Case Study: Establishing a Young Members Board

What is this case study about?

This case study about supporting organisations to survive and thrive by establishing a Young Members Board was produced on behalf of Historic England by Dr Ambreen Shah, Associate at Getting on Board. It draws on the experience of the Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA).

Established in 1974, AIA is a volunteer-led membership organisation that promotes the study, preservation and presentation of industrial heritage nationally and internationally.

It does this in 3 main ways, by:

• Uniting individuals, local services, academics and field professionals
• Supporting the development and sharing of knowledge about industrial archaeology (for example, through its annual conference and academic journal)
• Sponsoring and encouraging research and rewarding excellence through its grants programme

To find out more, visit the Association for Industrial Archaeology website.

What are the key points?

What was the challenge?

Given that AIA is a volunteer membership organisation, the trustees on the board are very hands-on, actively supporting AIA in delivering different strands of work. The time commitment of each member can be considerable given the workload, their dedication to the organisation and the subject matter.

In principle, board members used to serve for 2 terms, with some flexibility for a third term if required. However, many of the trustees had been part of the board on and off for almost the entire lifetime of the AIA (they could step down for a term before being reappointed).

The trustees were:

• Mostly retired people
• Mostly men
• All based in the UK
• Often had a professional academic interest (many had PhDs)

There was a realisation that unless younger board members were found, the organisation's very survival would be at risk. The driver for change, therefore, was not specifically to improve IDE but rather succession planning and securing the organisation's future.

What actions were taken?

The key action was establishing a Young Members Board to secure early/mid-career input. Anyone aged 46 or under could apply.

The original intention was to give early career and young people board experience, to ease the burden of work on the main board, and for this group to become a feeder group for the main board. A clear division of responsibilities between the main board and the Young Members Board was also established. The main board focused on finance and grant-giving decisions, and the Young Members Board focused on activities for a young/early career audience.

An advert to recruit younger people was posted on X (formerly Twitter) and disseminated by partner organisations. Openly advertising drew a considerable response from the UK and abroad. Previously, positions were mainly advertised via the organisational newsletter – in essence, only to existing networks and already engaged people. The large response was probably due to the initial COVID-19 lockdown period, where many people sought new opportunities after being furloughed or having their work suspended.

Once the Young Members Board had been established, it created its own terms of reference, with inclusivity and diversity at their core – everyone was keen to make the Young Members Board "as nice a place as possible to be".

In due course, people who wanted to be full trustees were given the opportunity to shadow existing board members.

Creating an inclusive environment

• Meetings are held online and at different times throughout the year. This accommodates people's different time zones and working/caring commitments
• Attendance is flexible. Not everyone is expected to turn up to all the meetings
• The board has an IDE representative. This helps ensure IDE considerations inform discussions and decisions
• Working parties have been established. They work on particular issues and make suggestions for the boards to consider
• There are multiple channels of communication. This provides alternative means of talking with other board members (for example, WhatsApp does not work well in some countries)
• The chair's key message is: "Don't commit to anything that is not sustainable for you". These are unpaid roles, and people must not feel overburdened. Board members used to be involved in a wide range of activities, putting in many hours of their time because of their dedication and sense of obligation to AIA

Bringing diverse perspectives

• Younger Board members are learning skills they would not have been exposed to in their work given their early career status. For example, one is the shadow treasurer and is learning skills they would not have been exposed to in their first job; another is the chair, who feels they are being exposed to a higher level of decision-making than they would in their day job: "being the chair has allowed me to flex my creativity and use my brain in a different way, and helped me secure a higher level of employment"

Resolving problems with empathy

• The journey has not all been plain sailing. In the early days, there were cultural changes to navigate – differing values between established and new board members led to difficult conversations and a steep learning curve for everyone. These issues were addressed head on and behavioural expectations were built into the terms of reference, so there was a clear, transparent policy in place to follow and hold people to account
• Some people joined the board but for various reasons either did not stay long or did not fulfil their duties (not coming to meetings and/or contributing to activities). In such a scenario, it is important to have a mechanism in place to remove someone from the board in a kind and inclusive way; for example, by asking what the board can do to support and engage with them, if there are particular subjects they are interested in, if meetings could be held at a different time, or asking if they want to step down, supporting them to leave on their own terms

What were the outcomes?

All the original members of the Young Members Board who are still with the AIA have now been co-opted or elected to the main board (co-opted positions are ratified at the annual general meeting).

Being on the Young Members Board and shadowing a board member enabled younger members to build their confidence and get the training needed to step into full board roles.

Having younger members has also made AIA’s future more sustainable, ensuring that a more diverse range of perspectives inform decisions. This has meant a wider range of solutions are discussed, often leading to more creative and better decision-making. For example, one new trustee is an academic in a Chinese university who has been able to facilitate learning exchanges through east/west online workshops.

Today, the board has the youngest chair (34 at the time of election, now 35) in its 50-year history, who is also the first woman to hold the post in over 17 years. There is a better gender balance and representation from across the UK and abroad. The board brings together diverse perspectives, including hobbyists, academics, PhD candidates, people working for the Local Authority, working parents and volunteers.

What key lessons were learned?

• A small change can make a big difference. For example, openly advertising a position to a wider cohort of people
• Perseverance is key – not everything will go to plan. You might not recruit the first time round, people might join the board but leave soon after, or an appointed member might not engage, but don’t give up
• Be intentional in creating an inclusive culture. This will make opportunities as appealing and accessible as possible
• Existing board members need to be willing to step back. This creates space for new people to join the board

Further reading

Getting on Board

The AIA’s Young Members Board

Key contact

Zoe Arthurs, Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA) chair: [email protected]