Understanding Trustee Recruitment and Retention Challenges

85% of respondents said they found it somewhat difficult or very difficult to fill vacancies on their board.

Trustee recruitment is challenging for all charities. But it’s worse for micro and small charities.

• 68% of micro charities said it was very difficult to fill vacancies. 24% said it was somewhat difficult.
• 57% of small charities said it was very difficult to fill vacancies. 34% said it was somewhat difficult.
• 45% of medium charities said it was very difficult to fill vacancies. 34% said it was somewhat difficult.
• 18% of large and major charities said it was very difficult to fill vacancies. 57% said it was somewhat difficult.

It may be harder for micro and small charities to fill vacancies as they’re not as well-known as larger charities. This means they have less reach when advertising vacancies. They also have fewer people to provide administrative support when recruiting a trustee.

Boards often struggle to find the right candidates when recruiting. It can seem daunting to run a broad recruitment campaign, especially for volunteer-led charities. However, being more open can help attract a diverse group of passionate and knowledgeable applicants.

Our survey data on board diversity reflects issues in the wider volunteering sphere.

These concerns mirror trends and patterns seen in wider volunteer demographics and board make up.

Time Well Spent 2022 shows us that trustees are more likely to be over 55 and white compared to volunteers overall. This make up is not representative of the wider population. This means trustee boards are often not representative of the groups they seek to serve and benefit.

A lack of relevant technical skills was the second biggest concern for micro charities (45%). This may be because micro charities are more commonly run by volunteers. This makes them more reliant on trustees for operational guidance.

Ethnicity is the top concern for large and major charities (65%). These charities tend to have professional boards and need trustees to be from senior positions. Many industries have a racial bias at a senior level. This means large and major charities are searching for trustees within an already limited pool.

Time Well Spent 2023: Volunteering among the global majority found that trustees from the global majority are most likely to be trustees in the following areas:

• health, disability and social welfare (22%)
• religion (21%)
• local community or neighbourhood group (19%).

Micro or small charities often cover these areas. This may be one of the reasons why ethnicity is not a top concern for smaller charities.

According to Time Well Spent 2023, leaders/trustees are more likely to say they will continue volunteering over the next 12 months compared to volunteers overall (85% vs 71%).

Yet 55% of respondents to our survey expect at least one or two trustees to leave their posts in the next 12 months.

Some of this will be part of natural turnover, with trustees coming to the end of their term. However, over half of respondents said they already have at least two vacancies. So the anticipated loss of trustees suggests this issue could get worse.

These findings match our Time Well Spent 2023 data. Time Well Spent found leaders/trustees were more likely than volunteers overall to say:

• they felt pressured to do more than they would have liked (15% vs 10%)
• too much of their time has been taken up with their role (20% vs 13%).

You can download a printable PDF version of the report below.