How it started?
I was working at Age UK Wandsworth (AUW) and had been since the start of my 3rd sector career in 2004, having started out as a volunteer for both their popular Out & About and Be-a-Friend services, before becoming a staff member in Volunteer Management and Events Fundraising.
Our AUW CEO was a co-opted Trustee of Wandsworth Community Transport (WCT), and she was keen to step down, to give someone else the opportunity to become a member of their Board of Trustees.
I was not someone to put myself forward for things, but with her encouragement, I joined as a Trustee of WCT in February 2014. I remember my first Board meeting well, thinking ‘what am I doing here, and what have I got to offer’.
It feels like yesterday, but it’s clearly not, it’s years and I’m now Chair of the WCT Board, having been nominated for this role when our previous Chair stepped down in December 2020.
It’s all been a learning experience, and I wholeheartedly recommend becoming a Trustee to anyone, and indeed I always suggest it to my staff team in the charity I lead in my ‘day job’. It’s a real privilege and an incredible opportunity to learn the inner workings of charities and meet a diverse mix of people whilst supporting local people.
Why I joined?
Joining a Board is a great thing to do, everyone is a first-time Trustee once, no matter how confident and experienced they seem, or become.
Everyone has something to offer, unique perspectives and points of view are essential, for a mixed and balanced Board, if everyone was the same, thought the same, and came from similar backgrounds, it would make for a dull and very one-dimensional Board.
Whilst I work in the charity sector, it’s not a requirement – Boards need a mix of people from different sectors, with differing skills, from their careers to date, with transferrable skills and life experiences.
It was during the Pandemic that I chose to become a Trustee of another charity that supported my local community, here in Wandsworth; accordingly, I did some research as to what roles were available locally. I was delighted to see that Wandsworth Care Alliance (WCA) were looking for Trustees at the time, just like they are now!
As the CVS (Council for Voluntary Services) for Wandsworth, WCA are the umbrella charity for our borough, here to support and strengthen the sector, bringing together people and charities, here in our shared community.
WCA also have the Healthwatch Wandsworth contract, which was of real interest to me.
But what also drew me to applying is, what great people the staff team are, expertly led and guided by their CEO, Jason. Knowing how warm and kind everyone at WCA is, was a real draw for me, particularly as joining their Board felt different, as this time I completed an application for the role and had an interview (however informal it was in reality), as opposed to with WCT, where it was something, I segued into.
I’ve never looked back, being part of the WCA Board team has been great, right from the start and over the course of the past 3 years. I’ve learned lots and met lovely people.
I would encourage anyone to consider becoming a Trustee, for so many reasons such as:
1. It’s an opportunity to give back.
2. A chance to support positive change in our community.
3. A learning experience and a chance to make new friends.
Undecided if it’s for you? Do you have any questions? If so, please email HR@wandcareall.org.uk and they’ll arrange for us to have an informal conversation; it would be good to have a chat about the difference you can make for our shared community, and indeed how being a Trustee could be great for you, your CV and how you can learn new skills.
To apply for the trustee role click here.