Here are some ways to tackle governor or trustee recruitment and fill the vacancies on your governing body.
- Register for Governors for Schools (who used to be called the School Governors’ One-Stop Shop, SGOSS). This free service matches volunteers with appropriate schools. It is a registered charity.
- Register with Inspiring Governance. They offer a very similar service to Governors for Schools, matching volunteers with vacancies. They are a charity funded by the Department for Education and run by the National Governance Association alongside Education and Employers.
You can use the map tool from Inspiring Governance to see local vacancies. If someone applies through their website they will also receive access to expert guidance from the National Governance Association, including advice over the phone and email and a copy of their induction book, plus the chance to use their e-learning modules. - Contact Academy Ambassadors if you are a multi-academy trust. They help to find professionals with experience at a senior level in business, charity, a professional career or public work to service on trust boards.
- If you are looking for someone with financial skills the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) allows you to list the vacancy and help you find a governor with accounting, finance or related experience.
- Register with do-it.org.
- Get in touch with your local council’s governor services department to ask if they know of any willing volunteers. They should have contact details on their website and will be listed under “governor services” or “governor support”.