Rajit Gholap's story...

Rajit Gholap is treasurer of QUIT, a charity that provides help, advice and support to people who want to stop smoking. He became involved with the charity after answering an advert on a charity jobs website.

As treasurer, Rajit has specific duties. He describes his main job as making sure the other trustees have the right financial information to make the best decisions for the charity.

He says: “Everyone with passion has something valuable to add to a trustee board, irrespective of age. Trusteeship is a way to give something back to a cause you care about, as well as learn lots of useful professional skills.

“I learn something from my role as a trustee every day. I've learnt technical skills, for example, from co-ordinating the finances of 11 projects in 7 African countries, as well as softer skills, such as information-gathering to help inform decisions or difficult choices. I've also learnt that staff, volunteers and trustees can be a huge force for good in helping the charity to achieve its aims.

“One great thing about being a trustee is hearing about the great work of staff and volunteers - it's inspiring to see the change and impact of your organisation's work. Trusteeship is also an amazing opportunity to learn from the experience and talents of other trustees, especially as a young person.

“Trustees' Week is a great way to highlight the work trustees do up and down the country every day. It can sometimes be a thankless job, but also immensely worthwhile and rewarding. The more people know about the role of trustees and feel empowered enough to take on a role themselves, the better the charity sector will be!”