What should be keeping Gloucestershire trustees awake at night?
Charity governance consultant Penny Wilson shares six practical tips to help trustees get a good night’s sleep
Without wanting to be a party pooper, there are plenty of things for Gloucestershire trustees to worry about.
Your charity might be facing something really specific which is keeping you up at night. Perhaps you’ve been asked to leave an affordable building, a regular donor has withdrawn their support, or you’re facing the difficult prospect of making a member of staff redundant.
Beyond the local picture, wider social and economic challenges are also putting pressure on charities. Rising abuse towards minorities, high levels of youth unemployment and global instability are just three developments which can have knock-on effects for charities and the communities they serve.
Across the charity sector, funding is extremely tight. Many charities are facing the impossible combination of rising costs, rising demand and falling income. Charities Aid Foundation’s UK Charity Insights research (2025) found that 44% of charity leaders say rising costs are one of their main challenges, up from 14% four years earlier. Meanwhile, 83% report increased demand for their services in the past year.
Despite all this, the underlying worries trustees talk about don’t change much from year to year. They usually come down to a handful of familiar themes:
We don’t have enough money to do what we want to do.
We can’t find the people, expertise or capacity we need to sustain or strengthen our charity.
We’re struggling to agree on what we should do and how we should do it.
We’re over-reliant on one or two individuals who shoulder the lion’s share of the work. Without them, we’d be in real trouble.
Trustees, staff and/or other volunteers aren’t getting on, which is distracting us from what really matters.
We’re often ambitious for our organisation, whether that means growth or simply survival, but dealing with any (or several) of the above makes the task much harder.
So, what can trustees do to sleep a little better at night?
Here are six practical tips:
1. Diversify your income streams
Try to avoid having all your eggs in one basket. A repeat grant or long-standing local authority contract may have sustained your charity for years, but it’s increasingly risky to assume it will continue indefinitely.
2. Understand your trustee role
You need to understand your trustee role in order to fulfil it well. Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance runs excellent trustee training accessible here.
3. Get to grips with your charity’s finances
The finances can feel intimidating, but trustees cannot opt out of understanding it. Ask a fellow trustee or your treasurer to walk you through the accounts, or explore the ICAEW’s free trustee e-learning module on charity finance.
4. Ask fundamental questions regularly
Are we still the right organisation to deliver this work? Are we meeting our charitable objectives in the best way? Healthy charities take time to review their purpose and approach.
5. Pay attention to your board
Strong charities need strong boards. Reviewing and refreshing your trustee board helps ensure you have the right mix of skills, perspectives and commitment around the table.
6. Find your tribe
Trusteeship can feel surprisingly isolating. Connecting with peers can be valuable since trustees from other charities are often dealing with similar challenges. Consider joining the Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance’s new trustee network. Find out how here.
Trustees who stay curious, connected and financially aware give their charities the best possible chance of thriving. And get a better night’s sleep.
Penny Wilson is a charity governance consultant who works with thousands of trustees each year. She is the Director of the Festival of Trusteeship for Eastside People. The Festival is the UK’s largest gathering of trustees and will take place online from 9–13 November 2026.