Charity Trustee Roles & Responsibilities - Job Descriptions
This guide summarises charity trustee responsibilities into simple job descriptions. We also have a guide to the various charity committees you can have.
Charity Trustee Job Description
- Able to consistently attend meetings and make time to read papers in advance.
- Understands numerical and other information in reports and proposals.
- Objectively analyses information, in the best interests of the charity, without allowing personal opinions to influence this.
- Willing to speak up, ask questions and constructively and positively challenge himself or herself and others.
- Acts collaboratively and supports collective decision making.
Trustees who have cognitive or other challenges that make any of the above difficult for them should be provided with support to help them do so.
Charity Trustee Role and Responsibilities
All charity trustees should be given a copy of the Charity Commission E&W CC3 (The Essential Trustee), or equivalent. This details charity trustees' responsibilities and duties. You can find out more about this in our guide to CC3. I've included trustee responsibility FAQs at the bottom of this page.
Lead Trustee Job Descriptions
Delegating work to committees works well but also creates workload in managing these, which is not always useful. However, sending e mails and reports about everything to all trustees can be an admin burden too. An alternative is to appoint lead trustees. who take on a role to lead on a particular area. We have a separate resource for job descriptions for the chair, treasurer and secretary.
Charity Safeguarding Trustee
- Acts as the trustees’ first point of contact for safeguarding and whistleblowing (Public Disclosure).
- Takes responsibility for the annual review of the safeguarding policy.
- Provides oversight of safeguarding, including consistent application of our policy, DBS and training, and management and reporting of any incidents.
Communications and/or PR/Media Trustee
- Acts as the trustees’ first point of contact for media matters and any PR enquiries.
- Takes responsibility for the annual review of relevant policies, such as the social media policy.
- Follows and actively engages the charity social media accounts and encourages other trustees to do so.
- Provides oversight of the charity’s communications objectives, how these support our work and our key messages, audiences, and channels.
- Provides oversight of branding, tone of voice and house style, as appropriate.
- Ideally, experience in online media and techniques, such as social media management, SEO, and analytics.
- A good understanding of online threats, such as trolling, deepfakes and misinformation, and how these should, be managed.
- Ideally, experience of working with the Media and contacts within media organisations and/or agencies.
Charity Fundraising Trustee
- Acts as the trustees’ first point of contact for fundraising.
- Takes responsibility for the annual review of relevant policies, such as the ethical fundraising policy.
- Provides input into and supports scrutiny of the fundraising budget and forecast to ensure activities are properly funded and forecasts are prudent and kept up-to-date.
- Has a good understanding of Fundraising Regulations, including trustees' specific responsibilities as laid out in Charity Commission CC2o and the Fundraising Code.
- Supports and encourage other trustees to actively support fundraising.
Technology/IT Trustee
- Acts as the trustees’ first point of contact for AI, IT and other technology issues.
- Takes responsibility for the annual review of relevant policies, such as the IT Use and AI policies.
- Provides oversight of technology issues, including procurement and use of IT and cyber security.
- Ideally experience of working within the AI or IT sectors.
AI Trustee
- Acts as the trustees’ first point of contact for AI issues.
- Takes responsibility for the AI policy and AI aspects of relevant policies, such ethical fundraising, social media, imagery use and internal financial controls.
- Provides oversight of AI use and systems, including identifying and managing AI related risk and governance issues, and ensuring that the charity’s use of AI is and is seen to be transparent to maintain public trust.
- Ideally experience of working within the AI or wider IT sectors.
Data Trustee
- Acts as the trustees’ first point of contact for data.
- Takes responsibility for the annual review of relevant policies, such as Data Protection and any data management policies.
- A good understanding of the availability, challenges and use of data within the charity sector, including the risks and benefits in using AI.
- Provides oversight of the charity's use of data, including selecting data sources and statistical techniques.
- Has a good understanding of basic data science techniques and approaches in relation to using data.
- A good understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks, particularly data protection.
- Ideally, relevant experience in …………….., including ……………………………….
Charity Operations Trustee
- Acts as the trustees’ first point of contact for operational delivery.
- Takes responsibility for the annual review of relevant policies, such as……………………...
- Provides oversight of operational issues, including ……………………..
- A good understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks within which we operate.
- Ideally, relevant experience in …………….., including ……………………………….
Campaigning Trustee
- Takes responsibility for the annual review of the campaigning policy.
- Provides oversight of the charity's campaigns and campaigning procedures and objectives, including ensuring that the.
- Possible costs, benefits and risks are assessed, before trustees decide whether a campaign is likely to be an effective way of furthering our purpose.
- Use of any emotive or controversial material is necessary, both lawful and justifiable in the context of the campaign, is factually accurate and has a legitimate evidence base.
- Hs a good understanding of Charity Commission E&W - Political activity and campaigning by charities, or equivalent.
- Is aware of electoral law requirements, including the need to register as a non-party campaigner, if applicable.
Grant Panel Trustee
- Takes responsibility for the annual review of the grant making policy.
- Provides oversight of the charity's grant making programme and procedures.
- Good analytical capability and able to assess issues solely on objective criteria, not personal preferences.
- The ability to assess data and numbers, draw conclusions and test these against criteria to determine if an application should be considered.
- The ability to compare the merits and otherwise for different activities and to draw logical and fair conclusions regarding their respective order of criteria.
- A sense of fairness.
- Relevant subject expertise in ................................... and, ideally in ............
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Charity Trustee Roles and Responsibilities FAQs
What is the role of a charity trustee?
Charity trustees are the people who share ultimate responsibility for governing a charity and directing how it is managed and run. Charity Commission CC3 (The Essential Trustee) is the guidance that charity trustees must be aware of and details their responsibilities.
What are the charity trustee duties and responsibilities?
The 6 main responsibilities of a charity trustee are to ensure your charity carries out its purposes for the public benefit, comply with your charity’s governing document and the law, act in its best interests, manage your charity’s resources responsibly, act with reasonable care and skill and ensure your charity is accountable.
What is the difference between a charity trustee and a director?
Charities have trustee boards that are responsible for the governance of their charity. Companies, including charitable companies, have directors with similar responsibilities. Sometimes executives employed by a charity may be called directors, such as finance director, but it is not a board appointment.
Can trustees be held personally liable?
Trustees of incorporated charities (charitable companies and CIOs) have limited liability protection but can still be liable in certain circumstances, such as wrongful trading. Trustees of charitable trusts and unincorporated associations (unregistered charities) do not have this limited liability protection.
Can a trustees of charities resign?
Yes, a charity trustee can resign at any time.
How can I remove a charity trustee?
If you need to dismiss a trustee, the board and the charity must follow the rules set out in your governing document. Trustees may be dismissed through a no-confidence process, as long as this is part of your rules.
Can trustees of charities be paid?
Generally, charity trustees are unpaid volunteers who may be paid expenses. It is possible to pay trustees for services provided but usually requires Commission approval and it would be unusual to pay a trustee for simply being a trustee.
This Guide to Charity Trustee Roles and Job Descriptions Is Not Professional Advice
This article on charity trustee job descriptions is for general interest only and does not constitute professional legal or financial advice. I'm neither a lawyer, nor an accountant, so not able to provide this, and I cannot write guidance that covers every charity or eventuality. I have included links to relevant regulatory guidance, which you must check to ensure that whatever you create reflects correctly your charity’s needs and your obligations. In using this resource, you accept that I have no responsibility whatsoever from any harm, loss or other detriment that may arise from your use of my work. If you need professional advice, you must seek this from someone else. To do so, register, then login and use the Help Finder directory to find pro bono support. Everything is free.
