Having the right mix of people on your board is the first step to establishing strong governance and is essential for maintaining it. Whether you’re looking to formalise as a charity or are already established, success depends on having the right blend of approach, skills and experience at board level. This article explores common challenges faced in getting this mix right.
In many cases there are a number of challenges and factors which present themselves to effective board operation and recruitment:
1. Shortages of people wishing to become trustees – Many charities struggle to attract new trustees, often due to a lack of awareness of the role or misconceptions about the time commitment and responsibilities. The challenge is exacerbated by competition for skilled volunteers and uncertainty about the benefits of becoming a trustee. The NCVO’s survey of the voluntary sector in 2024 highlighted that 79% of respondents had at least one vacant board position with a third of the vacancies being in place for more than a year.
2. Skills balance of the board – A well-functioning board requires a diverse range of expertise, from financial management to fundraising and governance. However, many boards end up with skills gaps, either due to insufficient recruitment planning or difficulty in attracting candidates with the required knowledge. According to the NCVO the most common skills gaps for small and medium charities are:
– marketing and communications (55%)
– legal (46%)
– technology skills (43%)
– financial (36%)
– human resources/people management (36%)
3. Knowing you followed best practice – Effective governance is critical, but trustees often lack confidence that they are adhering to best practices. Without clear guidance, training, or benchmarking against governance standards (such as the Charity Governance Code), boards risk inefficiencies or even non-compliance with regulatory requirements.
4. Making the best use of your limited time – Many trustees juggle their responsibilities alongside busy careers or personal commitments. The challenge lies in ensuring that board meetings and decision-making processes are efficient, strategic, and do not overburden trustees with operational concerns and for that, you need the right people on your board.
5. Long tenures, succession planning and churn – While experience is valuable, excessively long trustee tenures can lead to stagnation, reduced innovation, and reluctance to embrace change- the average trustee tenure is placed at six years, according to the Honorary Treasurers Forum. The Charity Governance Code suggests a maximum of nine years tenure, yet despite that the Eastside People 2024 ESG survey found that 37% of charities with income >£1m had at least 1 trustee who had been in place for more than 9 years.
6. Diversity of ideas and individuals– A diverse board fosters innovative thinking and stronger decision-making. However, some charities struggle to recruit individuals from different backgrounds, limiting fresh perspectives. A 2025 report from Pro Bono Economics and the Charity Commission found that only 8% of trustees were from an ethnic minority background compared to 17% of the general population equivalent to an additional 60,000 trustees. Ensuring representation across different demographics and professional experiences is a key challenge for trustee recruitment.
This is the first half of a blog co-authored by Suneet Sharma and John Sanger, a charity recruitment consultant- see the full blog on Eastside People’s website, which presents some of John’s solutions to these common challenges.
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