How Do We Retain Board Members?

What is this advice for?

Our research shows that heritage boards struggle with recruiting diverse trustees.

This advice is designed to give you guidance on the gold standard for retaining board members.

It forms part of a wider strand of work around heritage board diversity. For more advice in this series, see the 'Inclusive governance boards and diverse trustees' section of the Inclusive Heritage Advice Hub.

What are the key points?

Why does trustee retention matter?

While it can take considerable effort to recruit trustees, you may lose valuable board members before the end of their term, sometimes even within the first few months. This could be for unavoidable or unforeseen reasons: they might move to another city, get a new job with less flexibility, or experience a life change such as having a child. Trusteeship is a long-term role but is nonetheless voluntary.

Trustees might also leave for preventable reasons. It's not just about your systems and structure: your board might have the best possible policies and processes. But if your organisation does not have healthy board dynamics, where people feel culturally and psychologically safe, your best efforts will be undermined.

Multiple studies show diversity's positive impact on productivity and other measures. However, diversity can bring challenges such as cultural misunderstandings, communication issues, inequitable inclusion, (direct and indirect) discrimination, and stereotyping.

'Cultural safety' is a way of working with people of different cultural backgrounds that does not diminish, demean or disempower individuals. Psychological safety is when an individual feels safe to express their ideas and concerns, speak up, ask questions, and admit mistakes without fear of negative consequences from the rest of the board.

This means ensuring trustees can undertake their role without facing behaviours that could cause them harm or upset. There should be rigorous training for current trustees, clear policies in place, and a strong code of conduct.

Some people from under-represented groups, such as young people, can feel intimidated by being on a board, finding the environment difficult to navigate or even hostile. They are unsure how they will be heard and whether their experience will be valued in the heritage sector, where boards can be populated by members who have been recruited for their social status rather than their diversity of thought.

An example of this is 'stereotype threat,' where someone feels at risk of confirming a negative stereotype about a group they identify with. This can sometimes make them feel unable to be themselves, make complaints or raise serious issues.

Some of the pitfalls that a board may experience are:

• Certain members of the board or their views not being taken seriously
• Expecting board members to be available at short notice
• Lack of accessibility or not making reasonable adjustments, and not understanding what accessibility means
• Employing a 1-size-fits-all approach
• Leaving people out of formal and informal discussions
• Potential discomfort and anxiety between people from different backgrounds

Everyone starts from a different place, so be willing to hold preparatory meetings or give time to new members to take them through papers and understand areas they are not familiar with. After induction, follow up and find out what board members feel less confident about. Offer opportunities for training and development, such as mentoring, courses or opportunities to speak to someone outside the meeting.

Take feedback from new members after a few meetings and see what other development needs they have or what isn't working for them. Ensure that all board members are genuinely valued in decision-making processes. Help them develop and maintain positive behaviours so they can get comfortable with challenges and ambiguity and know who to speak to if things go awry.

Fundamentally, organisations should ask themselves: "Does the environment support all board members to thrive?"

What does good communication look like for a heritage board?

• The chair should have at least 1 annual 1-to-1 with each board member. This approach provides a space for sharing ideas as well as reflections or concerns
• Consider different learning styles or needs
• Keep language open, inclusive and respectful
• Encourage healthy debate where people do not feel shamed by others for having divergent views or experiences from most of the board

How could our meetings and policies be affecting board diversity?

There are several ways that meetings and policies – some of the most fundamental features of board work – can act as a barrier to participation.

Here are some things to consider:

• Does your organisation review and schedule meetings in consultation with all board members once new members have been appointed, rather than based on how meetings were historically set?
• Do you consider public holidays and religious festivals when setting meetings?
• Have you explored hybrid or remote ways to contribute and feed into board conversations, so members’ roles can be balanced with their other commitments?
• Does your meeting structure enable all voices to be heard and ensure people feel comfortable and safe enough to speak up? The chair is instrumental in creating this inclusive culture, by facilitating board discussions and leading by example.

In the Historic England 'Barriers and Enablers to Board Diversity in the Heritage Sector' report, one interviewee noted that their chair had made it clear to them that they wanted their “full contribution, [the chair] doesn’t want me to just talk about diversity, but to have a rounded view”, which they found supportive and reassuring.

You could provide facilitation training for your chair so that they are able to welcome, hear and make sense of diverse perspectives.

The format and length of board meetings and papers should also be reviewed. Create clearer and more structured decision-making processes that give all trustees a say.

• How are papers and information presented to the board? Ensure they are written in plain English and avoid any jargon (or provide a glossary)
• Do you send papers by email?
• Do you share these papers far enough in advance for all trustees to have time to read and digest them, and ask in advance of the meeting for clarification if needed?
• Do you provide print copies? If so, do any trustees require larger print? Are formats such as audio or Braille required?
• How about your policies? Is everybody familiar with your equality policy? Do you have a code of conduct?
• Do you have clear processes for navigating conflict?

What are some other ways of engaging and supporting board members?

In the report mentioned above, one interviewee observed: “How the space is held is really important [in terms of] valuing everyone’s opinions.” Create a clear culture of shared responsibility for learning about and sharing diverse perspectives on boards. Your chair should create a safe space where board members can be open about their needs and challenges.

Could other board members support the chair in offering wellbeing support to trustees, such as those bringing their lived experience expertise into the room? Providing this level of emotional care and support will help you retain board talent.

Build these tips for inclusion into your board succession planning to make them sustainable.