Scotland has over 181,000 charity trustees, and it’s interesting, rewarding work. The groups they help range from sports clubs and Scout packs to nationally known charities.
Their work is rightly praised, but many feel under fire – criticised for not being diverse enough, young enough, or savvy enough about the latest risks facing their charities.
There’s also a risk that other people are deterred from becoming trustees because they fear what it involves. The way to tackle both issues is to provide trustees with effective training.
The need to support trustees is especially relevant for charities trying to diversify their boards. There are clear attractions to having younger trustees on a board – not least their ability to engage with different supporters, bring fresh ideas and harness the power of digital – but they’ll still need to get up to speed with their legal and governance responsibilities.
Most concerns raised about charities with Scotland’s charity register, OSCR, are typically the result of limited awareness, inadequate support, or poor decision-making - rather than intentional misconduct.
Even among the more traditional trustee base, there’s much to learn. Many trustees have significant private-sector expertise, but there are important variations in priorities and nuance when it comes to the governance of charities.
So, what to do?
As a starting point, OSCR has excellent guidance for trustees on its website. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) also provides excellent information for new and existing trustees, including webinars, e-learning modules, and the SCVO Trustee Network.
However, OSCR and SCVO’s information is general, and chairs and trustees usually also want guidance tailored to their own charity.
Typical issues on their agenda include:
- Trustees’ financial responsibility and personal liability;
- Risk management and reporting;
- Handling disputes and whistleblowing; and
- How to embed effective decision-making processes and diversity on the board.
Without understanding these issues, charities and their trustees may face reputational and financial risks. Equally, if charities don’t help their trustees get to grips with them, they may struggle to recruit an effective board.
Trustee training does not have to be a huge time commitment for a charity or its trustees. Training can take as little as a day or half a day, even as part of a board strategy day.
Many of the team here at Lindsays are charity trustees themselves, and we heartily recommend it as a way to support causes close to your heart. With some basic training, you can make sure you’re performing your role as effectively as possible.
Want to find out more?
Lindsays provides trustee training to charities of all sizes. If you would like information about training tailored to suit your organisation’s needs, to explore our training packages, or discuss your organisation’s needs, please get in touch.
Published 4 November 2025
