If your charity finds it difficult to recruit and retain trustees, then at least you are not alone. It may not be much consolation, but a growing number of charities report that it is becoming ever harder to persuade people to adopt the role.

Why should this be so? One obvious explanation is simply that, in this busy world, people have many other demands upon their time. But perhaps there is another, more significant factor at work: the fear of personal liability.

The concern is understandable. Trustees have important responsibilities, and can in theory be held liable for breaches of trust - operating outside the objects of the charity, for example. But most people in the voluntary sector will know that actions against trustees are rare. In fact, the Charity Commission has made it plain that 'if trustees act prudently, lawfully and in accordance with their governing document, then any liabilities they incur as trustees can be met out of the charity's resources'.

It is also possible for a charity to obtain and pay for trustee Liability insurance, provided that the governing document allows it (or, in the case of a charitable company, that it is permitted by the Memorandum and Articles of Association).

But despite these reassurances, many individuals, particularly those with the type of skills that could be valuable to an organization, remain reluctant to become involved. Moreover, it is not unusual for trustees to abandon the task shortly after they are appointed. Often, this is because they underestimated the time they must devote to the charity, or because they were not provided with a clear indication in advance of their responsibilities. Disgruntled trustees also sometimes complain that they were given no training, and remained unaware of the precise role they were expected to fulfil.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) spells this out in more detail. It advises charities that there are a number of ways they can reassure trustees and, by implication, make it easier to find them. It says that trustees should be provided with:

• A clear job description
• An induction procedure
• Clear lines of responsibility
• Budgetary guidelines
• Good communication

The NCVO also notes the importance of good records. It suggests that trustees should make their own notes of board decisions, and check these against the minutes before agreeing to them. It additionally suggests that trustees should be sure to obtain professional advice if they are in any doubt about the correct course of action.

The NCVO advise charities that there are a number of ways they can reassure trustees and, by implication, make it easier to find them.

Finding and keeping
Perhaps many of these issues are well known. But what is the solution? Of course we would not claim to have all the answers, but experience suggests that charities that go about trustee recruitment in a carefully planned way are more likely to be successful than those that do not adopt a methodical approach.

Consider an analogy with company recruitment. No employer would simply place a newspaper advertisement saying 'staff wanted' without thinking about the skills that are needed or preparing a job description. Yet this is more or less what charities are doing if they hope to attract trustees without considering their exact role, or the qualities they hope those individuals will have.

Many charities rely upon informal methods of attracting trustees and this approach may have served them well in the past. But perhaps an organisation could benefit from having individuals with, say, legal or marketing skills. It will then be necessary to create a specific strategy to identify them, possibly by advertising in appropriate journals or seeking help from the charity's professional advisors.

A trustee recruitment exercise can also be an appropriate time to look at the overall makeup of the board. In this context, it can be helpful to assemble a group with a balance of skills, perhaps matching individuals with a personal interest in the charity's work with those who are able to take a more objective view.

Of course, it will never be easy to attract and keep suitable people. But by considering the matter in depth and making trustee recruitment an important part of overall management, charities may find that the task is at least less onerous.

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