Sleeping out overnight at a cricket club to raise funds to help end homelessness, spending hours listening to inspiring sportspeople, and meeting recipients of life-changing grants – just some of the highlights from my first year as a trustee at Local Solutions.
There have also been the less glamorous but essential parts of the role: attending board and committee meetings, taking notes, working on agendas and reading reports. Not quite as interesting I am sure you’d agree, but all part of being a small cog in the wheel of this important organisation.
For me, the most rewarding aspect is connecting with people. Learning about our Supported Lodgings service and hearing how a grant from the Community Empowerment Fund allowed a young man to bring art to his local community for free is life affirming and gives me hope that in a world where there is so much sadness, there are people doing things daily to change lives for the better.
Of course Trustees play a crucial role in charitable organisations. They ensure there are checks and balances, that staff are performing to the highest of standards, that money is spent wisely and that our people are being looked after and rewarded properly for the work they do.
Trustees are the people entrusted with making sure charities are run well. It is a huge responsibility. We have all seen charities fail and ultimately the people who pay the price are those who should be helped most. So I feel that responsibility every time I attend a meeting, open an email, make a decision. But that weight is lessened significantly when I meet the people who make it all work, or those they help.
I believe a board of Trustees from a wide range of backgrounds, age, ethnicity and fields of work is crucial to ensure we do our job properly as a team.
We should also be willing to get involved, listen, learn, advise and use our own knowledge and experience to ask wide ranging questions, not be afraid to challenge and generally do all we can to make sure Local Solutions is moving in the right direction and helping people in the areas we aim to influence.
It is with gratitude I look back on the first 12 months in this role and I would advise anyone considering applying to become a trustee at Local Solutions or another charity to go for it. You will learn so much, meet brilliant people, and you might even get to do a charity sleepout which is much more fun that it sounds. Honest!
