify the current Boards' strengths and highlight any gaps, followed by a presentation from the Volunteer Centre on how to approach recruiting new trustees, in particular younger trustees. CLICK HERE to view the Charity Commission publication: 'A Breath of Fresh Air: Young People as Charity Trustees' [PDF 437KB]

• '........I found it useful to think about the specific issues involved in recruiting more trustees to our board. The format worked well for me, and was a good balance between giving us information and allowing time for questions and discussion.'

• '..........the speakers were good and the Toolkit pack is a brilliant template for future use'

Celebrating Trustees Event 26 October 2010

Tuesday, 02 November 2010 11:30

The latest Celebrating Trustees event in Trustees Week here at Exeter CVS attracted lots of positive comments: 'I made some very useful contacts and the workshops were informative'. Potential trustees went away with a lot of information to help them decide what they might do next. 'I welcome the opportunity to meet groups like this there should be more of these.' Some groups were really happy that they had recruited some new trustees at the event.

The event was a pilot for us and part of our campaign to Celebrate Trustees and to engage new trustees. We will be following up with more training and events in the New Year. In the meantime keep following us on Twitter and these pages where updated information will be posted regularly.

Celebrating Trustees Breakfast Event

Wednesday, 29 September 2010 11:10

The event follows on from the Celebrating Trustees campaign which began in June 2010 with a successful breakfast seminar at The University of Exeter. This new event will pick up on the issues raised at the June campaign launch. The main area of concern was how to reach new Trustees from diverse backgrounds.

The event brought together Trustees from across Devon to begin to network and share information and experience. It also allowed us to hear what they wanted in terms of support and development so that the campaign could continue.

Participants enjoyed breakfast and the surroundings and felt that the event had been:

'very informative, with good speakers and interesting delegates'
'a good opportunity to meet other trustees and share problems'
'an opportunity to make some useful contacts and I went away with plenty to think about.'

View pictures of the event