Trustees' Week: Millie Brown
To celebrate Trustees' Week, we spoke to five of our Trustees about why they choose to spend their time supporting Respect.
It’s Trustees’ Week, and this year’s theme is “Making a difference in changing times”, a sentiment particularly relevant for us at Respect, as the charity has been going through a period of growth and change.
With more attention on - and funding for - perpetrator work, we’ve grown quickly to develop, deliver and support in this area. With this growth, comes new challenges, and we’ve relied on our trustees to support and steer us during this exciting period.
To celebrate Trustees' Week, we spoke to five of our Trustees about why they choose to spend their time supporting Respect.
Millie joined the Respect Board in 2020 as a trustee. She brings experience in charity funding, development, management and grant-making, and an MSc in NGO Management. Millie currently provides organisational development support to Manchester’s VCSE sector. She's passionate about supporting grassroots community action, anti-violence youth work and specialised minoritised women's services.
"I'm a trustee at Respect because of its mission: to end domestic abuse by addressing its causes. Respect does this by understanding and changing the behaviour of those who use violence and abuse. It's really rewarding to apply the knowledge I've gained through working in the charity sector on a range of causes to support Respect in delivering this mission as effectively as possible."
"It's demanding and important work and I have huge admiration for those who pioneered this approach, as well as for those who continue to push boundaries and shift the dial away from victim blaming, to holding perpetrators accountable."
"Respect's role as a sector leader and innovator makes for a fascinating trusteeship. I constantly get the chance to learn from experts in their field."
"As my first trustee role, I didn't entirely know what to expect. Its been two years now and I find it both challenging and fulfilling. As a board member, you're part of a group, each bringing different perspectives, skills and knowledge which alleviates some of the pressure of responsibility."
"If you're thinking of becoming a trustee for the first time, dive in - find a good fit and give up some of your time and skills to a cause you care about. For those of us who grew up not knowing what a trustee is, it can be intimidating at first, but in my experience, you can work out what being a 'good trustee' means to you along the way."