Thinking of taking on a trustee role? Euan Morrison, head of charities at Edinburgh accountancy firm Chiene + Tait, talks us through the potential pitfalls

Following a report recently published in Third Force News highlighting that a survey of almost 700 smaller organisations has revealed that only 47 per cent are confident that they will be financially sustainable in in 2023, it’s never been a more important time to recruit good charity trustees.

However, before you take the leap into trustee-dom, what research should you do to make sure you are in the best position to accept a role? There are a number of practical steps you can take to ensure you enter into a trustee role with your eyes wide open, these include:

Don’t forget that trustees are ultimately responsible for the charity and therefore you would take equal share in this responsibility. You must act in the interests of the charity, including ensuring it works to achieve its purposes; in addition, you must look after the charity’s affairs as carefully as you would someone else’s and any conflicts of interest should be carefully managed.

The Charity Commission in England and Wales has recently created a new welcome pack for charity trustees that focuses on the main duties of the role (further information www.gov.uk/government/publications/charity-trustee-welcome-pack).

It provides essential information to help you understand governance basics, financial filing requirements and how the Charity Commission can offer support. It also suggests practical steps that can be taken to carry out trustee duties effectively. All new trustees who register their email address with Charity Commission will receive a copy.