A skills audit is an important measure for any board of trustees, as it identifies the skills that existing board members have, and the skills that are lacking. This can help the board recruit trustees that have the skills you are currently missing, and you can use it to assess the know-how of new trustees during their induction.

There are many toolkits available to help you complete your skills audit, but these are some of the best we have found:

• Basic skills audit template (by Governance Pages). This is in a list format. You can also download a Word version on their webpage.
• Board skills audit - Word document as an instant download (by ACOSVO, the Association of Chief Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations). This is in a chart format.
• Trustee skills audit template - Google form (by Whitefuse). You need a Google account to access this document, but it then means trustees can fill in the form online.

Further support from Voscur

If you need governance support, we regularly run training courses on Being a Good Board Member, and Being an Even Better Board Member (the follow-up course). During the coronavirus pandemic, all courses are delivered online, via Zoom. Please check our calendar for upcoming courses and events.

We also offer bespoke training, tailored to your organisation's needs; email training@voscur.org to let us know what you want help with.