Trustees’ Week: the facts

To celebrate Trustees’ Week (Monday 12th – 16th November) we thought we would share some facts about Trustees.

What are trustees?

Trustees are the people in charge of a charity. They help to make the UK the sixth most giving country in the world. They play a vital role, volunteering their time and working together to make important decisions about the charity’s work.

A trusteeship is one of the most important roles in the voluntary sector.  A trustee may also be known as board members, directors or committee members.

The benefits of becoming a trustee can be very rewarding.  They get to utilise your skills and experience to benefit a cause or charity you care about.  They get to learn about the management and strategic side of the charity by taking on a leadership role.  They also get to work alongside new and interesting people from a diverse background which ultimately places them at the heart of the organisation.  Essentially the more effective the board of trustees the greater difference they will make for the greater good of the cause or charity they are committed to.

How many trustees are there in the UK?

There are approximately 196,000 charities in the UK (167,000 charities in England and Wales, 24,000 in Scotland, 5,000 registered in Northern Ireland). And just over 1 million trustees (of which some 850,000 are in England and Wales, 180,000 in Scotland and 30,000 in Northern Ireland)

Research from NCVO and CCNI tells us that just under half the UK’s trustees are women. The average trustee in England and Wales is 59 years old, and 55 in Northern Ireland. There are many young trustees too with some 86,000 trustee positions held by 16-34 year olds (of which 2,611 in Northern Ireland).

St Ann’s Trustees

Our hospice trustees ensure proper governance of our charity. They offer invaluable advice and expertise, and they each give significant amounts of time each year in support of St Ann’s. They are all from a variety of backgrounds and hold senior positions in their chosen field. We currently have nine Trustees, including a Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer.