Charity Non-Executive Recruitment

Charity NED and Trustee Recruitment

Charity boards carry real responsibility. Trustees are legally accountable for the charity’s purposes, its money and its compliance with charity law, and they answer to the regulator for how they discharge those duties. Many charity boards are still built informally, through the networks of existing trustees, so they often lack the financial, legal, digital or beneficiary experience they need. A professional search widens the field and tests candidates properly.

NED Capital applies the same direct-approach, research-led method we use for commercial non-executive director recruitment, adapted for the voluntary sector. Searches are run by our senior search team, each with at least ten years in senior-level recruitment, under founder Adrian Lawrence FCA, a Fellow of the ICAEW.

This page focuses on charities that want non-executive or trustee input with a strong commercial or professional skill set. For our wider voluntary sector service, see trustee recruitment. If you are unsure which kind of role you need, our guide to the difference between a trustee and a NED is a good place to start.

Call 0203 137 2496 or email recruitment@nedcapital.co.uk to discuss a trustee or NED search for your organisation.

The Charity Governance Framework

Charities in England and Wales are registered and regulated by the Charity Commission under the Charities Act 2011. Scottish charities are regulated by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), and charities in Northern Ireland by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. A charity working across the UK may deal with more than one regulator, each with its own reporting requirements.

Trustees are the charity’s governing body. They are responsible for its strategy, its finances and its compliance with charity law and its governing document. Their duty is to the charity’s purposes and beneficiaries, not to donors, staff or any particular stakeholder group. Where the charity is a company, the trustees are also company directors and carry the duties of the Companies Act 2006 as well.

The Trustee’s Six Duties

The Charity Commission’s guidance The Essential Trustee (CC3) sets out six main duties. Trustees must:

• ensure the charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit
• comply with the charity’s governing document and the law
• act in the charity’s best interests
• manage the charity’s resources responsibly
• act with reasonable care and skill
• ensure the charity is accountable

Every candidate we present understands these duties and has thought about what they mean in practice. That matters most for first-time trustees coming from commercial careers, who are used to a different kind of accountability.

The Charity Governance Code

The Charity Governance Code is the sector’s voluntary code of good practice. It is built on seven principles: organisational purpose; leadership; integrity; decision-making, risk and control; board effectiveness; equality, diversity and inclusion; and openness and accountability. Larger charities are encouraged to explain in their annual report how they apply it, and funders increasingly ask about it. A board that has assessed itself against the Code is usually clear about the skills it is missing, which makes for a much sharper search brief. Our board evaluations and reviews can help with that assessment.

The Roles We Recruit

Chair of trustees. The chair leads the board, manages its relationship with the chief executive and sets the tone for the whole organisation’s governance. Chair searches need wider candidate engagement and careful assessment of leadership style. See our non-executive chair recruitment service.

Treasurer and finance trustees. The treasurer leads the board’s oversight of financial reporting, reserves, investment and financial controls. Most charities want a qualified accountant who understands the Charities SORP, restricted and unrestricted funds and the demands of grant and contract funding. Many also chair a finance or audit committee. See finance committee chair recruitment.

Specialist trustees. Charities often need trustees with legal, safeguarding, digital, fundraising, property, clinical or HR expertise. We target the specific skill and assess how the candidate will apply it at board level rather than as an unpaid consultant.

Trustees with lived experience. Many charities want their board to include people with direct experience of the issues they address. We research the communities and organisations the charity works with, and we adapt the assessment so that lived experience is valued alongside professional expertise.

Non-executive directors for trading subsidiaries. Charities with a trading company often appoint independent non-executives to its board for commercial expertise. These are closer to commercial independent NED roles and are sometimes paid.

How Charity Board Search Differs

Charity trustee recruitment is not simply commercial NED search with a lower fee. Most trustee roles are unpaid, so candidates are motivated by the cause, the impact and the board’s culture rather than the remuneration. The assessment has to test commitment and values as much as skill. Our guide to non-executive directors on charity and not-for-profit boards sets out the main differences.

We also check eligibility. Under the Charity Commission’s automatic disqualification rules, certain people cannot act as trustees or senior managers without a waiver. We confirm eligibility and conflicts of interest before any candidate reaches your shortlist, so there are no surprises at appointment.

Paying Trustees and Expenses

In England and Wales, trustees are generally unpaid. Payment for serving as a trustee is only allowed where the governing document, the Charity Commission or the courts authorise it. Reasonable expenses such as travel can be reimbursed, as the Commission’s guidance on trustee expenses and payments (CC11) explains. We make the position clear to every candidate at the outset, because unclear expectations on expenses can put good people off. Paid roles, such as trading subsidiary NEDs or some housing association boards, are benchmarked using our NED salary guide.

Our Search Process for Charity Boards

1. Skills and brief. We review your current board’s skills, the charity’s strategy and any gaps identified in a governance review. Together we agree a clear role profile, the time commitment and the qualities that matter most.

2. Research and outreach. We research candidates across the voluntary, public and private sectors and approach them directly, alongside any advertising the charity wants to run. Direct approach reaches people who would not have seen or answered an advert, which widens the diversity of the field.

3. Assessment. We interview each candidate on their skills, their understanding of trustee duties, their motivation and their capacity. Every candidate on the shortlist comes with a written assessment.

4. Shortlist and selection. We coordinate interviews with your chair or nominations committee and support the final decision, including references and eligibility checks.

5. Induction. A good appointment needs a good start. We advise on the induction pack and early meetings so the new trustee contributes quickly. Our guide on how to appoint a charity trustee covers this in more detail.

Sectors Within the Voluntary Sector

We recruit for national and regional charities, grant-making foundations, health and social care charities, arts and heritage organisations, education trusts, faith-based charities and social enterprises. Related specialist services include arts and creative industries board search, education board member search, housing association board search and NHS trust board search. Sector bodies such as NCVO publish useful resources on trustee good practice.

Board Diversity and Succession

Many charity boards have served together for a long time and reflect a narrow range of backgrounds. Planned succession, with staggered terms and a clear view of the skills each departure will take away, avoids a board losing several experienced trustees at once. Our board succession planning and board diversity reviews help charities plan ahead rather than recruit in a hurry.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a charity trustee search take?
Shortlists typically follow two to three weeks after the brief is agreed. Chair searches usually take longer because of the wider engagement involved.

Do you recruit for unpaid roles?
Yes. Most charity trustee mandates are unpaid. We design the search around motivation and commitment rather than fees.

Can you find a qualified accountant to serve as treasurer?
Yes. Finance trustees are among our most frequent charity mandates, and as part of FD Capital Group we have deep access to qualified finance professionals.

Are you interested in becoming a trustee?
If you are a candidate, see our page on trustee roles or register as a candidate.