Young people are much more willing to become charity trustees than they were five years ago, research has found.

While in 2019 just a quarter of 18–24-year-olds had considered sitting on charity boards, this proportion has increased to two in five this year.

A key factor, cited by almost half, was to further help a good cause they support.

A similar proportion say the move would help with their personal development.

Meanwhile, a third believe trusteeship would help their wellbeing and a similar proportion felt they could add value to boards.

The survey of more than 500 young people was carried out by insurer Ecclesiastical and Young Trustees Movement.

Its findings indicate that charities need to do more to target this age group to fill board level vacancies.

Last week the NCVO revealed that a “trustee recruitment crisis” is impacting four in five charities who are currently operating with at least one vacant board role.

Half of charities have more than two vacancies and a third are reporting that positions are remaining unfilled for more than a year.

However, charities will need to tackle some of the barriers impacting young people’s ability to commit to becoming a trustee, the survey by Ecclesiastical and Young Trustees Movement suggests.

A fifth of young people said time constraints and fears around the legal responsibilities involved were too much of a barrier. Almost one in six feared the role would be too much work.

Financial incentives, training and being assured they would offer a charity added value were among actions charities could take to persuade them, young people said.

Supporting their career ambitions is another.

Meanwhile, simply knowing that a charity wanted young people on their board would motivate a fifth of respondents.

Increasing willingness to become a trustee mirrors growing knowledge of the role among young people. While five years ago only one in ten were able to explain trusteeship, this proportion has jumped to seven in ten.

“It’s no secret what needs to be done to include young people in governance—and this data makes it crystal clear,” said Young Trustees Movement chief executive Mita Desai.

“The positive change we’ve seen over the last five years is down to people in the charity sector taking action.

“These actions don’t have to be big; they can start small and there are three simple steps we’d encourage charities to take.

“Firstly, making it clear that intergenerational perspectives aren’t just a ‘nice to have’ - they’re essential to good governance.

"Secondly, rethinking recruitment. Young people often tell us that trustee packs exclude them with requirements like ‘demonstrable experience in X,’ while charity boards continue to struggle to recruit any trustees, let alone attract young people.

“Finally, to provide support to encourage young trustees to stay once they’ve joined. We know that when charities invest in training and support, everyone benefits.”

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