Trusteeship
Trusteeship A common purpose The Company has determined that it should have a common purpose which binds its members together. In recognition of the serious shortage of individuals prepared to join the governing bodies of charities, we have chosen trusteeship as this common purpose. Our objective over time is that the majority of our members should be actively involved in some form of pro bono activity, whether as a trustee of a charity, a school governor, member of a Parochial Church Council etc. The Court accepts that this initiative will take time to gather momentum. Our approach takes two forms – support for our members, and support for better charity governance generally. Support for our members Having worked for several years with the charity Reach Volunteering, which acts as a broker between volunteers seeking roles and charities seeking trustees, we established an arrangement with them to help our members secure suitable trustee roles. This support includes talks and facilitation. More recently, we are piloting with Reach and Prospectus (a specialist voluntary sector recruitment firm) a premium service which provides more individually-tailored support. We have also held events at Clothworkers’ Hall to enthuse and inspire our members to seek a role as a trustee; these have included a supper where Lord Browne of Madingley spoke about how pro bono
work had contributed to his development, and the first annual Trustees Dinner, where Clothworker trustees bring the Chairman or a fellow trustee of their charity to meet other like-minded individuals. Supporting better charity governance The Company continues to invest selectively in initiatives to improve the quality of charity governance generally. We have held a number of trusteeship seminars at the Hall in conjunction with New Philanthropy Capital. These are well-attended by a range of trustees, including some Clothworkers. Recent topics have included Trusteeship, leadership and impact, Improving financial sustainability through social investment and Payment of trustees. In March 2012, NPC published a report The benefits of trusteeship, funded by the Company, which contained case studies of individuals, charities and employers and their experience of trusteeship. In addition, we have contributed to the cost of revising the Code of Good Governance which The benefits helps charity boards work of trusteeship effectively, and are sponsoring the continuation of the Governance Forum, a group of influential experts in the area which is holding its meetings at Clothworkers’ Hall.
T H E C L OT H W O R K E R S ’ A N N U A L R E V I E W 2 0 1 2
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March 2012 Clare Yeowart Dinah McKenzie