Nurturing our team’s natural abilities

From the beginning we’ve had a particular idea about how we might build The Trust Partnership; that by finding the natural abilities in the people who join us, patiently nurturing them in a supportive environment, and constantly learning from each other, we could build a team of highly skilled foundation administrators and clerks to trustees. Almost 20 years since we were founded, we wanted to know more about how this concept has fared. How do patience, kindness and forgiveness (all Biblical descriptions of love) build a team?  We asked some of our team members for their insights.

What does it take to be a trustee?

In the ‘new normal’, where the working day is often no longer 9-5, why would someone want to devote some of their precious downtime to being a trustee? Well, in our experience, people choose to become trustees first and foremost because they have a personal interest in the aims of the charity. Perhaps not surprisingly, this is particularly true for trustees of family foundations, many of whom are acutely aware of the legacy and responsibilities that come with the position and are keen to continue the family tradition. But philanthropy in the 21st century may look very different to when these foundations were set up. Trustee boards today are having conversations around opportunity and challenge that would have been unknown to previous generations. With, for example, an increasing awareness of climate change, and an understanding of the importance of board diversity, we find that trustees are very aware of the

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