Become a Charity Trustee / School Governor
Becoming a charity trustee or school governor is one of the best ways to broaden your horizons, expand your professional network and learn about the fundamental aspects of strategy, operations, risk and stakeholder management; all the while supporting a social cause that you care passionately about.
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As an in-house lawyer, your skills and expertise could make a significant impact on a charity/school.
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Resources
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Getting on Board is a leading charity supporting people from all sectors of society to become charity board trustees. Their website has a wealth of information for aspiring trustees, including a free downloadable guide on How to Become A Trustee. They also have page dedicated to trustee vacancies.
The UK Government runs a blog addressing What is a trustee and how to become one. They offer a free webinar which covers what trustees are, what they do and how you can become one. The Government also has a page dedicated to support for charity trustees with several 5-minute guides available addressing frequently asked questions. The UK Government also has a resource page dedicated to becoming a school governor
Reach Volunteering connects people, skills and good causes. Their website offers a guide on how to become a charity trustee and free access to a rolling register of c500 voluntary trustee roles from charities throughout the UK.
Trustees Unlimited also offers a free list of open charity trustee positions. You can also register with Trustees Unlimited to receive email alerts of new roles, regular monthly newsletters and invitations to events to support you in building a network of fellow trustees and others in civil society.
Taylor Root have set up a UK Trustee Network to connect like-minded legal professionals who want to become Trustees wtih organisations looking to hire people-focused individuals to their business. Their website also contains a link to their Trustee Toolkit which contains the template trustee cover letter and trustee CV used in the In House Pro Bono Group training module.
Inspiring Governance connects skilled volunteers who are interested in serving as school governors with schools in England. Their website has a page dedicated to becoming a school governor - explaining the role, how to apply and containing resources for volunteers.
Governors for Schools finds, places and supports skilled volunteers as governors and trustees on school and academy boards. Through their free service, you can fill in an application form and they will match your skill set with current vacancies and let you know when they have found an appropriate school. They offer eLearning modules and webinars.