Board of Trustees

[GreenLeavesInJuly]

I've been asked about joining the Trustee Board of a local charity due to expertise I have.

The problem is, it's very similar to what I do for work and I'm worried about potential conflicts of interest.

Is anyone able to elucidate this for me? I know what 'conflicts of interest' means generally, but to be honest I'm struggling to crystallise my thoughts about specifics.

I also think maybe I just enjoy volunteering and won't enjoy being on a Board.

It's very common for trustees to work in similar fields to the one the charity works within and that’s why they are appointed. The charity would usually have a process for declaring conflicts of interest which might mean you are asked to step away from any decisions or discussions where you might have a conflict.The Charity Commission has some guidance https://www.gov.uk/guidance/managing-conflicts-of-interest-in-a-charity#identify-conflicts-of-interest

Whether you’d enjoy being on the Board is another matter! You could ask to observe a meeting before you joined?

I have been a trustee for 8 years and have just stepped down due to conflicts of interest. My paid role meant that small conflicts of interest were creeping in and then there was a bigger one and I felt that it just was not in the interests of the charity or myself to stay on the board. I think if you are clear in yourself where these conflicts could come from then you should be fine. Being a trustee is a great experience.

It does depend on the extent of the conflicts, I'm a trustee and have had some but they have been minor and have just meant that I have refrained from voting on certain matters. At each meeting we are asked to declare any COIs for the particular agenda, which we will have had in advance. When we recruit new trustees we do consider if they will have too many COIs to be able to make a valid contribution, it is an important discussion. I also had a discussion with my employer before committing to the trusteeship.

Thanks for these comments. Very helpful.

I had a look at current Trustees then started to wonder if I'm overthinking. I hate Teams though so that may be the issue!

Ways it might come in - charity might want my knowledge or contacts that overlap with day job which might be detrimental to business relationships. Or being on the Board might stop me building business relations that benefit the day job but clash/take away from charity. These feel hard to surmount.