Trustees, a direct question: when was the last board meeting where digital strategy was more than a five-minute footnote in the CEO’s report? If your answer is “never” or “vaguely,” your charity is governing with a blindfold on in the 21st century. Digital is no longer a marketing channel; it’s the central nervous system of modern operations, fundraising, and impact delivery. Therefore, digital expertise is not an operational issue—it’s a governance imperative. Your board needs a dedicated ‘Digital Trustee.’ Here’s why, and how to get one. Visit at infoodle for more details.

Why a Techie Trustee is Non-Negotiable:

1. Risk Mitigation: A board without digital literacy cannot govern cyber-security, data protection (GDPR), or technological dependency risks. You are signing off on budgets and strategies for systems you don’t understand, which is a serious fiduciary failure.

2. Strategic Foresight: While you scrutinise the 3-year financial plan, who is scrutinising the 3-year digital plan? Is your CRM fit for the future? Are you investing in the right platforms? A Digital Trustee ensures technology drives the strategy, not just supports it.

3. Bridging the Chasm: They translate between the tech team/consultants and the rest of the board. They can ask the right questions about API costs, cloud infrastructure, or software scalability, ensuring the board makes informed, not intimidated, decisions.

4. Talent & Culture: Digital transformation is about people. A tech-savvy trustee can advise on the new roles you need to hire for (e.g., Data Analyst, Digital Fundraiser) and champion a culture of innovation and smart tool adoption.

How to Find Your Digital Trustee (They’re Not Who You Think):

Forget the stereotype of a 25-year-old hacker. You need strategic tech leadership. Look for:

● A former or current CTO/CIO from any sector who understands governance, budgeting, and vendor management.

● A Product Manager from a tech company, skilled in defining user needs and driving development roadmaps.

● A senior IT consultant or cybersecurity expert who understands risk frameworks. ● A digital transformation lead from a corporate that has undergone major change.

The Recruitment Blueprint:

1. Audit Your Gaps: Be specific in your recruitment ad. “We need a trustee to guide our £50k CRM procurement and implementation in the next 18 months and develop a data security policy.”

2. Look in the Right Places: Post on LinkedIn (use #TechForGood, #Trustee). Use Reach Volunteering. Contact Digital Cofei or The Charity IT Association. Ask your corporate partners for secondments or recommendations.

3. The Vetting Conversation: Don’t just talk tech. Ask strategic questions: ○ “How would you assess the cyber-risk of our current setup?”

○ “What three questions should we ask a CRM vendor?”

○ “How do we balance innovation with our limited resources?”

4. Integrate, Don’t Isolate: Once appointed, don’t silo them on a “digital sub-committee.” Their insights should inform finance (tech budgets), fundraising (digital channels), and operations (efficiency tools). Make them a core part of all strategic discussions.

Appointing a Digital Trustee is the clearest signal that your board is serious about future-proofing the charity. It moves digital from an occasional cost line to a continuous strategic priority. In an era defined by technology, governing without this expertise is not just conservative—it’s negligent. Your mission deserves better. Go find your tech champion.