Meet our trustees: ‘we volunteer to give back, but gain so much ourselves’

Tell us about your trustee role - what does it involve?

‘As a lawyer, part of my skillset that I apply as a trustee is to support Girlguiding’s risk management. We’re a youth charity, and a lot of our work is about keeping the young people in our care safe. But we also look at financial risks and a range of other areas. This is vital to make sure volunteers on the ground can continue to give girls great experiences.’

What made you originally want to become a trustee?

‘I’m passionate about Girlguiding and the positive difference it can make in girls’ lives. As a leader, I’ve seen first-hand the impact that it has. In my professional career as a lawyer, I’ve gained a lot of experience looking at and managing risk. So when I saw the trustee role advertised, I knew it was a great opportunity to use my skills and get involved in helping to keep this amazing organisation running.’

What are your goals as a trustee?

‘We’ve done a lot of work to improve how Girlguiding looks at risk over the last 3 years. For the rest of my term as a trustee, my goal is to support Girlguiding as we make further improvements to our technology.’

What’s the most fun thing about being a trustee?

‘There’s a special trustee badge! We only get to wear it when we’re on official trustee business and in uniform, which isn’t that often, but it’s one of my treasured possessions.’

You’re a former Brownie and an experienced leader. How do you think these experiences have guided you as a trustee?

‘One of the challenges of being a trustee is that you’re not there to get involved in the operations or delivery side of guiding – as much as you might want to raise your own pet peeves with GO, or contribute your ideas about the programme!

As trustees, we have to make sure Girlguiding is running and working in accordance with legal requirements for charities. We also have to look at the strategy to make sure we can continue fulfilling our purpose: to empower girls and young women to develop confidence and resilience for generations to come.

But being a Brownie leader definitely helps me to understand how Girlguiding works at grassroots level, especially when it comes to delivering on one of the key parts of our strategy: supporting volunteers.’

How do feel your varied career experiences impact your role as a trustee? How do your skills and knowledge from your career translate into your trustee role?

‘I was specifically recruited as a trustee because of my legal background and experience. It gives me a deeper understanding of legal matters to help the trustee board in coming to decisions.

More broadly, my professional experience helps me to ask relevant questions and, I hope, constructively challenge Girlguiding’s leadership team on proposals that come to the board. ‘

What do you find most rewarding about being a trustee?

‘Trustees are all volunteers too. Sometimes it’s hard to recall the value you’re adding when you’re ploughing through another set of board papers in preparation for a quarterly board or committee meeting. The reward comes from seeing the progress we’re making.

It’s so important for charities, especially youth organisations, to stay relevant and adapt to changing times and technologies. Girlguiding has seen a decline in numbers since the 1980s, as volunteering has become more difficult to fit in with work. We were also perhaps seen as old fashioned and less relevant to current girls.

The strategy launched in 2020 took active steps to address these challenges, but then Covid-19 dramatically reduced our membership numbers. This raised concerns as to how we could continue to operate in the same way with a greatly reduced income base. The fantastic work of the entire team, staff and volunteers, alongside some important decisions, pulled us through that time.

We’re now well positioned to take Girlguiding forwards. Seeing a stronger organisation that’s continuing to deliver great guiding for all girls is my reward.’

What advice would you give to others who are considering becoming a trustee?

‘Do it! As leaders, we volunteer to give back, but at the same time gain so much ourselves from doing so. I recently lost my father after a long illness, and found so much comfort in being able to escape from that reality to be a leader for an evening. It’s the same being a trustee: you’re giving back to help run the organisation we love, but find that it’s giving you insights and experiences you didn’t anticipate.’

Thank you Alison for sharing your experiences with us! If you’re interested in becoming a Girlguiding trustee, keep an eye on our opportunities page.