Definition of a Trustee/Director

The charities act of 1993 (s97) defines a charity trustee/director as “the person having the general control and management of the administration of a charity”.

A trustee of a registered charity is often known by a variety of interchangeable names:

• Trustee
• Director
• Board Member
• Member of a management committee
• Managing Trustee

Trustees/directors act as a single body, to ensure the charity has a vision, aims and objectives to work towards through developing a strategy. Trustees/directors keep an oversight on the organisation’s finances ensuring the organisation is and will remain solvent. Trustees/directors can also delegate authority for the day to day activities to the appropriate staff and volunteers and also take on all legal responsibilities for the organisation’s work.

Trustees/directors are volunteers and should not generally be paid, but ought to be reimbursed out of pocket expenses for their involvement as a trustee.

<Previous Next> Index