The Charity Commission is looking to carry out research into the barriers stopping people becoming trustees amid a lack of diversity on charities' boards.

Its chief executive Helen Stephenson said the regulator is to carry out the analysis to better understand the barriers preventing a diverse range of people from becoming trustees.

Stephenson is also meeting young trustees this week to see “how we can encourage more young people to come forward as trustees”.

She says this comes as “many charities are already carrying vacancies, with some struggling to fill gaps”

The moves have been announced as part of Trustees Week and as a survey released by specialist charity insurer Ecclesiastical revealed that only half of charities are actively seeking to recruit new trustees from more diverse backgrounds.

This survey also found that only three in five charities believe their board is made up of trustees from a diverse range of social and ethnic backgrounds, a fall of 14% on the previous year.

Meanwhile, a report published last month by Newton Investment Management found that four in five charities think it is important their boards reflect their beneficiaries. But global majority trustees still only make up just 12% of boards for the fourth year running.

Today marks the start of #TrusteesWeek, a time to come together to celebrate the achievements of charity trustees across the UK.

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— Charity Commission (@ChtyCommission) November 6, 2023

“Our research to date has shown us a lot about the attitudes and experiences of trustees but we – and many others – would like to know more about the trustees themselves, so as to enable the sector to work out what the barriers to trusteeship might be, and start to break those barriers down,” said Stephenson during a speech during Trustees Week.

“We are now actively looking with partners to develop further research in this area, so as in due course to supply data to help this process of promoting wider trusteeship.”

“We know there are nearly a million trusteeships in the sector but it’s certainly not the case that all these roles are filled. Simply – we need more people to come on board, to take on the responsibility and so make sure the charity sector can grow and flourish in the future.”

She added: “Trusteeship should be an important social obligation for all people, including young people, people of colour, women, and those from different educational backgrounds or regions of the country – and many would find that it opens doors for them in other areas of their lives as well.”

Among supporters of board level diversity is Simon Widdop, founder and trustee at Yorkshire Children’s Trust.

Its executive trustee team includes the mother of a young cancer patient, a local singer, and a school support worker.

“Each of the trustees have a different background and this helps to bring in experience and a different perspective to day-to-day decisions,” he said.

“Having a team of trustees brings a wealth of knowledge that will drive the charity forward and support many more children than we could have done otherwise.”

Speaking at a another event for Trustees Week, organised by trustee organisation Getting on Board, the regulator’s chair Orlando Fraser said: “Trustees are critical to the charity ecosystem in England and Wales.

“Their contribution helps shape the character, wellbeing and resilience of our communities – meeting the needs of beneficiaries across the country and, in some cases, across the world.

“Our existing trustees are leading the way where, for the good of society, more need to follow. It is a moment for all of us to consider what more can be done to inspire others to get involved and to encourage prospective trustees to take up the baton.

“People from all backgrounds and walks of life can and should become trustees to put something back into society.”

Latest Charity Commission figures show there are 9,22,185 trustees overseeing the work of 169,442 charities in England and Wales, that have a combined income of £90.74bn.

The regulator has also revealed that more than 54,000 people have taken its quiz on trustee responsibilities, with an average score of just over eight out of ten.

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