AIM trustee survey 2021 – what the results mean for you

We ran a survey with museum trustees in early 2021, open to non-members as well as members of AIM. The objective was to understand the needs of museum and heritage organisation trustees and to ensure AIM’s support is relevant and useful.

You told us that you’re most concerned with succession planning (63%), recruitment of new trustees (54%) and the roles and responsibilities of trustees (49%). Prospering Boards is currently open to applications and it’s exactly these type of issues that the programme can help with. To find out more about the programme and how you can apply, click here>> 

The survey showed over half of you didn’t receive an induction when you became a trustee, and 65% claimed an induction guide for trustees would be a useful source of support. AIM’s guide, Successful Museum Governance, is a great place to start if you are a new museum trustee or a Board member looking to refresh your knowledge. But to give new trustees additional training and support, we’re running the first ever trustee induction on 18 and 28 May.

The workshops are an essential and practical introduction to museum governance and best practice for new trustees or a refresher for existing trustees. They are also an invaluable opportunity to network with other trustees, exchange ideas and be refreshed in your thinking about trustee induction. Click here to find out more>>

Webinars were also popular amongst trustees as a form of future support (59%). As well as the trustee induction webinars, the latest Hallmarks at Home events have just been released for booking and are open to trustees of AIM member museums as well as museum staff. You can see the forthcoming schedule and book your free place here>>

The survey also helped identify what you want to see in future issues of the AIM trustee newsletter. We will continue to bring you advice and guidance on issues facing museum boards, including legal and ethical guidance for boards. You can expect news and updates from the museum sector, but can also sign up for eNews to receive more regular updates – see the link in the top right corner of any page of the website.

What’s more, we’ve made a start on gathering case studies from museum boards and hosting interviews with museum trustees, as you’ve told us you’d like to hear them. You’ll find the first of these on our case studies page here and have more lined up to share via future issues of the newsletter. If you’ve got a story you’d like to share with other museum and heritage trustees, please let us know on info@aim-museums.co.uk.