“Sarah’s guidance was invaluable”

Working with our TrusteeWorks Team through the Lloyds Foundation scheme, the Violence Intervention Project recently recruited five trustees to strengthen their board and expand the mix of skills within the organisation.  

Formed in 2017, The Violence Intervention Project works with young people up to the age of 25 who are at risk or involved in serious youth violence.  By developing strong, positive and supportive connections, the charity works therapeutically with young people to break the cycle of violence.  

In 2023, the board had strong fundraising expertise, but some of the other trustees were not in a position to contribute actively to the operating of the organisation. As the staff members were at full capacity delivering support to young people, it was proving very challenging for the charity to move forward and scale up. 

It had already been recognised that new trustees were needed to bring a wider skill mix to the charity and with time to make active contributions. In particular, they needed trustees with HR and communications and marketing skills, a Treasurer with financial skills, as well as trustees with lived experience of serious violence.  

A big pool of candidates

TrusteeWorks consultant, Sarah, said: 

“We originally started working with the Chief Executive, Charlie Rigby, in 2023 and a skills audit was carried out to identify their needs. We secured an extension for the funding and moved quickly through the briefing and preparation of marketing materials before commencing the executive search.” 

“Sarah’s guidance was invaluable,” said Charlie. “She advised us on the need for a good specification and helped us be very clear about our expectations from the outset. 

“This resulted in a big pool of candidates. The trustees carried out a paper exercise, making a first and then a second cut and then we held two stage interviews. All the candidates who progressed to the second stage were able to demonstrate how they would create capacity to be active contributors alongside their day jobs.  

“We collaborated closely with Sarah at TrusteeWorks throughout the recruitment process, using a shared spreadsheet to update each other so that candidates had access to clear information and feedback and we could operate in a very efficient manner.  

“I was particularly impressed that Sarah knew the candidates so well. She really had their interests at heart and only reached out to those who she knew would fit the roles available.  

Recruiting trustees with specialist skills

“We were delighted to be able to recruit a Treasurer, a trustee with marketing and comms experience, an HR trustee and two trustees with lived experience. Not only do we now have people in the roles, but their skills and talents are strong and a great match for the Violence Intervention Project. It is still early days, but our stronger board is already having a positive impact.  

“All the foundational things are getting into place quickly. There is more rigour in the financial processes, a comms strategy is being drawn up, the staff feel more confident in the HR skills now available and feel a greater sense of teamwork with the board. Moreover, the trustees with lived experience are bringing a different perspective to our forward planning.  

“Overall, the board feels more accountable and more credible and I now have confidence that our three year vision is achievable.  

“The VIP needed a board with broad experience to face the inevitable ups and downs of a new and growing charity. We are looking forward to new, far-reaching partnerships. With our new board in place, we can demonstrate capacity and strength.  We have the governance resources to take us forward and offer much-needed support to young people to break the cycle of violence in our local communities. 

“We are very grateful to Sarah, Reach TrusteeWorks and the Lloyds scheme for helping us achieve this fantastic outcome and would not hesitate to recommend the service to other groups or charities.”  

A successful campaign

Sarah said: 

“It was a pleasure to work with the VIP during the recruitment process. Following the skills audit, they had a clear idea of what they were looking for to help the charity realise its ambitions. There was also an understanding that different voices and experiences would really make their board stronger. We were originally looking to recruit three Trustees, but ideally The VIP wanted more so this was an ambitious project with a relatively tight timescale. 

“What made it such a successful campaign was the clear and detailed brief from the charity, extensive research undertaken by the TrusteeWorks team into the violence prevention and criminal justice sector, very targeted executive search activity and swift and clear communication between the team at TrusteeWorks and the VIP.  

“Throughout the campaign, the chair of trustees and I had numerous calls with individuals who wanted to know more about the charity, its ambitions and scale, how they could add value and what the role would entail for them. Many of these individuals went on to make applications.  

“It’s really rewarding to hear that the trustees are all settling in well and making such valuable contributions.” 

Allessandro Ferrari, was one of the new trustees recruited:   

"I joined the Violence Intervention Project (VIP) board of trustees through the TrusteeWorks recruitment process. The experience was exceptional, bringing together a diverse group of trustees with essential skills in HR, finance, and marketing communications, along with valuable lived experience. This will no doubt strengthen the VIP board’s capabilities and impact. I highly recommend TrusteeWorks for effective, mission-driven board recruitment.” Alessandro Ferrari, Trustee at the VIP.