At this April’s AGM, I stepped down as a board member of KPC after two years. I’m sad to go, but it was the right decision for me personally and I am so proud of what we’ve achieved together in this time of major transition for the organisation. I continue to be involved with KPC -  at the moment I’m supporting the 30th anniversary celebrations (check out the programme here). However as I leave, I wanted to share some of the things I learned that could be useful for future trustees or anyone looking to get involved in community development on a voluntary basis.

1. Listening is an undervalued skill

I bounded into my time as a trustee with huge amounts of enthusiasm and ideas, which is not inherently a bad thing. However I quickly realised that many of my ‘helpful’ suggestions were either inappropriate for the setting, or not feasible given the capacity of the organisation and fellow board members. I took a breath and began to really listen and learn. Once I had a deeper understanding of the challenges KPC faced at the time (which were multiple and complex), I was able to contribute in a much more meaningful way. 

2. Patience is a virtue

Collaborative working, consensus decision making and deep community consultation can be a slow process and that’s OK. Taking the time to fully consider everyone’s point of view and the potential origins of their mindset is the key to a healthy board, as is getting comfortable with letting things go in order to move the conversation forward. 

3. Energy and tenacity

Whether paid or voluntary, I think most people can agree that working in community development can feel like an uphill struggle at times. The funding landscape is tough, societal problems are very real and everyone’s working to capacity. Being a trustee at KPC has required boundless energy, positivity and tenacity. This is important not just to get things done, but to support when others are struggling or lacking in motivation. I found that trying not to lose sight of the bigger picture was key to keeping up the stamina needed to keep driving things forward. 

4. Boundaries

As a freelancer, I’m mainly in control of my own time and workload which has many perks. However, I sometimes struggled with prioritising unpaid trustee work over my own paid work, and vice versa. Striking the right balance is tricky and more of an art than a science in my experience. I navigated this by regularly reflecting on how the balance is going, and openly communicating with other trustees when things got too much. Trustee work ebbs and flows, and it’s healthy to step back for a bit in order to rejoin with more energy - you don’t need to volunteer for everything.

5. Care

Of course, the aforementioned energy and relentless positivity are useful qualities for a board member, but they are only effective if balanced with a thoughtful and caring approach. It’s impossible to fully know or understand the lived experiences of all trustees, staff and community members. However, honouring what you do know and taking into consideration that there may be a lot going on under the surface, can help to create spaces for discussion that both feel safe and encourage respectful exchange of ideas. There is always more work to be done to improve this, but I am proud of the efforts that my fellow trustees and I have put in over the past two years, and feel very confident that the tone set by our incredibly thoughtful and experienced Chair Lindsey is rooted in care and kindness. 

As well as all the valuable skills I learned along the way, the best thing about being a trustee was getting to know people I would never have met otherwise. The current board is so passionate, knowledgeable and driven and I will really miss being involved in KPC in that way. I’m so excited to see what they do next.