Young face of trusteeship
Padding into the boardroom in slippers and pyjamas within days of being discharged from hospital, Ben Bilverstone was turned away by his concerned fellow board members. "'When I was in hospital [receiving treatment for ulcerative colitis], I had my laptop and my diary and I was on the phone all the time. Days after my operation I went to chair my youth council meeting – they sent me away, but I wanted to show I could still do it."
At just 20, Bilverstone, an undergraduate at Coventry University, is a veteran of around 10 community-related boards, including his local youth council and the Terence Higgins Trust.
Bright, engaging and radiating a passion for community work, this law and international studies undergraduate could not be further from the stereotype of the well-heeled retiree traipsing into the boardroom between long lunches at fancy restaurants. He is currently a trustee, ambassador and advisory board co-chair for the Diana award – established in memory of the Princess of Wales to honour young people's work in the community – and a director of Coventry community forum. He is also a governor at a local primary school and a volunteer with the Scouts.
His path to being a trustee began when he helped set up a church youth group with a friend at the age of 14 because there was "nothing to do". After that he joined his school council and in sixth form his headteacher recommended he join the city's youth council. Three months later he was made chair. "There was no stopping me after that," he says – not even health problems diagnosed at 16 could quash his enthusiasm.
Bilverstone's involvement with the community while suffering from ill-health led him to be given a Diana award for overcoming adversity. That prompted him to get involved in the charity's advisory board and he is now a trustee, recently being honoured with another Diana award for his continued community work.
He says that the trustees and board members he has met are very different to the stereotype that exists. "I think it has become more about what you can bring rather than what they can offer you. The trustees I work with are more than passionate – they're courageous and they really get stuck in."
Getting stuck in for Bilverstone means spending an average of five or six hours a day on voluntary work, largely reading documents, attending meetings, and drafting funding applications. His work for the London-based Diana awards can mean a couple of trips down from his home in Coventry each week.
He says of his workload: "Before I attend board meetings I am sent various emails about paperwork that has been received through the post. This can include anything from funding applications and new laws, to financial overviews."
Bilverstone does not get paid for any of this charitable work, although some organisations do cover travel expenses. He's been on several training courses, including sessions on governance and finance which he found extremely useful.
He has not ruled out further study, but is determined to combine that with his board work. The Diana award trustees sit for two-year terms, after which they have to reapply, but there are no time limits for the forum.
Bilverstone says that his experience as a trustee is invaluable: "I feel like I could actually walk into companies and just say right, this is how you should be doing it. Looking at things from the third-sector viewpoint, everything has to have a worth and add value or else what's the point?"
Diana award
The ideal trustee should …
Work collectively to spot gaps in skills
Have an eye for detail
Analyse and solve problems
Have the confidence to challenge paid staff
Understand the purpose of their organisation
Be aware of trends in the sector
Know how the organisation makes and spends its money
SOURCES: NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS, THE ASSOCIATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVES OF VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS AND THE TRUSTEE NETWORK