BECOMING A TRUSTEE
FOR CATCHING LIVES
The information below is for people who are interested in becoming a trustee
and joining the Board of Trustees of Catching Lives.
Trustees do not receive a remuneration but reasonable out-of-pocket expenses are
payable (e.g. postage, telephone calls). If after reading this documentation you would
like to make an application to become a trustee of Catching Lives, please complete
the enclosed application form and return to:
Tricia Bridgeford, Secretary to the Trustees, Catching Lives, 13 Station Road
East, Canterbury, CT1 2RB|
Should you have any queries relating to the enclosed paperwork, please contact Tricia
on trustees@catchinglives.org or call 01227 464904 (9 am – 5 pm Mon-Frid) and
leave your details. Please say you wish to speak with someone regarding becoming a
Trustee and someone will call you back.
Definition of a Trustee
Trustees are people who are entrusted to look after the money or other resources that
have been given to a charity and use those assets in the best interests of the
beneficiaries of that charity. The Board of Trustees is the governing body of Catching
Lives and ultimately responsible for everything it does. The Board of Trustees is
made up of people who give their time and carry out their duties voluntarily. All
Catching Lives Trustees are also Directors of Catching Lives Limited Company.
Who is eligible for Trusteeship
Trustees must be over 18 years of age. As a Registered Charity and Company by
Limited Guarantee there are additional restrictions i.e. Disqualifying people who
have been convicted of certain offences involving dishonesty or deception, undischarged bankrupts and those previously removed or disqualified from being
trustees or company directors.
Becoming a Trustee of Catching Lives
After a probationary period (up to 3 months), where you will take part in meetings,
perhaps volunteer or spend time getting to know the Charity and its work, the Board
of Trustees approves trusteeship and once agreed the Charities Commission and
Companies House would be informed of your details for their records.
Trustees are elected for three years. At each and every Annual General Meeting one
third of Trustees must stand for re-election.
The Role of Catching Lives Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is the governing body of Catching Lives and is ultimately
accountable for everything the charity does. The trustees must act in the best interests
of the beneficiaries and exercise a duty of care as a prudent person of business would.
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The fundamental role of the trustee is to ensure that the organisation is well managed
and to ensure that the day to day management and operational matters are delegated to
the Service Manager.
It is the duty of the Board of Trustees to safeguard the long term future of the
organisation and deal with governance matters. Governance is about ensuring that
Catching Lives has a clear vision of its purpose, clarity on what it is aiming to achieve
and how it will go about doing it.
The statutory duties of a trustee are:
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To ensure that the organisation complies with its governing document, charity
law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations
To ensure that the organisation pursues its objects as defined in its governing
document
To ensure the organisation uses its resources exclusively in pursuance of its
object: the organisation must not spend money on activities which are not
included in its own objects, no matter how worthwhile or charitable those
activities are
To contribute actively to the board of trustees’ role in giving firm strategic
direction to the organisation against agreed targets
To safeguard the good name and values of the organisation
To protect and manage the property of the charity and to ensure the proper
investment of the charity’s funds
If the organisation employs staff, to appoint the Service Manager and monitor
his/her performance
Other duties
In addition to the above statutory duties, each trustee should use any specific skills,
knowledge or experience they have to help the board of trustees reach sound
decisions. This may involve:
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Scrutinising board papers
Leading discussions
Focusing on key issues
Providing guidance on new initiatives
Other issues in which the trustee has special expertise
Catching Lives is currently looking for trustees with expertise in one of the following
skills:
Legal Experience
Information Technology
Public Relations
Health and Safety
Human Resources
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How often do the Trustees meet?
Trusteeship requires you to take an active role in the governance of Catching Lives. It
will involve allocating sufficient time for reading Board of Trustees papers, attending
the Board of Trustees meetings and keeping yourself informed about the organisation.
Trustees meet approximately 12 times per year (once a month) and the dates and
times are flexible but usually early evenings. Meetings are usually held at the
Charity’s Open Centre in Canterbury.
There are also a number of planning meetings, working groups and sub-committees
that you will be involved with.
Can trustees have other roles?
Trustees, can and sometimes do, have other roles in Catching Lives, e.g. volunteering,
training, etc. however, our constitution states that no trustee can receive an income
from the organisation and therefore would exclude employees.
Training
Training courses, either on the role of a trustee or to do with the work of the Charity
are available.
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