More than 80% of trustees say they took on their role in order to contribute to a good cause, but 94% say they do not have the skills they need to carry out their job.

The survey found that 45% required additional skills in charity law and compliance, and 41% had gaps in their knowledge about governance, fundraising and marketing and communications.

More than two-thirds of trustees said time constraints are the biggest obstacle to improving governance arrangements, and two-fifths of organisations do not have any budget for governance costs. As a result, just 46% of trustees have a formal induction while 22% of organisations fail even to supply role descriptions.

Jolanta Lasota, head of the Governance Hub, said the hub was launching a new campaign, Make Every Move Count, to ensure that boards are aware of and are using the tools available to skill up trustees.

“Good governance is essential for the health and success of an organisation, and boards need to focus on developing their governance arrangements,” she said.