ELBA’s BoardMatch programme helps community organisations find the right trustees from the business community for their board. Here we catch up with Ed Philips who has been matched with HLECA, and now sits as a  Trustee on their Board.

ED PHILIPS, TRUSTEE AT HLECA:

What motivated you to get engaged in the BoardMatch programme?
There were a couple of key drivers for me as I looked to take on a Trustee position and subsequently engaged in the BoardMatch programme.

The first was a growing desire that I had to contribute to charitable works in a more meaningful manner.  Through my corporate environment, I had taken up the opportunity to participate in a number of disparate voluntary items.  I appreciated the chance to do this, and felt the positivity of using my skills and energy to try and make a difference where possible.  However, I felt that my impact would be limited by not concentrating my participation to one or two more substantial efforts.  This is when I started researching Trustee positions, understanding the roles and responsibilities, without a clear route to gaining a position.

The second key driver was born out of my own considerations for how I see my career evolving.  Non-executive director roles are competitive and there is an expectation that candidates have experience across a broad spectrum of activities including board participation and key organisational and strategic contributions.  Although I was not thinking about these roles in the immediacy, I was conscious that if I did not start considering adding to my skills and experience, this may preclude the opportunity later in my career.

How did you find the whole BoardMatch recruitment process? How does this compare to other efforts you may have gone through to join a board?
I was sent the details to an upcoming Boardmatch event through my firm’s community affairs program and, immediately, I was interested and signed up for the information session to find out more about the process, application and next steps.  The session was clear and contributed to my desire to move forwards with the process.

I subsequently selected a couple of the charities to follow up with, filling in the lightweight paperwork.  Video calls were arranged for a meet and greet, in order for both sides to get to know more about each other and for me to understand more about the skills they were hoping to gain from a new trustee.

What has your experience as a Trustee been like? What have been some of your achievements so far?
One of the things that appealed to me with regards to working with a collective of trustees, is to work on projects with people from different backgrounds and disciplines.  This has certainly been the case, and it is super interesting to see how problems can be approached in different manners.

It’s important to note that being a trustee isn’t just a tick box exercise, the organisations need strong trustees to help shape the strategy and make key decisions, and so ultimately contributing to the service delivery.  I was probably a little surprised initially on the depth of discussion and the real problems being solved by the board.

In terms of achievements, I was proud to be asked to take on the role of chair of the trustees.  The role has been fulfilling from a range of angles – from helping to shape the budgeting process, to spending a day at the centre seeing the service delivery in action and helping with the nursery graduation day BBQ!

What have you learnt about the organisation, community and the issues they are facing?
The issues that we read and learn about with regards to early years education funding, and challenges in general funding for community and charitable organisations are real.  Cost of living crises faced by large sections of our society are real.  Through working in this sector, it helps to solidify an understanding of the challenges faced by our communities.

What would you say to thinking of joining a board or looking for a role with clear social impact? Why should volunteers consider becoming a Trustee and attending a BoardMatch event?
Everyone may have differing reasons for signing up, be that altruistic , building up a resume or building up a skill set and confidence in these environments.  The reason doesn’t matter, your participation does. You will be a hugely valuable resource for your chosen organisation, and this value will be in taking on a role, being an active participant and sharing your thoughts and making decisions.

While the time contribution is not huge, I do think it is important as you consider embarking on the journey to make sure you are committed.