Each month, we’ll share a snapshot of what we’ve launched, updated or delivered to support you as a member, from new events and resources to opportunities to shape our work. It’s all part of ensuring your membership provides you with what you need, when you need it. Not yet a member? This is just a taste of what’s on offer – we’d love to welcome you to the network.
Events added to the calendar
Webinar: Charity CEOs salaries
Online, open to non-members
Charity CEOs are often under intense scrutiny, with limited support. So it’s time to have an honest conversation about leadership, pay, and equity. Join ACEVO chief exec Jane Ide, Valerie McConville, CEO, CO3 and Lucinda Godfrey, CEO, ACOSVO, to explore:
- the role of chairs and trustees and what needs to change for genuine accountability and equity in leadership
- the latest findings of our annual Pay and Equalities Survey
- why so many charity leaders still go without annual appraisals or fair processes for discussing pay
- the persistent gender pay gap and why women are still more likely to lead smaller, lower-paid organisations
- the systemic barriers to leadership for women and people from underrepresented backgrounds.
Webinar: UK data reform – what charity leaders need to know now
Online, open to non members
Join our upcoming leadership webinar hosted by Hope & May to unpack the most significant changes to UK data protection law in many years. With reforms rolling out over the next 12 months, now is the time for CEOs and senior leaders to understand what is changing, and what action is required. Find out more.
Online member meeting: Women in leadership
Online, for ACEVO members only
Our guest speaker for this online session, Felicity Oswald OBE, is the new CEO of Girlguiding. Felicity brings over 20 years’ experience working in the public sector – she has held senior public sector roles across national security, crime and policing policy and civil contingencies, and served as Trustee for national charities NCT and Nacro. Find out more.
Listening circle: a safe space for politically and socially turbulent times
Online, for ACEVO members only
This session is designed to create a safe, non-judgemental space for leaders to come together, to listen and be listened to.The Leaders’ listening circle offers time to pause, reflect, and be present with peers who understand the unique weight of leadership. Together, we will create a respectful and boundary-led environment where everyone’s voice is valued, and where sharing is always optional. Find out more.
New resources and services
Blog: Charity CEO interview questions
Online resource, available to all
We asked ACEVO members to share the best questions they were ever asked in interviews, and here’s what you said! We hope the examples can help you if you are preparing for an interview or in the process of seeking someone to fulfil a charity CEO role. All the questions featured were suggested by our members, either in the ACEVO Community or as a response to our callout in our weekly member-only newsletter. We also reached out to ACEVO’s followers on LinkedIn.
Blog: Preparing for a new CEO role
Online resource, available to all
The first day in a new chief executive role can feel like standing on a cliff edge. You’ve been appointed, celebrated, and announced. Soon the spotlight will swing firmly onto you – the person responsible for setting direction, reassuring staff, and delivering on mission.
Blog: Becoming CEO – lessons I wish I’d known at the start
Online resource, available to all
Thinking about becoming a CEO? This honest reflection from a former charity CEO is a must-read before you take the leap. It lifts the lid on what the role really involves — from the unseen pressures and lonely decisions to the huge shift between leading small and large organisations. More importantly, it offers reassurance: the challenges you can’t talk about don’t have to come as a shock. If you want to step into leadership with your eyes open — and a little less stress — this blog is for you.
Blog: Dolphins and charity CEOs – learning from each other
Online resource, available to all
As she marks 10 years since first stepping into a CEO role, Dr Kate Paradine reflects on the lessons that have carried her through the challenges of leadership. Central to her reflections is the value of strong connections with peer leaders and the solidarity, perspective and encouragement those relationships bring when the job feels toughest. From accepting that the work is never truly ‘done’ to remembering that boards and teams come into their own when a CEO asks for help, Kate shares the wisdom she’s gathered along the way. Read the blog for more reflections on what it takes to lead, and to keep going, in today’s charity sector.
Leader insight series: Fiona Ellison, co-director of Unite Foundation
Online resource, available to all
This blog is part of the Leader insight series, a collection of honest, peer-led reflections from leaders across our community. From aspiring CEOs to those with decades of experience, these stories explore the pivotal moments, challenges, and lessons that shape leadership in all its complexity. Together, they form a growing library of insight to help us lead with courage, care, and clarity.
Downloadable: A glimpse into ACEVO’s Pay and Equalities Survey (2022–2024) – socioeconomic background
Online resource, available to all
The ACEVO Pay and Equalities Survey is the most comprehensive source of data on charity CEO pay, benefits and leadership development. It has provided sector leaders with essential insights into trends and challenges in governance, remuneration, diversity and representation. This briefing focuses on just one element of the findings from the 2022, 2023 and 2024 reports: the socio-economic background of charity CEOs who responded.
Service provider: Stone King
Stone King is a full-service law firm and our legal teams include charity, governance, employment (with an in-house HR consultancy team), property, disputed legacies, commercial, information law and dispute resolution, as well immigration and other practice areas. We also advise charities under investigation by a range of regulatory bodies, including the exercise of statutory powers and formal inquiries.
Service provider: OneDonate
OneDonate believes giving should be easy, for donors, and for the incredible charities who change lives every day. That’s why they’ve built a free app that helps you raise more, reach more, and keep supporters connected all year round.
Other updates
Have your say in ACEVO’s new influencing temperature check survey
We want to hear from you! Our inaugural temperature check survey is now open and your feedback will help us understand the mood across our membership, spot emerging trends and strengthen our evidence base for influencing on behalf of leaders in the sector. Our intention is to run this survey every quarter to build up a picture over time. All responses are anonymous and it should only take a few minutes. Your insights are crucial in shaping ACEVO’s influencing work and ensure we’re representing your needs and priorities. The survey will close at 5pm Thursday 16 October. Please take a few minutes to complete it now.
Cost of living salary increase survey
We are again running our annual cost-of-living salary increase survey to gain insight into how sector leaders are managing the cost-of-living crisis and what this means for staff salaries. The survey will stay open for 10 days, closing at 5pm Friday 17 October. The results will be launched in our L2L on Monday 3 November. Results from previous years are available on the website.