Page 170 - Demo

MANAGING STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS
WHAT IS THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE ROLE OF A TRUSTEE AND THE ROLE OF SENIOR EMPLOYEES SUCH AS A LAY BURSAR?
The main differences between the role of a trustee and that of senior employees are the duties required of a trustee and the greater responsibility associated with the role. Trustees bear the overall legal responsibility for the charity and are required to manage its administration, making important decisions on how it is run.
Unlike senior employees, trustees have a number of key functions:
Ÿ Trustees have a duty to act in the best interest of the charity. It is necessary for trustees to only act in a way that will enable the charity to achieve the purposes for which it was set up
Ÿ Trustees must ensure that the charity is carrying out the purposes for which it was set up
Ÿ Trustees must act with reasonable care and skill, devoting suf cient time and energy to the role
Ÿ Trustees must take reasonable steps to comply with the law and abide by the charity’s governing document. They must take appropriate advice when necessary
Ÿ Trustees must manage their charity’s resources responsibly. A trustee has a duty of prudence and must exercise sound judgment
Ÿ Trustees must make sure the charity is accountable
Ÿ Charity trustees should not nancially bene t from it without speci c
authorisation from either its governing document or The Commission
Finally, trustees must act collectively unless speci c delegation has been given, whereas a senior employee might be expected to work independently as a matter of course.
166 Chapter 9