Posted on: 18 November 2022
This blog comes from Kim Shutler, CEO for The Cellar Trust and Senior Responsible Officer for the Partnership’s Harnessing the Power of Communities Programme
Hello, my name is Kim.
Last week was Trustees Week. It is a time for me to take a moment to feel thankful for my own amazing Trustees but also to reflect on what a big difference being on a VCSE Board made to my career. After most of my career going down a particular route in higher education, as a small cog in a big wheel, I often thought there was something more out there for me. Joining the Board and becoming the Vice Chair of Leeds Women's Aid in my mid 20s was the turning point for me. Suddenly I had the opportunity to contribute at a strategic level, and have an opportunity to get the full organisational picture: everything from management accounts, fundraising and marketing to service delivery, governance and HR. With it being a smaller charity the immediate sense of contribution and feeling valued was different to what I could get in my day job. I got the taste for it and it lead me to take the leap into my new career and the role I do today.
Fast forward several years, and I have been CEO of The Cellar Trust, a Bradford based mental health charity, for eight years. In September I joined our NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board as the sector lead for the voluntary community social enterprise sector (VCSE), and as senior responsible officer for our Harnessing the Power of Communities Programme. In West Yorkshire we have amazing VCSE organisations who deliver vital support and services. They are an essential piece of the jigsaw in our health and care system, and this will be more important than ever in increasingly challenging times for people and communities. But so many of these amazing organisations are struggling. One of the things they often struggle with most is recruiting trustees. Most have vacancies, the majority have gaps in the skills and experience that they need. And so, if you are reading this, I encourage you to have a think about whether it is something you or someone you know could consider.
Don't be put off by the stereotypes of being on a Board. Of course, Boards need some strong leadership experience which can often come from people who have done it before or are further on in their careers. But they also crucially need diversity of thought, insight, lived experience... which means they needs younger people too, and people rooted in the communities they serve. You do not have to have all the skills already... these are things that can be learnt and supported. And if you are in our statutory sector, it is a wonderful opportunity to get a different perspective and insight into our communities and to see how our VCSE contributes. At The Cellar Trust, I am quite ashamed to say that we took a long time to diversify our Board. It required us to turn our recruitment on its head and think completely differently. I am incredibly proud now though of the fantastic diversity of my colleagues and what this will bring for our organisation's leadership.
Not all organisations advertise vacancies (especially our amazing grass roots organisations) so my advice is to find an area you are passionate about whether that is a topic or geography and do an internet search for local charities nearby... and drop a little line to their CEO or manager to find out more. Some people have heard my cheesy line before but I'll say it again... this is the stuff that makes your heart sing. It's the opportunity to be part of very, very special organisations and to do life changing work. They need you more than ever.
Have a good weekend,
Kim