Voluntary trusteeship is the “lynchpin of the public’s trust in charity”, the chief executive of the Charity Commission has said.

Addressing arguments that paying trustees could broaden the role’s appeal to underrepresented groups, David Holdsworth said that voluntary trusteeship must be guarded fiercely. 

Speaking at an event for trustees in London yesterday, Holdsworth said voluntary service had “proven to be no barrier to diversity when it comes to trustee recruitment”.

He said: “I want to be very clear – it’s the commission’s belief that voluntary trusteeship underpins the public’s trust in charity.

“Rightly or wrongly, the public’s positive perception of charity is intrinsically linked with the concept of voluntary service, of doing good for others, not to gain financially.

“Put simply, voluntary trusteeship is the lynchpin of the public’s trust in charity – and we must guard it fiercely.”

Holdsworth also urged trustees to take it upon themselves to encourage new talent into trustee roles, after the demise of the trusteeship charity Getting On Board.

He said that Getting On Board, which announced its closure in October last year, “played a vital role in encouraging new talent into trusteeship” and that its contribution to the sector would be “sorely missed”.

Holdsworth said: “We must all take up this mantle and work proactively to encourage others to become trustees. 

“Because, in fact, the very best advert for trusteeship is you,” Holdsworth told delegates.

He said that while it was “not very British to shout our achievements from the rooftops”, by being more open about the “amazing work” that they did, trustees could “publicly demonstrate the opportunities trusteeship presents”.

Holdsworth said: “Don’t underestimate the power of your own story.”

But he admitted there was still work to be done on trustee recruitment practices so that new wells of talent could be tapped, adding that the regulator was planning to publish refreshed guidance on this in the coming months.

Holdsworth cited new research by the commission and Pro Bono Economics, which found that just 6 per cent of recruitment came from advertising, while one in three trustees were invited to join the board directly by the chair.

“Of course, informal networking and personal recommendations can be invaluable, especially when charities are stretched for time. 

“But this may come at the expense of casting the net wider, to recruit trustees who could bring different skills and perspectives to the board.”

Holdsworth said that looking beyond existing supporter bases, with fair and open recruitment practices, would help the sector engage a broader pool of trustee talent.

The commission chief also said that, despite charities facing a “challenging environment for fundraising and increasing demand”, trustees remained the “embodiment of public spirit”.

Pointing to the commission’s research with PBE, he noted that the “vast majority” of trustees were “immensely positive about their experience”.

Eight in 10 trustees are likely to recommend the role to others, most are positive about board dynamics and most feel they are having a positive impact on the world, Holdsworth said.

“Reassuringly, of the trustees we spoke to, the vast majority reported feeling confident in their role,” Holdsworth added, but said the regulator’s findings suggested that some boards could benefit from more people with certain skills.

“Collectively, these findings demonstrate the importance of helping charities to recruit people with a broader range of skills, backgrounds and experience - ultimately strengthening their charity’s governance. 

“While we must always work collectively on ensuring the pipeline of trustees remained flowing, I don’t accept there is any kind of ‘crisis’ in trusteeship,” Holdsworth said, adding that of the 60 million people in England and Wales, 800,000 were trustees.