We spoke to one of CFG's Trustees, Tony Wells, who shared his experiences and perspectives on the vital role of trustees in the charity sector.
Tony is Director of Finance & Resources at The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields, a homelessness charity in London. He joined the charity as Financial Controller, after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 2018.
As a relative new-comer to the world of charity finance, Tony completed CFG’s Inspiring Financial Leadership course in 2021. He was promoted to his role the following year. Tony is passionate about using his leadership and financial skills for the benefit of the CFG community and wider sector.
- What inspired you to become a trustee at CFG?
I have gained a lot of benefit from CFG's resources and training in my current and previous roles, and was grateful to have the opportunity to give something back.
- What do you see as the primary role of a trustee?
As part of my induction, I was introduced to the thought of Trustees as 'parents' of a charity while the executive are the 'nanny' which I think is a nice way of framing it!
- What have been your main highlights during your time as a CFG trustee?
I've only been a trustee for a year, but the open exchange of ideas at the trustee away day was definitely a highlight.
- What are the key benefits of having a strong board of trustees for a charity?
Having a strong board with diverse experience and outlook ensures that there is a good level of support and challenge for the management team, which should help a charity to thrive.
- How do trustees contribute to the long-term sustainability of a charity?
Trustees are responsible for the governance of an organisation, and part of this responsibility means that every trustee is jointly responsive for ensuring the sustainability of an organisation. This means providing adequate scrutiny of management information, and also undertaking horizon scanning to make sure that risks are identified and managed appropriately.
- What's the value of a diverse board?
A board with a diverse range of backgrounds will often have a diverse range of experience, and a diverse range of views. Tapping into this can provide a much broader view of a charity's operations and enable initiatives and issues to be assessed from a variety of angles.
- What can charities do to diversify their boards?
Take stock of current board composition, and identify areas in which the board is lacking diversity - be it in age, gender, ethnicity or socio-economic background. Tailor recruitment accordingly through choice of where adverts are placed and how the recruitment process is structured.
- What advice would you give someone considering becoming a trustee?
Do it! It's a fantastic opportunity to help the sector, whilst meeting new people and developing new skills.
- And finally, what's the best thing about being a trustee?
Watching an organisation grow over the long-term - and meeting new people!