The Charity Trustee's Handbook

By Mike Eastwood (Directory of Social Change, 2001, ISBN 1 900360 88 8, £7.95 [£10.67 inc p&p])

In my view, Trustees or Boards of Directors still pose one of the greatest challenges to arts organisations. Get it right and you have an amazingly valuable resource for the organisation, but get it wrong and the Board can become a drain on time and energy.

This small and easy-to-digest guide is a welcome addition to the writings on the role of the Charity Trustee (and Directors of Limited Companies). It is ideally suited to the new or potential Board member, with concise descriptions of the role and sections on Why Become a Trustee? and Why Refuse to be a Trustee? There is nothing particularly new or stunning in what it says, and it seems to borrow and build quite freely on other people’s work. This means that in one small volume — A5 size with 115 pages including photocopiable checklists and useful addresses etc — there is a synthesis of the expertise of larger books, in a format likely to be read by either the newcomer or the experienced arts manager or Board member who would welcome a refresher. The writing style is informal and direct, but avoids the over simplistic or prescriptive. In Why Refuse …, the advice includes "if you don’t rate it — with or without good reason — don’t become involved". We are reminded that we should find being a Trustee "personally highly rewarding and stimulating" — how well would your organisation rate on this performance indicator?

Review by Madeline Hutchins, trainer and consultant and runs SAM's Books
Arts Professional Magazine Issue 23 8 April 2002

SAM's Books compiles the Bookshop section of Arts Professional magazine, and used to compile Bookshop in its predecessor, Arts Business. This review has appeared in Arts Professional or Arts Business. It gives a longer and more personal description of the book than appears in the booklists.