Governance – Induction Pack
All new trustees need to know about your organisation, how it operates and their roles and responsibilities as trustees. A useful induction pack could include:
Documents
- governing document.
- recent board papers/minutes and dates of next meetings
- terms of reference for committees, sub-committees and working groups.
- annual report & accounts.
- policy documents, including equal opportunities and financial controls.
- expenses policy (a sample expenses policy is provided at the end of this chapter).
Information about the organisation
- brief history of the organisation.
- mission statement.
- structure of the organisation – committees, sub-committees, working groups, user groups, staff and volunteers.
- annual report & accounts.
- staff structure and chief executive’s job description.
- business/strategic plans and/or work programme.
- details of how your organisation fits into the voluntary sector, including affiliation to other organisations, membership of networks such as NCVO, special relationships with other voluntary organisations, etc.
- information about premises.
- information about premises.
- newsletters and publicity.
Information about the trustee’s role
- job description/person specification.
- code of conduct.
- profiles of trustees and contact details.
- a manual such as The Good Trustee Guide giving guidance on roles and responsibilities of trustees.
- a self-assessment form to indicate skills, experience, interests and support needs, eg. pairing, debriefing meetings, etc.
Induction Pack Checklist
Select those relevant to your organisation
Key documents | Include |
Governing document | |
Latest report and accounts | |
Minutes of recent board meetings | |
Copy of the Charity Commission’s Responsibilities of Charity Trustees | |
Good Governance: a Code for the Voluntary and Community Sector | |
Other documents/information | Include |
Key policies, eg. code of conduct, conflict of interest, financial controls and human resources | |
History of the organisation | |
Organisational structure | |
Chief Executive Officer role description and person specification | |
Statement of ethos and values | |
Business, strategic or work plans | |
Newsletters, publicity material | |
Board and committee structures | |
Dates and agendas for forthcoming board meetings | |
Names and contact details of other board members | |
Others |