Trustees’ Week 2025: what UK trustees do, how to join
It’s Trustees’ Week 2025. If you’ve ever wondered who quietly keeps a charity safe, solvent and focused on its mission, you’re thinking about trustees. This week’s government speech, published on GOV.UK by the Charity Commission, is a good prompt to say thank you and to demystify the role for anyone considering it.
Across the UK there are nearly one million trustee roles supporting around 170,000 registered charities, according to the Commission. Together the sector turns over about £94bn a year, holds assets worth roughly £340bn and employs more than 1.3 million people - around 3% of the workforce. The numbers are large; the work is practical: meetings, budgets, choices, and steady support for staff and volunteers.
To see what that stewardship makes possible, the speech highlighted real outcomes. Dementia UK’s Transitions of Care Model helped 320 families move from hospital to home with no avoidable readmissions. Keep Britain Tidy collected 907 discarded bodyboards on Devon and Cornwall beaches in one summer. Terrence Higgins Trust has set a national goal to end new HIV cases by 2030.
Impact can be intimate or wild. A woman in trials funded by Spinal Research can now brush her child’s hair. Ospreys, once rare, have rebounded to more than 250 nesting pairs after years of conservation. RNLI volunteers save, on average, two lives at sea every day. Trustees are not on the front line, but the choices they make keep these missions on course.
So what do trustees actually do? You agree plans and budgets, check risks, uphold the governing document, appoint and support the chief executive where there is one, and make sure funds are used for the right purposes. What it means: if you enjoy asking clear questions and spotting gaps, you already have part of the mindset boards need.
New analysis from Pro Bono Economics for the Charity Commission, based on more than 2,000 trustee responses, offers a hopeful picture. Eight in ten would recommend the role. Nearly two‑thirds say trusteeship strengthens their connection to a community or cause, and a similar share value using existing skills in a fresh setting. Younger trustees often report career gains; many older trustees value the chance to give back.
Confidence levels are high too. More than nine in ten trustees say they understand their duties and feel qualified to carry them out, and most describe constructive relationships with staff and volunteers. Learning still matters; the Commission has refreshed guidance so you can find answers quickly when something unfamiliar lands on the agenda.
The research also shows who is still missing. Women now hold 43% of trustee seats, up from 36% in 2017, but more than half of trustees are retired and the average age is 65. Only 8% are aged 44 or under, and just 1% are 30 or younger. People from ethnic minority backgrounds make up 8% of trustees compared with 17% of the population, though among trustees under 60 there is a higher share of Black trustees than in the general population. What it means: if you are younger or from a minoritised background, your perspective is needed.
Skills matter as well as backgrounds. A quarter of charities buy in legal advice because they lack it on the board, and fewer than one in four report significant anti‑fraud, campaigning or marketing experience at board level. If you bring finance, digital, safeguarding, HR, communications, lived experience or local knowledge, a charity can use it.
Recruitment habits shape who gets to serve. One in three trustees say they were invited directly by the chair; only 6% came through advertising. Personal networks can be warm, but they can also close the door on people who are not already known. What it means: boards should publish clear role descriptions, advertise widely and interview openly.
Cost should not get in the way. The Charity Commission is clear that reasonable expenses can be reimbursed, including childcare, travel and meals while carrying out trustee duties. If money is a worry, ask about expenses up front. That conversation is normal and encouraged so trusteeship is open to everyone with time and skill to give.
To help boards hold steady through tougher times, the Commission has launched a trustee campaign and online resources focused on financial resilience, alongside a financial health check tool. This follows its Charity Sector Risk Assessment, which flagged financial pressures as a serious risk, and sits within a five‑year strategy to keep trusteeship attractive and practical.
If you want to get involved this week, start close to home. Look up charities you already care about and see how they recruit trustees, ask your employer about volunteering time for governance roles, or offer to attend a board meeting as an observer. If you are not yet eligible to be a trustee, ask about committees or advisory roles that build experience. Teachers and student leaders can share these steps with learners who are curious about public service. What it means: you do not need to know everything to start; you do need curiosity and time.
Trusteeship is, as the speech framed it, an optimistic act. In a world that can make you feel small, giving your attention to a board meeting is a simple, steady way to build the future. If you already serve, thank you. If you are thinking about it, this week is a good week to say yes.