Simon Rennie on the vital role played by trustees

This week is Trustees’ Week. This is an annual campaign designed to raise awareness and celebrate the vital role played by nearly one million people across the UK (180,000 in Scotland) who volunteer to sit on the boards of – and run - our charities.

It’s also time to say thank you to all of those people.

Thank you for using your skills and experience to help people in your community. Thank you for your guidance and support. Thank you for your commitment.

Trustees play a crucial role in supporting charities. They provide strategic direction, make financial decisions and ensure proper governance is in place. Having a board of trustees across our network of Citizens Advice Bureaux (CABs) helps each individual CAB stay true to their values, make the best use of resources, follow relevant laws and ultimately, look after our people.

One of the aims of this Trustees’ Week is to highlight the benefits of becoming a trustee. So, have you ever thought about it? Above being extremely rewarding to help your chosen charity, it’s also a great way to learn different skills, meet new people and enhance your CV.

Charities, like all organisations, evolve and adapt. Bringing in new people is a great way to embrace new skills, perspectives and personalities that can shape how an organisation operates – hopefully for the better! That’s why our network of CABs is looking for new trustees. We pride ourselves on having a diverse and inclusive environment and want to keep building on that. CABs have been supporting local Scottish communities for 85 years. Remarkable staying power, but new ideas and people are always welcome.

So, if you’re thinking you’d like to be part of our network, here is what’s involved. You would be part of the decision-making process that supports local CABs do the essential work they deliver each day for their communities.

What’s even better is that anyone can be a CAB trustee. Any age, profession or background. What’s important is a desire to support CABs. They help thousands of people every year, some in crisis, some desperate to feed their families. It’s a voluntary role, but an important one.

It requires someone to really immerse themselves in the culture and aims of the charity and be prepared to make some big decisions – sometimes difficult ones. But as part of a committee, you won’t be alone.

With the cost of living crisis, rising energy prices and a housing emergency, demand for advice from CABs is higher than ever. That's why CABs need new people to support them as they continue to provide this local advice for local people.

In terms of process, all board members are elected at the CAB’s AGM, but individual members can also be co-opted at any time of the year.

So, are you at a time in your life where you could give some support to our network, and to your local community? If so, contact your local CAB to find out more about trustee opportunities on the board. https://www.cas.org.uk/get-advice

Simon Rennie is chair of Citizens Advice Scotland.

This column was first published in the Herald.