Trustee Board

Trustee Board

The Trustee Board is a team of volunteers who work together, as charity trustees, to make sure Scouts is run safely and legally. At the heart of their role is a focus on strategy, performance and assurance. Effective Trustee Board governance helps our volunteers deliver fantastic programmes that give young people skills for life.


Scouts is where young people make new friends, have amazing adventures and learn new skills – all of which is supported by our amazing 150,000 volunteers. Surprised at that number? Well, something else that might surprise you is that 80,000 of these volunteers are charity trustees.

We need people who can see things from different viewpoints, who are passionate about supporting their community, and want to give young people skills for life. We also encourage every volunteer to bring their own skills, knowledge and experience to the role.

Being a trustee is great for your personal development too, as you’ll gain experience that’ll help build your CV, including:

  • Influencing and negotiating
  • Decision-making
  • Risk management
  • Getting involved in their local community
  • Making friends, connections and networking

No previous experience at Scouts or as a trustee is necessary, and whilst the time commitment can vary depending on the type of trustee role, it’s usual for trustees to meet 5-7 times per year.

 

What does the Trustee Board do?

The 63rd Trustee Board works together to:

Manage money well


Have enough money for now and in the future. This means having a reserves policy and making sure fundraising takes place, if it’s needed.

Have a budget in place. Trustees then agree how to manage the budget with other volunteer teams.


Follow Scouts policies and relevant legislation


Follow POR, key policies (including safety, safeguarding, data protection, and equality, diversity and inclusion), and charity regulations.

Follow employment law if staff are employed, and act as a responsible employer in line with relevant legislation and Scout values. Make sure effective line management is in place for each staff member, which can be delegated to others.

Create Trustees Annual Report and Statement of Accounts.

Have Statement of Accounts audited by an appropriate person before the Annual General Meeting. If they’re a registered charity, they’ll need to share it with the charity regulator.

Hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM).


Look after buildings, insurance and property


Look after records of ownership of property and equipment.

Have the right insurance for people, buildings, and equipment.

Make sure buildings and equipment are working well.


Manage risks


Maintain a risk register and put the right risk mitigations in place.


Help the charity to operate well, today and in the future


Work with Lead Volunteers to meet their charity aims.

Champion Our Volunteering Culture, and make sure volunteers are aware of it, reflect on it, commit to it, and apply it in their teams.

In carrying out the above, trustees also:

  • Make sure records of Trustee Board meetings are kept, and complete any actions that are agreed.
  • Run open selection processes for appointing trustees.
  • Co-opt trustees onto the Board if they need people with particular skills or knowledge.
  • Get expert advice, if needed. This could be on health and safety, managing money, buildings, equipment, or employment.
  • Network with other Scouts Trustee Boards to share knowledge and experience.

 

Where can I find out more about being a trustee?

The information pack at the top of this page contains everything you need to know about the role – take a look, and then please get in touch with us if you have any questions.

 

That all sounds great – I’d like to join the team!

Brilliant, we can’t wait to welcome you on board! Simply get in touch with us by sending an email to info@63rd.org.uk, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

 

Dwayne Fields proudly holds the title of the UK's 11th Chief Scout

An explorer, adventurer and TV presenter, Dwayne's been seen in BAFTA nominated Channel 5 series Race to the Pole, on BBC Springwatch, Countryfile, National Geographic and Disney+.

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