Me as a Trustee

Charities and their trustees

A charity Trustee, sometimes also known as a Board Member or Director, is a volunteer who takes on a role to support a charity they care about to achieve its aims.

The Scottish Charity regulator, OSCR, describes the Trustee role as being “responsible for the charity's governance and strategy, and for making sure that the charity is administered effectively”.

Charities have a governing document, often called the “constitution” that sets out the rules on how the charity will be run, states clearly what its charitable objectives are and explains what it was created to do. 

Trustees must act in accordance with their governing document, they have a responsibility to act in the best interest of the charity and the people they serve. 

Beyond the formal responsibilities listed by the regulator, being a Trustee is a fantastic way to get involved in a cause you feel passionate about and to help make a difference for your chosen charity’s beneficiaries and its leadership and management team. 

My working role as a charity founder and leader means I report to a Board of trustees, but beyond that I am a Trustee for two fantastic Scottish charities. This blog is written from my perspective and about my experience as a Trustee, and explains a bit more about what I get from being a Trustee, what I give, and why I think more people should consider getting involved.

My role as a Trustee 

I am a Trustee, and currently Vice Chair, with Epilepsy Connections, a small but mighty charity, created to help people affected by epilepsy develop resilience and independence so they can take charge of their condition and live their lives fully. 

Epilepsy Connections is such a people first organisation, delivering incredible impact through human connections, support, and empowering programmes and activities. 

I got involved with EC when my eldest daughter benefited from their support in coming to terms with, and learning to manage her epilepsy, after a diagnosis in her teenage years. I can’t stress enough the difference connecting with other young people in a similar situation made, and many years later friendships made in those early days remain strong and the natural support between friends is still evident. 

Epilepsy Connections provides a range of services including fieldworker support, befriending, activity groups, awareness raising and education, epilepsy self management, welfare rights support, signposting and more. All delivered with human connection, care, and a calming, supportive approach that encourages people living with epilepsy to take charge of their condition and live their lives fully.

My role at Blackhall Nursery, a parent led early learning setting in Edinburgh, began when they were seeking a Chair for their Board. My love of all things early years drew me to this organisation and their unique parent led creation and evolution was a huge attraction for me getting involved. 

I have a great interest in different models for delivery of early learning and childcare services, ways that genuinely meet the needs of the children, families, and communities they serve. Blackhall was established, in 1999, initially as a playgroup, then a nursery, when families living in the area did not have access to nursery provision and City of Edinburgh Council confirmed they had no plan or intention to create a service in the area. 

August 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Blackhall Nursery, demand remains incredibly strong and that first parent group who took the brave step to create a new service for their children should be immensely proud of what they, and subsequent parent groups, have created and maintained. 

I have also been a Trustee with Dads Rock, an Edinburgh based charity, now working across Scotland, improving outcomes for children to ensure the best start in life by providing support to Dads and families. I got involved with Dads Rock because the role of Dad matters, I was (and still am) lucky to have a fantastic dad, and my husband was and is a wonderful dad to our daughters. Dad’s Rock was my first charity Board role and although I have now moved on, the impact of my time at Dads Rock remains with me. This first Trustee role offered great learning about the way a Board can support the leadership and management team and help an organisation evolve and scale whilst maintaining its core values. 

What I give and what I get in return

Time: I give my time for Board Meetings, prep ahead of meetings, events, and support for specific issues, ideas and areas for development. In reality I probably don’t always have enough time to give but most charities recognise how busy their Trustees often are and can work out an involvement level that fits the rhythm of the charity’s year, the Trustees availability, and the governance structure that is in place. 

In reality the knowledge that Trustees will be there for the charity when needed is often the most important aspect for the charity leaders. 

Expertise and experience: I share my knowledge, if I have experienced a similar situation I’ll share how I worked through it, observations and learning, all of course at an appropriate level and in line with privacy regs. 

A listening ear: sometimes all that is needed is someone that will listen and being a Trustee can mean you have enough understanding of the circumstances without being directly involved, so you can be an informed, yet impartial, listener. 

Accountability: as a Trustee I accept that I have a shared responsibility for the success of the organisation, and that I share accountability when times are challenging. Governing documents outline levels of responsibility and offer a level of protection to Trustees, but regardless there remains a moral and ethical responsibility to the beneficiaries of the charity and and a duty of care to its leadership, management, and operational team members. 

In return I get so much personal and professional satisfaction from playing a part in these incredible organisations.

I learn from every interaction, whether that learning is direct, practical, or comes through reflection and review. I have walked alongside the leaders and managers of these organisations through periods of change and evolution, vision setting, recruitment, scale planning, fiscal issues, periods of celebration, and of course a global pandemic! 

Spending time in the operational services, meeting service users, and getting to know the team means I get to see first hand the impact for service users. I would urge all charity Trustees to take the time to visit the frontline of their chosen charity, it really does focus your attention on impact and highlights the charity’s reason for being. 

And I get to meet so many different people, from fellow Trustees, to funders, policy makers, other charity leaders, and of course service users. Meeting and taking to time to get to know people with different lives, different experiences, viewpoints and backgrounds is an enriching experience, it develops understanding and empathy, reduces unconscious bias, and helps me become a better version of myself…something we should all continually aspire to. 

So if you’re thinking about volunteering as a Trustee, I urge you to go for it. Charities need more diverse Boards, so the more people willing to get involved the better, and with over 25,000 charities in Scotland you are bound to find a one that aligns with your interests and passions.