The Trust Advice ‘Becoming a Trustee’ online course is the result of our knowledge and experience, honed in the real world of charity life. We have been training trustees for over two decades and many of our team are serving trustees. We are delighted to be able to offer the course at a very affordable £25, in order to get this material out to as many as possible.

If you are looking for a simple and accessible way to find out more about the role of a trustee, this introduction will give you an excellent foundation.

The course is designed in 5 sections:

Part One: Introduction, key terms and definitions.
This section will unpack the core elements of being a trustee and introduce our course. It will also run through a range of important Terms and Definitions that will be useful to you as you approach this subject and go through the course.

Part Two: Becoming a trustee, roles, and strategic development.
In this section we will help you understand the importance of joining a charity as a trustee. We want you to be aware of what it takes to join a charity, and what you and the charity should be doing to prepare for the role. Then we’ll look at the roles and responsibilities of a trustee, working with others and working in different types of organisations. To finish this part we will touch on strategic planning and its role in charity development.

Part Three: In depth responsibilities, liabilities, and skills.
In this third section, we dive into the responsibilities of a trustee in more detail. We also look at how charities operate legally, trustee liabilities and mitigation, and then move into a review of the skills needed to be a trustee.

Part Four: Recruitment, removal, retirement, and remuneration.
Part four looks into the process of Trustee induction. This important area of the recruitment process can get overlooked. Trustees should always go through an induction to ensure they become the most effective they can, as soon as possible. We also discuss trustee removal, rotation, retirement and the issues surrounding trustee remuneration.

Part Five: Trustee Code of Conduct, and review of learning.
Closing out the course if a very important section covering a model trustee code of conduct. This review goes into some detail covering a range of areas. We end the course with a useful review of the learning elements within the course.