Birmingham is beautiful..
On Thursday I spent the afternoon with the student officers, staff & fellow trustees of Birmingham City University Student’s Union at our Student Member’s Meeting (AGM), being held to account by our ‘customer’ (the students). I have been a volunteer trustee for 2 years now & as I clock up 30 years since I was a student & student officer at the same institution (two name changes & one new location later) it was great to be back listening, sharing & updating on how we have been getting on delivering for them.
The 30,000 students we represent many of whom live locally, some who study part-time, the overseas students from many different countries & the richly diverse backgrounds of all our learners makes BCU a hugely exciting & inspiring place to spend time.
Student politics may have changed over the years, but it is great to see that the quality of education, future employability & the level of support given to the students are still right at the top of the agenda.
So, to my second point. I speak with many people who have amazing skills & experiences, who are keen to give something back & would make great Charity Trustees but are not always sure how they might go about it. My advice would be this:
(1) Pick a cause or an area that you are interested in (for example higher education / road safety / mental health / your choice)
(2) Do your research on what charities work in the space, speak to existing Trustees to understand what’s involved & when they are likely to be recruiting for them. Trustees typically serve up to two terms of 2-4 years per term – so opportunities arise frequently.
(3) Take a look through the Charity Governance code https://lnkd.in/eN_fUDmP to see if it’s for you. Typically, Trustees meet four times a year & then sub-committees meet a handful of times too. Your role is generally about being a critical friend, setting strategy, overseeing good governance & ensuring the charity is acting in the best interests of its members / customers.
(4) Volunteer & get involved to see if how it is on the inside is right for you. Then go apply…
It’s a simple as that & before long you too could be using all that knowledge, passion & wisdom in service of someone or something who really values it.
Message me at rupert@strongerhumans.com if you want to talk it through.
