Top Tips for Building an Inclusive, Effective Trustee Team

Who’s Missing From Your Board? Top Tips for Building an Inclusive, Effective Trustee Team

Charity boards make better decisions when they reflect the diversity, lived experience and realities of the communities they serve. Yet across the UK, trustee boards remain far less diverse than the population as a whole, and in many cases, even further removed from the people their charities exist for.

During Eastside People’s 2025 Festival of Trusteeship, Bernice Rook, Deputy CEO of Eastside People had the pleasure of chairing a panel with Malcolm John, Urmi Dutta-Roy, Janet Thorne and Mark Upton. They explored one deceptively simple question: Who is missing from charity boards and what can we do about it? These are their top tips.

What followed was an honest, practical conversation about barriers, myths, and, most importantly, what actually works. Below are the key top tips every board can act on.

1. Treat diversity as a governance issue, not an EDI extra

The data is sobering (taken from the 2025 Charity Commission and PBE report):

Women make up 43% of trustees, but only 32% in charities over £5m income, and just 35% of chairs.

Only 8% of trustees are from racially minoritised backgrounds (vs 17% of the UK population – this has worsened since previous stats in 2017).

The median age of a trustee is 65-69; only 8% of trustees are aged 44 or under, and just 1% overall are aged 30 or under.

17% of trustees have a disability or long-term health condition, compared to 24% of the population.

LGBTQ+ representation appears broadly in line with population estimates, although this should be treated with caution given the likelihood of significant under-reporting.

These gaps don’t just affect representation, they affect decision-making, challenge, organisational resilience, risk awareness and credibility.

Top tip 1 for increasing trustee diversity:

Frame trustee diversity as part of good governance. If your board doesn’t reflect the world you operate in, you are governing with blind spots.

2. Stop recruiting “people like us” (even if you don’t mean to)

Only 1 in 17 trustees is recruited through an open advert. The vast majority are still appointed informally,  through networks, word of mouth and “shoulder taps”.

As Malcolm John put it, “this keeps boards stuck in silos”.

Top tip 2 for increasing trustee diversity:

If you want different people, you need a different process. Open recruitment isn’t optional – it’s essential.

3. Don’t assume people aren’t applying because the system excludes them

There is a common myth that diverse candidates don’t apply. The evidence says otherwise.

Janet Thorne, CEO of Reach Volunteering, said that of the many applications they received last year:

• 40% were under 40
• 50% from ethnic minority backgrounds
• 10% LGBTQIA+.

People will apply when roles are visible, accessible and welcoming.

Top tip 3 for increasing trustee diversity:

If your applicant pool isn’t diverse, don’t blame the candidates. Audit your language, criteria and assumptions.

4. To find diverse trustees, go where people are – don’t wait for them to find you

Posting an advert and hoping for the best isn’t a strategy. You’ll get much better results if you proactively go to where the people you’re seeking already are. For example:

• Community groups
• Youth and professional networks
• Disability organisations and other specialist networks
• Cultural and faith groups
• Online and social spaces
• Universities/higher education establishments.

Top tip 4 for increasing trustee diversity:

Plan and allocate responsibility for outreach. Inclusive recruitment doesn’t happen by accident – it happens by design.

5. Demystify trusteeship before you recruit

For many people, trusteeship feels opaque, intimidating or “not for people like me”. Things you can do to combat this are:

• Direct people to useful information, e.g. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/5-minute-guides-for-charity-trustees
• Hold open Q&A sessions with the Chair, trustees or Senior Leadership Team or provide opportunities for potential candidates to visit in person
• Give clear explanations of what trustees actually do and how board meetings generally run
• Explain what you will offer in terms of an induction and onboarding.

Top tip 5 for increasing trustee diversity:

Remove the mystery. The clearer and more human trusteeship feels, the wider your talent pool will become.

6. Don’t confuse “skills” with “people who look like us”

One question often comes up: Does focusing on diversity mean lowering standards?

Urmi Dutta-Roy answered it perfectly: “It’s not about lowering the bar – it’s about widening the runway.”

Skills and talent exist in every community. Expanding access helps organisations reach people they may otherwise overlook.

Top tip 6 for increasing trustee diversity:

In addition to skills, recruit for potential, values, a willingness to learn and lived experience and challenge unnecessary requirements such as needing to have prior trustee experience, a detailed understanding of charity governance, or particular qualifications.

7. Make inclusion real after the appointment

Recruitment is only the beginning. New trustees leave when boards fail to support them.

What makes the biggest difference?

• Clear induction and onboarding
• Buddying or mentoring
• Plain language board papers (no jargon)
• Accessible meetings and timings
• Recruiting a few trustees together, not “the only one”

Top tip 7 for increasing trustee diversity:

Inclusion isn’t just about who gets on the board; it’s about who thrives once they’re there.

8. Remove Financial and Practical Barriers

For people on low incomes, an unpaid trusteeship can be incredibly difficult. Most charities  offer to pay expenses but expense policies only work if:

• They’re clearly explained – what is covered and what isn’t
• Trustees are actively encouraged to claim.

Top tip 8 for increasing trustee diversity:

Make the claiming expenses process simple and part of your standard meeting process by giving out or sending an expenses claim form to all trustees after each meeting.

One Small Step for diverse trustee recruitment that every board can take this year:

We ended the session by asking the panel: if every charity did one thing differently this year, what should it be?

Here’s what stood out:

• Malcolm John – Commit to open, formal, inclusive recruitment
• Mark Upton – Be honest about where you are and what and why you want to change
• Urmi Dutta-Roy – Rethink access – go beyond the usual networks
• Janet Thorne – Go back to first principles – who do you serve and who needs to be in the room?

Final thought – Trustee diversity isn’t a nice to have, its essential for effective governance. The question shouldn’t be why this matters, it’s how quickly boards are willing to act.

And the good news? Every charity, whatever its size, can start by taking just one step.