Chair of the board: Is the job even doable?

Our system of charity governance for is very strange when you think about it. A group of volunteer trustees hold all the responsibility for the strategic direction, financial viability and safe operations of the charity, while paid staff, or other groups of volunteers acting as executive, carry out the day-to-day operations.

All being well, paid staff provide trustees with all the detail and information they need to make effective strategic decisions.

There are necessarily high levels of trust involved in such a model. Trustees have to trust the executive to run the organisation and executive staff have to trust that volunteer trustees have sufficient knowledge, time and understanding to steer the charity in the right direction.

The most responsible volunteer position in the world?

Larger, well-resourced charities are usually able to attract trustees with experience and to support them to carry out these roles effectively. However, in smaller charities, without resources or a recognised brand name, it can be much harder to recruit trustees in the first place to undertake these roles and then to find the capacity to support them to carry out their responsibilities.

And then there are the responsibilities themselves, which are growing every day for this band of hardy volunteers (about 700,000 according to the Charity Commission). In recent years, we’ve seen increased legislation, enhanced administration from the Charity Commission, a more complex operating environment, scarcer funding and far greater expectations from statutory funders.

Understandably, when investing public money, funders such as Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund want to ensure boards are carrying out their duties effectively.

The responsibilities trustees bear arguably makes this the most responsible volunteer role in the world. More concerningly, in a sector and environment where we need to ensure boards are robust, diverse and reflective of the communities and beneficiaries they serve, charities have an uphill battle in balancing compliance with excellence in equity, diversity and inclusion.

Could paying trustees help?

The commitment – in time, in reading, in scrutiny – demanded of trustees makes the role challenging to access for those without the funds to support themselves, or those with full-time jobs or health needs or caring responsibilities.

This is further exacerbated for chairs who, in taking the lead in steering a charity, need to be available – with time to boot – to make things happen and to respond to crises.

Whether trustees should be remunerated for their contribution comes up regularly. It’s possible an honorarium might help to recruit younger trustees at the start of their careers.

It might also help if we address issues such as high travel costs incurred by trustees supporting charities in rural areas. But we are not there yet, and the demands of governance need to be met within the existing volunteer framework.

The burden of the chair role

Inevitably, it’s the chair that carries much of the load in ensuring a board’s effectiveness. Chairs have to deliver, to galvanize other volunteer trustees and to ensure that the charity takes the right path.

Those that are effective may find it hard to secure a successor. Chairs are often behind the scenes, invisible, with little profile. Frankly, for ambitious younger professionals, there are other, less demanding ways to give back.

The complexity of the role is highlighted in the work Cause4 is undertaking with Arts Council England through its Transforming Governance programme. There are no easy answers to the challenges of governance, our charitable models being as they are. But there are some straightforward ways the role of chair could be made more viable.

Measures to improve viability

1. Co-chair model: This model is becoming more popular. As demands on chairs increase, splitting the time commitment involved is an obvious answer. Research such as that by Claire Antrobus, outlines the potential of co-chair models in terms of increasing diversity and managing risk.

One charity I worked with split the chair role four ways, including the treasurer within the quartet. A drastic solution perhaps, but one that the charity felt was right for them in managing the demands of the role.

2. Succession planning: The saying ‘give a job to a busy person’ is particularly pertinent for charity chairs. Often, they shoulder most of the board’s work, so charities can be reluctant to let them go. They are like gold dust.

Developing written succession plans is a simple but positive way for charities to focus on the next leader of the board. Rather than hoping the chair won’t leave, we should focus on the likely length of term of the incumbent, and what is needed to ensure effective succession.

This also allows time to develop pathways for would-be chairs from less experienced or diverse backgrounds, and to shadow a chair for a time.

3. Capturing a board’s journey:  Chairs are concerned with retaining organisational memory. When a chair leaves along with other trustees, there is often scant handover for a new generation of trustees. So, finding ways to capture aspects of strategy and key decisions for the next cohort is invaluable.

This is not to encourage collection of vast reams of data, but rather to find simple ways for chairs to pass on knowledge. Capturing such detail via podcasts for example can be extremely effective. It can give a simple overview of why particular decisions were taken, and it encourages boards to reflect on lessons learned.

4. Wrap-around support: Boards need administering. If you’re lucky you might have some available resource in house, but more often it is absent. So, what can be put in place to support boards without extra strain on already overworked executives?

One solution is to invest in flexible administration support from outsourced companies working directly to the board, at minimal cost, perhaps £2-300 a month.  Similarly, outsourced HR support can be very effective in helping boards deal swiftly with often complex and urgent HR issues.

Is the role of chair doable? Well, yes, it is certainly. But given the complex environment in which they operate and with the need for excellence in equity, diversity and inclusion, chairs need support to ensure viability.

Consideration of the structure of the role, paying attention to succession, retaining organisational memory and putting in place efficient administration are straightforward ways that charities can ease the load.

Michelle Wright is CEO of Cause4 and programme director of the Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy Programme. 
 artsfundraising.org.uk
 @artsfundraising | @MWCause4