Governance and Trusteeship

Our third annual Charity Governance Awards were on 24 th May. We organised the event with partners NPC, Prospectusand Reach Volunteering. This year,we had a record 131 applicationsand shortlisted 20 charities forthe seven award categories. We’regrateful to a number of Clothworkersfor helping us in the first round ofjudging, allowing us to create a ‘longlist’ of entries for our second round,reviewed by professional judges.

Michael Howell, Chair of our Trusteeship Committee, hosted the event for us. The audience was treated to a fantastic keynote address by Dame Julia Cleverdon before the ceremony, with another insightful and relevant address from guest speaker Rosalind Oakley (Association of Chairs and Charity Governance Code Steering Group). Both emphasised the importance of celebrating and supporting good governance across the sector. David Gold, CEO of

Prospectus, chaired a panel made up of three winners from the 2017 awards, and the panellists shared meaningful advice from their own organisations and experiences.

Following the ceremony, a spokesperson from each of the winning charities was interviewed, and films of those interviews are available on the Charity Governance Awards website.

Feedback from the night, both from our formal surveys and social media, was very positive. Guests shared their experiences on Twitter with the #CharityGov18 hashtag – at one point in the evening it was ‘trending’ as the sixth-most popular hashtag in the UK.

More information can be found online:www.charitygovernanceawards.co.uk.

We’re hosting the next Charity Governance Awards on 22 nd May 2019. Entries will be accepted from 1 st October to 22nd January – please spread the word!

Joseph Winkley is a trustee for Step Forward – a small charity in Tower Hamlets that provides support to young people (aged 11-15). He has been a trustee for a little more than a year, and joined the board to provide the benefit of his financial background and business experience. ‘I have to say that, so far, I am learning a lot more than I am contributing...It’s an incredibly interesting area, something I have to admit I knew little of before becoming a trustee.’

Joe admitted that he had neverthought of being a trustee beforejoining The Company. ‘TheClothworkers’ were very instrumentalin me becoming a trustee.’ Joe creditsthe Cause4 Trustee LeadershipProgramme, which is sponsoredby The Company as well as Joe’semployer, Close Brothers, for helpinghim connect with Step Forward. ‘Ineffect, it was speed dating. You havea lot of people who are interested in

becoming trustees; you have a lot ofcharities that are looking for trustees.You spend a bit of time speaking withone another, and where there is amatch, you move forward. I was luckyin that the one I was really interestedin was Step Forward. I liked thepeople I met there, and I liked whatthey were doing...and they liked me aswell, so we moved forward.’

Joe is very passionate about learning as much as he can about the charity and its service users, describing the experience as ‘eye-opening’. He is learning about the challenges teens face in more deprived areas of London today, as well as the challenges the charity’s staff face and the skills they develop in the course of their work. ‘Behind it, what you don’t realise with a lot of charities, is how much work goes into it and how much support people working for those charities need in order to be able to do their jobs.’

What does he get out of it? Joe says the rewards exceed his expectations. He wanted to become a trustee to feel like he could make a difference in the world. He does feel that way, and feels grateful for the experience to learn more about societal issues he previously knew nothing about. ‘When you hear about stories of children or young adults who have had terrible times…dealing with extreme problems…and you see them coming out the other side – and you understand how the charity you work for is helping not just this child or this young adult, but a whole host of children and young adults to navigate problems and make their lives better…that, to me, is very rewarding.’

Joe’s advice for others interested in becoming a trustee is to do a little research. He says it’s not something to approach lightly, ‘It is a commitment. For me, it’s four days a year on paper, but it takes up more time than that – interacting with the staff and learning about what’s happening on the business side. But I would encourage you to go have a look, see what’s out there, see if there are opportunities of interest.’ Joe has no regrets!

Interested in becoming a trustee, but don’t know where to start? Like Joe, you can register for the Trustee Leadership Programme. This five-week course is delivered by Cause4 in London. Each session (one evening a week) is spent helping trustees (or potential trustees) build skills and develop confidence as responsible, effective board members to UK charities. The course culminates in a ‘trustee matching’ event to help those currently searching for a role connect with charities looking to fill board vacancies. Contact Renée LaDue (reneeladue@clothworkers.co.uk) if you would like to hear more about registering for the next course (spring 2019). Cause4 also delivers a series of one-day seminars outside of London. Search for ‘Trustee Leadership Programme’ at www.cause4.co.uk.

Clothworkers who have logged into the Members’ Area recently might have noticed that The Company publishes trustee vacancies from its partner, Reach Volunteering. In 2017, Reach helped fill 473 trustee vacancies with its TrusteeWorks service, and aims to place another 550 in 2018. Will you be one?

Save the date for our next Trusteeship Dinner on Thursday, 20 th June 2019.

THE CRANFIELD TRUST

The Cranfield Trust works with more than 300 charities a year, providing free management support by matching local business people with local charities. Cranfield Trust volunteer consultants are skilled managers from the commercial sector, with wide range of expertise. They enjoy the challenge of helping charities address management issues, using their professional skills. The Trust welcomes new volunteers in England, Scotland and Wales, and would be delighted to hear from Clothworkers who may be interested in volunteering. Find out more at: www.cranfieldtrust.org/volunteer.

LIVERY SCHOOLS LINK

The Clothworkers’ Company has registered an interest with Livery Schools Link (LSL). LSL works with livery companies and schools to support young people in education. To date, more than 100 volunteers from a growing number of livery companies have worked with 60 different schools, taking part in career and motivational talks or volunteering as school governors. All members of The Clothworkers’ Company are invited to participate, and there are opportunities for everyone – including supporting one-off events that fit around busy schedules or committing to longerterm volunteer roles. To learn more about opportunities available through LSL, please visit the website at: www.liveryschoolslink.org.uk.

NPC SEMINARS ATCLOTHWORKERS’ HALL

The Company regularly partners with New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) to champion good governance across the charity sector. We collaborated with NPC on the ‘Board Matters’ investigation into challenges facing the third sector, and recruited them as partners for our annual Charity Governance Awards. We are also sponsoring a series of NPC seminars, focused on delivering practical solutions for governing boards and helping trustees develop essential skills for their roles.

The seminars are hosted atClothworkers’ Hall and registration isfree (early booking is recommended):

19 th November 2018 (4.00-6.00pm) ‘What Impact Data Should Trustees Be Using in Decision Making?’ Exploring how trustees can use data to learn as well as to inform strategy, programme design and resource allocation.

14 th January 2019 (4.00-6.00pm) ‘How Embracing Digital Can Transform Your Charity’. Exploring what trustees need to consider when embracing digital in their charities.

18 th March 2019 (4.00-6.00pm) ‘Harnessing Risk and Embracing Opportunity’. Exploring how considered risk taking can bring opportunities through new ways of working, partnering, fundraising or even developing new strategies.

Visit www.thinknpc.org/events formore information.