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