How we are run
How we are run
As a charity, independent of government, we depend heavily on the support of our members, visitors, donors and partners.
AGM at Steam in 2010
We value all of this support, and try to ensure that every pound we receive counts.
As part of this, we endeavour to manage our affairs as efficiently as possible. We operate on a model that means that we must take decisions quickly, transparently and accountably to give people confidence in the way the charity is run.
Our constitution
The National Trust was first incorporated in 1884 as an Association not for profit under the Companies Acts 1862-1890. The first National Trust Act was passed by Parliament in 1907. A number of successive Acts have since been introduced to update and, where necessary, revise our constitution to ensure the National Trust continues to be well governed and remains true to its cause.
- National Trust Acts 1907-1971 (post Order 2005) (PDF/172KB)
- The National Trust Act (Northern Ireland) 1946 (PDF/4.7MB)
- The National Trust Byelaws 1965 (PDF/31KB)
- The National Trust Byelaws 1968 (Northern Ireland) (PDF/4.7MB)
- The Charities (National Trust) Order 2005 post change 2010) (PDF/94KB)
- The National Trust (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 (PDF/44KB)
Our structure
We have implemented a streamlined structure designed to achieve the optimum relationship between trusteeship (a Board of Trustees) and representation of the wider interests of the nation, for whose benefit we exist (the Council). The structure is as follows:
- Board of Trustees
- Council
- Committees of the Board of Trustees
- Regional / Country Advisory Boards
- Advisory Panels
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Our President
Our President is Prince Charles. Read more about why he is associated with us, and how he feels about the work that we do.
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Meet the Chairman
Simon Jenkins became Chairman of the National Trust on 1 November 2008, suceeding Sir William Proby.
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Meet our Deputy Chairman
Working closely with both the Director-General and the Chairman, the Deputy Chair is an indispensible cog in the Trust's governance machine.
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Meet our Director-General
Dame Fiona Reynolds is responsible for heading up the National Trust. Find out more about our Director-General.
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Meet our Board of Trustees
Information about what the National Trust Board of Trustees does, and who the Trustees are.
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Our Regional/Country Advisory Boards
An introduction to our Regional/Country Advisory Boards, and how they fit into our governance structure.
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Our Advisory Panels
We have eight panels of experts to help guide us on the important principles that we strive to achieve.
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Our Committees
Committees play an important role in the running of the Trust, helping to ensure that we perform as well as we possibly can, while adhering to the guiding principles of the organisation.
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Governance appointments
We have worked hard to ensure that the election and appointment of members of our governance community is fair, transparent and open to people from every background.
Governance vacancies
At present, recruitment to all Regional/Country Advisory Boards and Advisory Panels is managed by the Advisory Boards and Panels themselves.
Appointments and elections overseen by our Board of Trustees and Council are all administered by the Trust’s Secretariat. Details of specific vacancies can be found at www.helpshapeourwork.org.uk