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What it’s like on the MTI Board? By Jenny Hampton, Ros Cope and Paul Grainger
What it’s like on the MTI Board?
Jenny Hampton, Practitioner Lead
If you aren’t familiar with charity or not-for-profit organisations (as I wasn’t), the sound of being a Board member could seem overwhelming. Feels like a lot of responsibility in what is for most of us an already busy life. However, when I took on the Practitioner Lead role in April 2024, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the time and energy commitment was flexible enough for me to fit around running my business.
I decided to put myself forward because MTI supported me in my early years of practice and I wanted to give something back (Board positions are voluntary with a small annual stipend, which is the norm for non-profits). I wasn’t sure though if I could manage the commitment or if I’d be up for dealing with the formal and legal aspects of the role. After speaking with our Chair Ros Cope, I was pleased to learn that the role was manageable, and existing Board members guided me through anything I wasn’t sure on.
Board positions can be adapted to suit the needs of the individual. If you’ve only got a few hours a month to spare, that’s enough. The only requirement is to attend monthly Board meetings and carry out actions you agree to. There are times when it is busier, such as around the annual conference or if a syllabus update is needed, but these are mostly planned events with plenty of notice.
Like everything about MTI, the Board meetings are informal and friendly, while maintaining the standards that are needed. You can be yourself and your point of view will be heard.
In my role I also manage 2 members of staff, which I enjoy very much. Our admin team are friendly and professional. They need very little management, I offer support and reflection while they get on with what needs to be done.
There is an acceptance throughout the management and admin team that we are a small organisation, and all we can do is what we can with the resources we have. If life gets busy, you can step away. Or you could take on a Board role for a designated time, such as 3, 6 or 12 months.
Here’s more on what it’s like from those in post:
Ros Cope, Chair
It’s a legal requirement for the organisation to have a board and regular minuted meetings, so we need Board members or the organisation can’t continue. But more than that, tutor and other members can potentially use a Board position to shape the organisation and keep it alive, moving forwards.
As Chair, I like to keep things running easily and smoothly, and openness, fairness, good governance are all important to me.
MTI gave me a reasonable living – providing the accreditation, mechanism for producing the syllabus which meets GMCT and CHNC standards, the exam papers, the marking, the practical assessment – all of which made the Holistic Massage Diploma a much easier course to run. I’m grateful for that, and now I feel in a position to give back a little.
And if people have ideas, think the Board doesn’t listen or whatever, then it’s a chance for them to take on a role and have a voice.
When I joined the MTI as a tutor member, it was expected that everyone attend the AGM and that everyone should take try to take their turn of a role on the Board if they could. There are a lot of our tutor members who have served on the Board, but we need to keep increasing the pool if we want to continue.
Paul Grainger, Finance and New Tutors Officer
I first joined the Board because I felt part of the MTI community and was grateful for the support and encouragement I received from being a student, to assistant teaching, and becoming a tutor. MTI had given me opportunities to grow so I wanted to give something back and ensure the organisation continued.
All not for profit organisations have a Board of Directors or Trustees who voluntarily give their time and skills/insights to benefit the organisation. Tutors bring huge value because they have the knowledge, skills, experience in teaching/exams/assessing and the massage industry as a whole.
It does require some time and effort which is not always easy as we all lead (too) busy lives, so the main challenge is making the time for it.
For tutors, it is in their interest that MTI is able to continue and function. There are things that need to be improved and there are lots of things we ‘could’ do. Relying on the same people is unfair and limits how much we can achieve. If we all did a little bit we could achieve a lot more! Schools are currently not represented on the Board, which is not a good situation because it means they haven’t a point of contact to raise issues with or represent their concerns and ideas.
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