Meeting your charity’s needs
Working Together
Every charity’s situation is different. Each of these options is complete in itself, they can be combined as your needs change, and the board keeps the written findings whatever it decides.
Option 1 · Knowing
Free Charity Assurance Review
A free online review of ten areas of organisational health. A chair, trustee or senior leader can complete it in around fifteen minutes, on their own or with the board, and receive a confidential report straight away.
What you receive
- a rating for each of the ten areas, from substantial to minimal assurance
- the questions that may benefit from discussion by the board
- a confidential report you can print or save for your board pack
Charity Assurance Review · Summary reportAn example report
Option 2 · Knowing
Organisational Health Diagnostic
A focused, independent review of one area that is causing concern, such as finance, governance, safeguarding, fundraising or people.
When it helps
- something in one area doesn’t feel right, and the board needs to understand how serious it is
- an auditor, regulator or funder has raised a concern
- the Charity Assurance Review has shown limited or minimal assurance in an area
What it involves
I review the relevant documents, data and reporting, and speak with the people closest to the issue. I look at what is happening, why it is happening, and whether it is connected to anything elsewhere in the organisation.
What the board receives
- a clear written assessment of the area and the risks it presents
- the likely causes, not just the symptoms
- the immediate priorities, in order of importance
- an honest recommendation on whether a wider review is needed
The timescale depends on the size of your organisation. It is agreed with the board, along with a clear scope, before any work begins.
Option 3 · Knowing
Organisational Review and Action Plan
A deeper review across the whole organisation, looking at how leadership, people, structure, finance, governance and performance affect one another.
When it helps
- a new chair or chief executive wants an independent picture before setting direction
- the organisation has grown or changed, and its structures haven’t kept up
- the board senses several issues but can’t yet see how they connect
- before a new strategy, a merger or a major funding bid
What it involves
The review follows the first two phases of The Knowing Organisations Approach. I meet the chair, trustees, leadership team, staff and key partners, review the evidence, identify where issues are linked, and separate what is urgent from what can be phased.
What the board receives
- a written review of the organisation’s position across every area
- a prioritised action plan: what needs to happen now, next and later
- who is responsible for each action
- what the board should receive to keep oversight
- a presentation of the findings to the board
The timescale depends on the size of your organisation. It is agreed with the board, along with a clear scope, before any work begins.
Option 4 · Stabilising and delivering
Transformation Partner
Experienced senior support for your chief executive or board through a period of significant change, while your existing leadership stays in place.
When it helps
- a restructure, merger, service redesign or the planned close of a programme
- a capable chief executive is stretched and would value an experienced partner
- a plan exists but is not yet moving
- the board wants change delivered without disrupting its leadership
What it involves
I work alongside your chief executive and leadership team to plan the change, lead specific pieces of work, support staff through it and keep the board informed.
What the board receives
- a clear change plan with milestones
- practical support to deliver it
- regular reports to the board
- a leadership team better equipped to sustain the change
The timescale depends on the size of your organisation. It is agreed with the board, along with a clear scope, before any work begins.
Option 5 · Stabilising and delivering
Interim Chief Executive
Accountable senior leadership to stabilise the organisation, rebuild confidence and prepare well for your permanent chief executive.
What it involves
- assignments of typically six to twelve months
- two to four days a week, depending on your needs
- a written handover and, where the board can fund it, time working alongside your permanent chief executive
Also available
Other ways I can help
Projects
Writing for Organisations
Good documents take time that busy leaders rarely have. I help charities and public bodies produce the written work that matters to stakeholders and regulators: policies, strategies, business cases, annual reports, funding bids, board papers and formal correspondence.
With experience across the NHS, local government, the civil service and the voluntary sector, I understand the governance, the regulatory context and the audiences these documents are written for, and how to keep a clear golden thread running through them.
Whether you need something drafted from scratch, a stalled document finished, or existing material updated and strengthened, I can work quickly and independently.
Training · The Self-Aware Leader
The Leadership Development Programme
A programme that guides you and your team through the nine modules of The Self-Awareness Superhighway, with quizzes and opportunities for reflection along the way.
It is built around the Self-Aware Leadership Compass: nine essential behaviours of self-aware leadership, developed through research and refined through practice. The programme takes you through discovery, exploration, growth and excellence, so that what you learn becomes part of how you lead.
Choose the format that suits your organisation: on demand, so people can learn at their own pace, or face-to-face workshops for your team. I also run one-hour webinars for lunch-and-learn sessions.
Questions trustees often ask
Your questions answered
From whether you need outside support to how quickly I can start, these are honest answers to the questions boards ask most often.
We aren’t sure we need outside support.
That’s entirely understandable. The Charity Assurance Review is free and places you under no obligation, and it will help the board decide whether further support would be useful. Sometimes a different perspective can help to build stronger foundations and move things forward.
We are a small charity. Is this suitable for us?
Yes. Good governance and leadership should always be proportionate to the organisation, balanced with the requirements the Charity Commission and other regulators place on all charities. My experience across small and large organisations helps me judge what genuinely matters for yours, and what doesn’t.
Do you need experience in our particular cause?
An interim chief executive needs strong experience across governance, finance, people and fundraising. My work has spanned homelessness, early years, maternity safety and national policy, and an independent view often sees what those closest to the organisation have come to accept. At this point, you don’t need a specialty expert, you need a leadership expert.
How quickly can you start?
It depends on my current commitments. If I am not already on assignment, it is not unusual to start within four to six weeks, and I will always be clear about my availability in our first conversation.
We only need part-time support. Is that possible?
Yes. Assignments can be anything from one to four days a week, depending on your needs and budget. If your chief executive is in post but would benefit from experienced support, the Transformation Partner option may be a better fit.
Would you apply for the permanent role?
No. My role as interim chief executive is to stabilise the organisation and prepare it well for its permanent leader. Not applying for the post keeps my advice to the board independent and ensures everybody knows where they stand. It’s important that staff have clarity on this as well as the board.
How do you support staff through uncertainty?
Staff are kept informed, listened to and involved in shaping the plans that affect them. Stability for staff is one of the first priorities of any assignment, and inclusive practice is really important to me, so I use different ways to communicate with staff regularly, such as weekly reflection emails, meetings every other month and engagement in board meetings.
What if you find problems we cannot afford to put right?
Identifying a risk doesn’t mean everything has to be resolved immediately. Urgent matters are addressed first, and everything else is planned realistically, within the resources you have. It’s better to know the problem and plan for it than keep it hidden and deal with it when you’re in crisis. I work on a ‘no shocks and surprises’ basis.
What if something sensitive comes to light?
It is far better for the board to learn of it first, with the opportunity to respond properly, than to hear of it from a regulator, a funder or the press. Sensitive matters are always handled with discretion, urgent matters are prioritised, and difficult conversations are approached carefully and compassionately.
Is your approach quite academic?
I am very practical in my approach and generally think of myself as a ‘pracademic’ rather than an academic. What I do is charity leadership, and how I do it is through self-aware leadership. What and how work together to create my approach. My learning has impacted how I work with people and develop an inclusive culture.
Not sure which option fits?
Most boards start with a conversation or the free Charity Assurance Review. I’ll give you an honest view of what would help, including if the answer is that you don’t need outside support.