We support our students and staff to become charity trustees through our Board Bank programme. It is one of the ways that we work with community partners to drive positive change.
Volunteering as a trustee on a charity board is a great way to support a cause you are passionate about, while gaining leadership experience, cross-sector skills and exposure to new environments that can help enhance your own career and wellbeing.
This programme, run in partnership with Getting on Board, supports staff and students to become charity trustees.
Getting on Board provide a range of free resources, including How to Become a Charity Trustee: a free guide and an application guidance cheat sheet.
Delivered in collaboration with Organisational Development, this programme provides comprehensive training on becoming a trustee as a pathway to personal learning and development.
Training covers a range of topics and common questions including what’s involved, finding the right trustee role, how to pitch yourself, how to perform at interview and how to excel in the role.
Support available covers onboarding once you gain a position and supporting your ongoing development as a trustee through exclusive events and access to the Getting on Board alumni network.
There will also be opportunities to learn from current staff trustees, through panel events and a staff mentoring programme.
If you are a staff member with trustee experience and interest in sharing your experience to support others in their trusteeship journey through events or mentoring, please get in touch with us by emailing volunteer@kcl.ac.uk.
From October, Board Bank for Students will launch in collaboration with KCLSU to support students in exploring trusteeships.
Interested students will be able to register their interest to attend a launch event ‘What is a Trustee and how to become one’ and will have the opportunity to apply for The Future Trustees programme.
There will also be opportunities to be mentored by King’s alumni with trustee experience to support students on their journey of trusteeship.
I have never sat on a board and it is a great opportunity to learn more about finance, governance and build on existing skills like communication and teamwork. More than anything, I want to open the door for other people with my experiences to join a charity and make a real difference to people’s lives.– Anbreen Bi, MSc Psychiatric Research and student Board Bank participant
Every charity is governed by a board of trustees, who are responsible for making sure it’s doing what it was set up to do. Almost anyone can be a trustee, and it can take as little as 30 hours per year.
Charities need trustees with a huge range of skills and experience that the King’s community have in abundance: finance, legal, HR, marketing, PR, technology, digital, fundraising, analysis, to name just a few.
Charity boards are often not representative of their community and service users, for example, in terms of age, gender or ethnicity. It’s important that trustees bring different perspectives and lived experiences to the governance of the organisation.
Volunteering provides opportunities to learn and hone skills that can help to boost your career and support your professional development, share your skills, knowledge and experience and give back to your community.
There are many transferable skills to gain in becoming a trustee or governor.
Getting on Board reports that:
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96% of trustees said they had learned new skills.
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38% had leadership ambitions as a result.
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74% of women trustees said it improved their confidence.
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86% said it was a good complement to professional and family life.
Source: Getting on Board.
This programme, run in partnership with charity Governors for Schools, supports staff to find potions as governors and trustees on school and academy boards.
Governors for Schools uses a skills-based matching service which means your unique background and experience will be put to good use - in a school that needs you most.
By volunteering as a school governor, your experience could benefit hundreds of children and young people and it’s an opportunity to share your skills, develop new ones and give back.
You don’t need to be a teacher to make a difference, school boards are looking for skills of all kinds including negotiation and leadership. Whatever your professional background, your skills could
Governors for Schools offers ongoing training to support your development and journey as a governor, including a comprehensive range of eLearning modules to help you get up to speed before your first meeting.
They also hold regular webinars on a variety of topics to develop your governance best practices.
Celebrated every year in March, Global Day of Service is a campaign which brings together the global King’s community through volunteering.
Each year students, staff and alumni volunteer in their local communities to live out the King’s ethos of ‘service to society’.
In previous years, Global Day of Service activities have included
- Students have created wellness boxes for NHS staff and volunteered with the King’s Legal Clinic.
- Staff have taken part in activities organisaed near campus including volunteering in local community garden Ruskin Park and at Euston foodbank, and used Service Time during March to volunteer as trustees.
- Alumni groups in countries including China, the United States, Mexico, Pakistan and Australia have come together to support their communities through littler picking, running clothing and equipment donations and beach cleans.
To see what events are taking place this March for Global Day of Service, visit the King’s Volunteering events hub.