Argyll & Bute Trustee Survey Statistics

A massive thank you for the overwhelming response to our Trustee Survey. This is allowing us a very good understanding of the Trustee landscape in Argyll & Bute. Below are some of the very interesting statistics that have come out of your answers. 

36% of you said your Trustees' brought overall knowledge to your board, with 22% saying business skills and general experience. Some of the other interesting skills mentioned were fundraising, strategic thinking and life skills. It is fair to say that Trustees' bring a multitude of skills to the boards that they volunteer on. 

Below is a word map of some of the most used phrases to this question. 

​Trustee Magic Number
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From responses 7 is the average number of Trustees' on a board in Argyll & Bute!

​​Trustee Recruitment
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42% of the responding organisations in Argyll & Bute are currently recruiting Trustees with 68% of them struggling with the recruitment. 
​The specialist charity insurer, Ecclesiastical, carried out research ahead of Trustee Week  and found that while trustee referrals are still the most popular method of recruitment (48%), charities are increasingly using social media to reach a wider audience.

​Trustee Age Groups
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A large majority of Trustees in Argyll & Bute are over the age of 66 and surprisingly, there are no trustees under the age of 21! 
​Ecclesiastical found that LinkedIn (67%), Twitter (58%) and Facebook (55%) are the most commonly used recruitment platforms, but 18% are making use of TikTok to appeal to a younger audience with their advertisements. Maybe you consider getting your dancing shoes on and getting yourselves on TikTok if you're looking for younger trustees!

Gender split 

In Argyll & Bute 51% of trustees are male and 42% female with 6% not disclosed. 
Over two fifths (44%) of those surveyed by Ecclesiastical said that one way of encouraging trustees from a wider range of ages, backgrounds and communities was to promote the benefits of being a trustee more widely, while 44% suggested encouraging more flexibility around board meetings. Two in five (40%) said that training for charity boards promoting the benefits of diversity could also benefit.

Trustee Location

Did you know that 15% of the organisations in Argyll & Bute's Trustees are based outwith Argyll & Bute? You don't always have to recruit locally, check your governing documents to see if it allows this.

​Trustee Term

A massive 94% of trustees in Argyll & Bute have been on their boards for over 2 years which is great for organisation continuity!

​Board Knowledge of Organisation

31% of trustees do not understand the difference between operational activity and setting/monitoring the strategic direction and performance of the organisation.