Getting on Board

We raise awareness of the benefits to all concerned, the community, the charity or school or public body, employees, employers, of employee board-level volunteering.

We talk to employers about the benefit to them of encouraging their employees to volunteer as board members eg senior managers in government departments at conference organised by Cabinet Office, Cambridge Business Community Action Network. Shell hosted a Getting on Board breakfast seminar for major employers in November 2006.

We deliver seminars for employees about board-level volunteering and facilitate individuals’ search for appropriate opportunities on boards. The organisations for which we have delivered employees seminars include:- Ford Motor Company, Shell, Marsh, Welsh Assembly, Government Office East, BT. We facilitate individuals’ search for suitable opportunities on boards.

We have also exhibited at various venues and events eg. Home Office, Annual Conference of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Public Sector Leadership Conference.

We worked with the Charity Commission during their “Get on Board” campaign in 2005.and were invited to join a working party re Public Benefit in the Community at a conference organised by the Charity Law Association. The chief Executive is a member of the Governance Hub’s Advisory Group.

Our aim is to strengthen the governance of charities, schools and public bodies by encouraging employers to support their employees to volunteer as board members. Volunteering as a board member provides an excellent cost-effective learning opportunity, for the development of transferable skills, for example leadership skills.

Getting on Board was established in 2004, registered as a charity in November 2005 (charity number 1112013) and was a finalist in the Best New Charity category of the UK Charity Awards 2006.

Benefits for communities, organisations, employers and employees