How charity CEOs can get the most out of their Board – six key tips

With 8 years as a CEO and 16 years as a Trustee with multiple different charities, here are my recommendations as to how charity CEOs can get the best out of their Board. 

1.     Become a Trustee elsewhere and bring the learning to your work

My single biggest piece of advice to any charity CEO is to become a Trustee of another charity. It will change your perspective, giving invaluable insights that you can apply to your own role. Through doing this, you will be better placed to empathise with, appreciate and understand your own Trustees and you will also be able to adopt practices that you like in your Trustee role into your work as a CEO. You will gain tips on presenting information and papers, structuring agendas, and how to better assist decision making for those who are not operationally involved every day. You will also hone your understanding of the difference between governance and management, and the areas and times where these can blur.

2.     Focus on relationships, not structures

The foundation of any successful charity is relationships and communication. Work with your Chair, your single most important relationship, to develop rapport and understanding. Ensure that your working relationship starts with respect, trust and openness on both sides and approach the work of the Board as a strong tandem working in support of each other. Encourage the Chair to build relationships and invite feedback from the rest of the Board and do the same in your role. Start from a place of understanding and appreciating that Trustees are giving their time voluntarily because fundamentally they care about the charity, and see and acknowledge good intentions even where views and outlooks may differ. That’s not to say that there won’t be issues from time to time, with individuals and/or decisions. Where there are issues, with a Trustee or a regular item of debate, be proactive and work together to find a way to surface and resolve the matter and move forward. Where an issue is very knotty, try to understand why it has become more problematic, adapt for the future and bring in external support if necessary.

3.     Have clear roles and responsibilities

Support the focus on relationships by having very clear roles and responsibilities, at Board level, and for all the key areas of the charity’s governance. Some absolute basics include a clear schedule of delegation, role remits for all Board members and senior staff, a code of conduct for the Board, term limits, relevant policies and procedures, and terms of reference for all sub-committees. The greater the clarity, the more you can expect it to run smoothly.

4.     Recruit and include diverse perspectives and skills

Recruit for all vacancies via open and inclusive recruitment. For the Board, run skills and diversity audits and agree a Board recruitment approach that deals with gaps in both. Diversity of thought is the paramount concern, and that means having people from different backgrounds, journeys, skillsets, life experiences and careers. A better Board is one that includes a range of inputs, with a commitment to including and listening to everyone, and the cultural piece of this should never be under-estimated. Be deliberate, open, aware and keep working at it. 

5.     Be open to input and use their expertise

A good Board should offer a CEO both challenge and support. Expect and encourage both elements and be open to their input, insights and professional expertise. They’re a resource for you – use them. Appreciate the added value that their distance from the operational day to day gives you. Encourage debate, take on board feedback, and try to set your own ego aside.

6.     Keep working at it

A healthy organisation keeps working at governance, to develop and improve. It’s never an item you can check off your list as done. Having appraisals, both Board and CEO, will help to tease out some areas for change. Provide a clear induction for all Trustees which goes further than just providing them with the Charity Commission guidance and the charity’s governing document! Invest in regular training for Trustees (there are some great free or low-cost resources out there). A space for Trustees and the senior team to come together at least annually to work on the development of the Board’s work and connection to both strategy and operations is a must. A regular governance review against the Charity Governance Code is recommended, and external support will help the focus and provide independent external feedback.

Rob has over 8 years’ experience as a charity CEO and 16 years’ experience as a Trustee with multiple charities in different parts of the sector. An avid volunteer, he is also a mentor to other charity CEOs, especially those in their first appointment. Rob provides leadership, governance and strategy support to charities and charity leaders.  

Contact Rob to discuss how he could help you.