What does a Trustee do?

Every charity is different, and their board of trustees will reflect that. Overall, most trustee boards operate in a strategic way rather than doing ‘everyday’ work. This means that as a trustee you will be participating in board meetings to oversee the charity’s work and help plan its next steps. Often trustees will volunteer to carry out specific pieces of work in-between board meetings, focussing on particular areas of the charity’s work, for example looking at Human Resources, governance, strategy or other aspects.

The charity’s CEO, staff and volunteers will be responsible for making it happen on the ground and delivering the plans that trustees have outlined.

In Haringey, we have lots of smaller charities in which trustees are often hands-on with some operational tasks, as well as carrying out their governance and strategic roles. They may offer to help delivering a specific service, guiding the charity towards its long-term goals.