From Student Opportunities to Trusteeship

By Kate Roberts and Amelia Ireland - Ambassadors for the Young Trustees Movement

When you picture a charity trustee, do you think of an older, white man called John or David? It wouldn’t be surprising if you do, because one in every twelve trustees in England and Wales have these names, 92% of trustees are white, and two thirds are male. Over half of all trustees in the UK are retired, whereas less than 3% of trustees are under the age of 30. The Young Trustees Movement is working to change this. Our aim is to double the number of trustees under 30 on charity boards by 2024. While our focus is on age, our movement is also part of a wider call for diversity on trustee boards – after all, different aspects of our identities intersect, and young people are not just one thing.

We exist to challenge the image of what a trustee should look like and to empower organisations and individuals to see the value of young people. This is something our movement has in common with students’ unions, and particularly student opportunities teams: every day we see the value of young people, and have full faith in their ability to add valuable insight to important discussions.

Why is an intergenerational perspective important for trustee boards?

A diversity of perspectives is extremely important for a high-performing trustee board. The Charity Governance Code states that “board diversity, in the widest sense, is important because it creates more balanced decision making […] The board is more effective because it reflects different perspectives, experiences and skills, including, where applicable, from current and future beneficiaries.”

Boards comprised of individuals from a variety of backgrounds, with a range of life experiences, are more likely to encourage debate and make robust and effective decisions. Benefits for trustee boards themselves can include enhanced resilience when navigating uncertainty, the ability to future proof decision making, and more innovative thinking, all of which allow them to invest in the future and best reflect the interests of the communities they serve.

Being young should not be a barrier to trusteeship, and we know that students’ unions will be familiar with the invaluable insights that Sabbatical Officers and student trustees bring to your boards. We hope that many staff members working in students’ unions are interested in becoming trustees and using their skills to benefit another charitable organisation. Alongside this, there is a real opportunity to promote trusteeship opportunities in the wider charity sector to the young people you engage with.

We know that both the need and the brilliant young people to meet it are out there, which is why we work closely to promote the idea of young trustees to organisations, as well as inspire young people themselves to get involved.

Student Opportunities as a path into trusteeship

Trusteeship is an incredible experience that will boost an individual’s career and provide a fantastic opportunity to develop a range of key skills. Trusteeship can also help to grow networks and learn about governance and the charity sector, all whilst making a difference to a charity which will really benefit from young people’s participation in its leadership.

Trusteeship is not too different from student opportunities, and in particular from committee membership of a student society or sports club. These roles involve governance, even if many young people might not recognise it as such, and provide significant skill development. Such skills are directly transferable to a trustee role, notably; managing a budget, serving the members of your group, leadership, teamwork, negotiation and respecting others’ views, fundraising experience, and perhaps most importantly, contributing to a cause that you care about.

Every student group is different, but so is every charity. Whatever you, or the young people you work with, are interested in, care about, or have lived experience of – there is a charity that your input is invaluable to. Trusteeship requires responsibility, and it is clear that the responsibility associated with the governance, operations and financial management of a student group is a brilliant way to expand this skill set as a young person.

Joe’s path to trusteeship

Joe Stockley, South Wales Ambassador for the Young Trustees Movement:

“I chaired the Student Representatives for my school at Cardiff University. This taught me a lot about being a trustee for an organisation, and I have used my experiences in this role in trustee interviews, and as a trustee for the British Youth Council and Wales Council for Voluntary Action. Skills like amplifying voices of stakeholders, negotiating with different groups of people with competing demands, and reaching evidence-led consensus. These are all skills I have used in a boardroom setting, and I really appreciated the opportunity to develop them in a live scenario.”

So, what can you do?

There are so many ways to get involved with the Young Trustees Movement, either on an individual level or through promoting trusteeship to the young people engaged with your opportunities. We would love for those that are trustees themselves (Sabbatical Officers and student trustees) to become involved in the movement, and for those students in other leadership positions to know more about the opportunity of charity trusteeship.  

We have a digital hub which contains resources and opportunities to engage with other young people who are current or aspiring trustees.

The Young Trustees Movement website also has an opportunity board, where organisations share trustee role vacancies.

You could come along to one of our Champion Training Sessions, where you will find out more about articulating and understanding how young trustees can enable organisations to navigate uncertainty, future proof decisions and reflect the interests of their communities.

Finally, make sure you follow the Young Trustees Movement on Twitter to stay updated on our work!

Final Thoughts

It is vital that we empower young people to see themselves in trustee positions, which are traditionally exclusionary, homogenous, and lacking diversity. In Student Opportunities, you are at the heart of developing the charity leaders of the future, but we know that these young people can also be charity leaders right now, and that trusteeship is an excellent opportunity for them to do this.