The reports are thought-provoking, and really, really interesting. I look forward to them very much.
The National Trustee Survey from Third Sector and nfpSynergy
This survey aims to find out how you are getting on with your trustees (and vice versa). We are sending it to 5,000 UK charities and very much hope that everyone will take part. Topics covered include:
• How effective are trustee boards?
• How does your trustee board compare to others?
• How well do trustees work with senior staff?
• Do trustees feel involved and that their skills are used to the full?
• Do staff share the same view of trusteeship as trustees?
Benefits of taking part
When the survey is complete we will analyse the results, produce a full report and send a free copy to all participating charities.
We will also be able to provide more detailed analyses for individual charities, comparing their responses to those of other charities of the same size or in the same sector. The will be a small fee for this - see the Q&A at the end of this page for more information.
How does it work?
There are two ‘core’ questionnaires: one for trustees and one for senior staff who work closely with trustees. There is also a brief questionnaire about each participating organisation. Participating organisations can make as many copies of the questionnaires as they need for each trustee and relevant member of staff.
To download the questionnaires in PDF format please click on the following links:
The postal address to send all completed questionnaires to is:
FREEPOST RLUC–ZAGL–SKYXnfpSynergy, 40, Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0NEIf you have any queries, please contact Karina Flatt at nfpSynergy on 020 7415 7162. We hope very much that you will take part in what we hope will be the most comprehensive survey of trustees yet.
Third Sector National Trustee Survey – Q & A
Why are there three questionnaires?
There is one brief survey about the organisation to be filled in by the CEO or Secretary, one for trustees and one for senior staff (those who work closely with trustees – who these people are is entirely up to you). We believe this is one of the first major surveys to look at the views of individual trustees, and the first to find out the views of senior staff about working with trustees. By surveying staff we hope to find out how they see the role and how trustees and staff differ in their views and profiles.
Do we have to pay to take part in the survey?
No – there is no charge for taking part in the survey. If however you would like to know the specific results from your staff and trustees compared to other clusters of charities operating in your area of work or of a similar size, nfpSynergy will make a small charge for reanalysing the data and putting the results into a user-friendly format (£500 for charities with a turnover of more than £5 million and £300 for charities with a turnover of less than £5 million).
Will information about our charity stay confidential?
Yes, absolutely. No information about any named charity will go into the public domain.
How many of our staff or trustees can take part in the survey?
As many as you like. We recommend that as many of the trustees as possible take part and as many of the senior staff as appropriate (our guess is that in most organisations this are at least five people but rarely more than 30). We have provided one copy of each survey for your organisation to make the appropriate number of copies. If you would like us to post the appropriate number of paper copies to you please contact Karina Flatt.
How will the results be used and when will they be ready?
The aggregate results will be used to provide a snapshot on the views, attitudes and satisfaction of trustees in charities and the staff who work with them. This will be delivered in the form of a survey report to all those participating charities and reported in Third Sector. We estimate the results will be ready early next year.
What if we want to benchmark our results against other charities?
The surveys are designed to allow for benchmarking and we can produce results that allow you to benchmark your results (for the fee mentioned above).
What if we want to ask our own individual questions?
There is some capacity for asking individual questions specific to your charity. Please ask nfpSynergy about this by calling or emailing Karina Flatt or Gemma Tracey. We do charge for individual questions.
How will we get to the results?
We will send a copy of the results to each participating charity (though not directly to each individual respondent within a charity).
What if I have any other questions?
You can call or email Karina Flatt, Gemma Tracey or Joe Saxton at nfpSynergy on 020 7415 7155.