Trust in Charity

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has been very successful over the years because of a not so secret ingredient. The success of a charity depends on the quality of its people, staff and volunteers. The most important group of unpaid workers are the Trustees, who carry a heavy burden of legal and regulatory responsibilities for no reward other than a sense of achievement.

Trustees are literally the heart and head of the Trust. They protect the values and vision of the organisation; ensure that the charity’s money is spent properly and within budget and look ahead to where the Trust might be headed. These are the same tests as commercial company directors but without any financial rewards.

I have had the pleasure of spending time with some of my Trustees over the past few days. Three sharp minds, experienced in a wide range of fields, have given critical insight into their views of the Trust’s challenges. Anthony Hird, Mike Martin and Gill Richards each share a passion for nature and believe that the Wildlife Trust is making a difference. They continue to give their time and energy in the knowledge that the next few decades will see the county’s climate changing more rapidly than at any time in recent history. This will add serious new pressures to plant and animal communities that are already restricted in range and abundance through human activity.

The Trust is reviewing its future strategy over the next few months and this is the most important contribution that trustees can make to a charity’s future. One of my favourite management sayings is that for every problem there is an obvious solution – that is almost certainly the wrong one. Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s board will be questioning its future direction and the major problems that it will be facing.

A Trustee's job is to ask all those simple but infuriatingly hard questions that start with the letter W. What are we going to do, why will we be doing it and what will be the benefit? In heading up the staff team, my W words are to suggest the Way forward and how we will find the Wherewithal to pay for it! Wildlife will be the beneficiary if we get the mixture right!

We always welcome new applications to become a Trustee or a member of one of our advisory committees. See our AGM notice for more information.

Photography by Philip Precey