Regulator urges charities to support trustee development

The independent regulator of charities in England and Wales is marking the fourth annual national Trustees’ Week by urging charities to offer more training and support to their trustees. New research by the Charity Commission, which provides an insight into the experiences and perceptions of those applying to register as a charity, reveals that a third of charity register applicants claim their organisation does not offer training and support. Chief Executive of the Charity Commission Sam Younger said: “As the backbone of their charities, it's really important that trustees receive regular training to enable them to continually build on their knowledge and run their organisations effectively, and in accordance with charity law.” As part of the survey, the charity register applicants were asked to select a statement that most accurately summed up the role of the trustees in their organisations: just over half felt that the role of their trustees was primarily strategic. The Commission says that as trustees are the people with ultimate responsibility for directing the business of a charity, it is important they are provided with resources, support and training to help them run their charities effectively. Alex Swallow, Chief Executive of the Small Charities Coalition, said: “Opportunities for training are extremely important for trustees of small charities… having to adapt to a fast changing environment where skills and understanding need to be continually ‘topped up’ for them to thrive… people want to improve their knowledge and to feel that they are in a position to be able to make a real contribution to the mission of the charity they support.”