Encouraging Different Perspectives - Trustees’ Week Round-up, November 2021

Trustees’ Week took place at the beginning of November 2021, and whilst it is a time to recognise and pay tribute to the important role of a trustee, it is also an opportunity for them to consider the meaning of what it is to be part of a group of vital individuals responsible for putting in place good governance in the organisation.

MVA shares articles related to the vital work of charity trustees.

The Importance of Having an Inclusive and Representative Board of Trustees
One of the biggest and on-going challenges for any Trustee group is making sure of enough diversity on their Board. It helps to ensure a charity is fair and open in all its dealings, and increases public confidence and accountability.
It keeps the Board fresh, keeping new ideas coming and so stops leadership from becoming stale. It also allows the Board to have a broader mix of skills, of knowledge and of experience: And in light of, say, the current pandemic, this mix should give it greater flexibility to overcome challenges.
Above all, it reduces that disconnect between board members and the people who are dependent on that charity, making sure the best and most suited services or the products are available for that instance.
Independent Charity Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service (CCVS) explore this subject, offering guidance on why you should maintain and increase diversity and how to go about it.
To read the article, visit the CCVS website.

Encouraging Different Perspectives by The Charity Commission
Creating a Board of Trustees to include a wide variety of perspectives can help a charity make smarter decisions, diversify its donors, even serve their community better.
Unfortunately, research suggests a lot of organisations lack the diversity to reflect the people who depend on that Board’s charity.
A diverse Board that includes people of all genders, races, ages, sexual orientations, cultural backgrounds as well as levels of ability, has a better chance of considering a variety of perspectives and could make more informed decisions.
Reminding us the theme for this year’s Trustees’ Week is “Encouraging Different Perspectives”, The Charity Commission’s article explores the greater need for diversity within a charities Board, encouraging new people into the role, and celebrating those who are already involved.
To read the article, visit the Charity Commission website.

Tackling Diversity to fix the Digital Skills gap on Trustee Boards
It is suggested that the pandemic is the biggest cause of digital disruption in the charity sector, with COVID-19 pushing the sector to embrace digital with the aim of staying relevant, of helping more people and developing new ways of working, new ways of fundraising and offering services.
But whilst the digital development in some charities’ areas has accelerated, there has been little progress in others, where some admit their Board’s digital skills as being low or having room for improvement.
Expressing some indication of a need to improve digital skills amongst Trustees, this conversation with digital consultant Zoe Amar from national newscaster The Third Sector also explores how diversity and digital skills on Boards could affect a charity’s future, suggesting greater diversity of viewpoints and outlooks can impact the quality of questions and discussions for a charity to move forward.
The article can be found on The Third Sector website.

MVA continues its efforts to provide coverage of local and national news and events from the Voluntary and Charity Sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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