Taylor Root UK Trustee Network: Interview with Vicky Harris

What did your charity do?

I was Trustee of a small charity called Bishop Simeon Trust for eight years. It was a charity that worked with orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa to increase their educational opportunities through running after-school homework clubs and tutoring programs.

What motivated you to become a Trustee of this not-for-profit organisation? 

At the time I was working at Thomson Reuters and they were sponsoring Women on Boards who did a presentation about the benefits of being a Trustee – for both your own personal development and as a way to give back to the broader community.

I was looking at opportunities advertised on their website and straight away found the role at Bishop Simeons Trust, I firmly believe in the power of education to transform lives. I had previously spent six months volunteering as a teacher at a school in Malawi in between law school and my training contract; finding a charity in Africa focused on education felt serendipitous.  

How does your experience as a General Counsel contribute to your effectiveness as a Trustee?

Being a General Counsel helps in so many ways. You are used to looking at problems and digging deeper to understand the issues and find solutions. You are also practised in helping bridge differing opinions to help find common ground. Additionally, you bring an understanding of the obligations of being a Trustee and, particularly in small charities, that can be really important and valuable to the rest of the board. 

Can you describe any specific skills or expertise you bring to the board as a result of your legal background?

Legal skills are relevant for so many issues facing charities – they too have to comply with employment legislation, data protection laws, etc. There are contracts, audits and more. Many of which are familiar from the day job.

In the eight years I was a Trustee, we had many challenges we had to work through – from our major donor deciding they were moving to other projects, to an on-the-ground partner in South Africa going rogue with some of our funds, to recruiting a new CEO, to the Trustees ultimately deciding to wind the charity up because it was no longer sustainable to find funding.

Each of these challenges felt so much more personal and important than anything in a work context and finding the way to work through these with the other Trustees was really rewarding.

In what ways do you see your role as a Trustee complementing your professional responsibilities as a General Counsel?

It’s a great opportunity to round out your skill set, take some responsibility for setting strategy and vision, for questioning financials, for understanding the value add the charity provides. These skills can be brought back to work and applied to your day job too.  

What do you perceive as the primary benefits of serving as a Trustee of a not-for-profit organisation from a personal and professional standpoint?

For me there are two major benefits to being a Trustee. The first is it takes you out of the corporate world and into real life and that’s really important. It’s a really good way of reminding yourself what matters and of doing something with the skillset you have to help.

Secondly, you have more hands-on experience of dealing with all the issues that you deal with at work – and sometimes at an earlier stage in your career than you might have that opportunity in a work setting and so taking that experience and applying it in the workplace is really valuable.

How do you balance your duties as a Trustee with your other professional commitments?

I think you just find a way. The old adage of ask a busy person has never been truer. Alongside the Bishop Simeon Trust, I have also been a School Governor at a Federation looking after two schools for 10 years and with both roles, I take the time I need from my week just as I would for a gym appointment or to see the children in a school play. My to-do list for work still gets done and my duties as a Trustee and Governor get done too. There isn’t dedicated time for each, they all just get amalgamated in my diary and my to-do list so that nothing gets dropped.

Can you provide examples of how your involvement as a Trustee has positively impacted the organisation or its stakeholders?

As I alluded to above, the charity had its fair share of challenges during the time I was on the board. I got involved in many of those challenges, helping to brainstorm solutions, ensure alignment between the board and ensure we met our fiduciary obligations. I also did a sky dive to fundraise for the charity too – alongside a group of sixth formers fundraising with school!

How do you stay informed about the legal and regulatory landscape relevant to the not-for-profit sector in your capacity as a Trustee?

I think if you are interested in the sector you are supporting you will naturally pick up information about what is going on because you read around the subject, but you can sign up for updates from organisations supporting Trustees. There are training sessions you can attend, especially in the early days, if you feel it would help.

What advice would you give to other General Counsels considering becoming a Trustee of a not-for-profit organisation?

Don’t hold back. Find something you are passionate about and go for it. Also don’t underestimate the amount of work – make sure you will be happy to sacrifice some of your time to the cause. If you can do so, you will find the experience incredibly rewarding, both personally and professionally.

If you are interested in a Trustee role or are looking to hire a Trustee position, please get in touch with Sarah Ingwersen to find out more.

If you would like to join our Trustee network, find out more here. 

We want to reiterate that this is not a paid service and forms part of our referral programme.