Having been in both camps, I have great admiration for both Trustees and staff (and regular volunteers) of our many churches and charities. They all do such great work that keeps this country going, and meet so many of the needs of so many people. However, as I have been involved in, and worked with many such organisations, I see that there is often a disconnect between those in the two roles which, if left unchecked, could cause problems and reduce the effectiveness of the organisation.
Our charities are run, on a day-to-day basis, either by paid staff or by unpaid volunteers. They spend many hours planning, organising, and carrying out the functions of the charity. Sometimes it is background office stuff, admin, finance etc. They work at it for the benefit of the charity and carry out a lot of good work. Behind them are the Trustees – those legally responsible for the charity, who set the strategy and direction, take the big decisions and answer for the public benefit that they provide – and for the monies that they are given.
Trustee Boards can work in one of two ways – hands-on or hands-off. I have worked with examples of each approach in recent months.
In one charity, the organisation is run by a full time volunteer who founded the charity with her husband. The Trustees meet regularly, with her, but leave the running of the charity to her to get on with, but are at the end of the phone if needed (one responded to a call that afternoon and came in to sign some paperwork I needed to get completed).
In another, I listened to the frustrations of the manager (employed) in running the charity. Then at a meeting with some of the Trustees (who are volunteers), I hear some of the reasons leading to the frustration as other things are being dealt with as well and there are differing priorities.
I know, from one of my former roles, how difficult it can be when you want to get things done but can’t without the nod from the Trustees. You ask for agreement to do something, but an answer can’t be given until the other Trustees have been consulted. They meet monthly or quarterly and have numerous issues to discuss and what is most important to you in your day-to-day role gets pushed back from meeting to meeting.
Whilst there are bound to be some frustrations between the roles, a Trustee board would be advised to recognise this, and put steps in place to seek to minimise the problem, before they escalate and there becomes an insurmountable disconnect. There needs to be a discussion to decide how hands-on or hands-off the board will be and how much authority will be delegated to the staff/volunteers. Once there is clarity on this, it needs to be kept to. There needs to be a process in place for discussion, so that the both parties are aware of the urgency and importance of issues facing the charity at any time. A Trustee should be nominated as the main liaison between those running the charity day to day and the Trustee board. They should meet regularly with the “charity manager” to discuss the priorities of both parties, any existing or potential problems, and be open and honest with each other about how they feel. Keep the dialogue open and follow through on issues discussed – I know a charity employee who opened up to their Trustee contacts for an hour about their frustrations and how they felt unvalued – and the issues were never discussed again!! They had left the organisation within a year!
When Trustee boards and staff leaders get it right – working in this sector in whatever role can be extremely fulfilling and exciting as you see the difference that you are making to individuals. Just make sure that there is no reason for a disconnect, and if you see signs of it, do whatever you can to retrieve the situation, before it is too late!