A glimpse into ACEVO’s Pay and Equalities Survey (2023-2025): CEO satisfaction with board diversity
The ACEVO Pay and Equalities Survey is the most comprehensive source of data on charity CEO pay, benefits and leadership development. For more than 20 years, it has provided a crucial resource for sector leaders seeking insight into trends and challenges in governance, remuneration, and representation.
Each year, the survey reflects the views of charity chief executives who respond to it across England and Wales and through our partners Charity Leadership Scotland and CO3, across Scotland and Northern Ireland. It highlights key patterns relating to gender, race, disability and organisational structures, helping leaders to benchmark their organisations and make informed, equitable decisions.
This short briefing focuses on just one aspect of the findings from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 surveys: CEO satisfaction with board diversity. For the full data set and analysis of these trends, plus so much more, the Pay and Equalities Survey reports are available for purchase.
Ethnic diversity of the board
Year
% of CEO respondents who are satisfied
2023
33%
2024
34%
2025
34%
Disability representation of the board
Year
% of CEO respondents who are satisfied
2023
28%
2024
30%
2025
31%
Gender diversity of the board
Year
% of CEO respondents who are satisfied
2023
70%
2024
68%
2025
69%
Diversity of general views/outlook of the board
Year
% of CEO respondents who are satisfied
2023
67%
2024
66%
2025
73%
Experience and knowledge of the board
Year
% of CEO respondents who are satisfied
2023
66%
2024
72%
2025
71%
Skill set of the board
Year
% of CEO respondents who are satisfied
2023
56%
2024
56%
2025
62%
Age diversity of the board
Year
% of CEO respondents who are satisfied
2023
55%
2024
56%
2025
60%
Sexual orientation diversity of the board
Year
% of CEO respondents who are satisfied
2023
36%
2024
36%
2025
33%
Religious diversity of the board
Year
% of CEO respondents who are satisfied
2023
33%
2024
31%
2025
33%
Social class diversity of the board
Year
% of CEO respondents who are satisfied
2023
37%
2024
35%
2025
37%
Reflections
The data shows that satisfaction levels vary widely across different aspects of diversity, with some areas demonstrating steady improvement and others showing persistent challenges. Gender diversity and the diversity of general views/outlook are comparatively strong, with relatively high satisfaction and some positive upward trends. Experience and knowledge, skill set and age diversity also show improvement over time, suggesting gradual progress in these areas.
In contrast, ethnic diversity, disability representation, sexual orientation, religious diversity and social class show lower satisfaction levels. Ethnic diversity and sexual orientation, in particular, remain areas of concern, with little or no progress or even slight declines, indicating ongoing challenges in achieving meaningful representation and inclusion. Religious diversity and social class have fluctuated but show no overall improvement, highlighting areas where progress is inconsistent.
Overall, whilst there are encouraging signs in certain areas of diversity, the data points to a need for continued focus and targeted action to address persistent gaps, particularly in ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and socio-economic representation.
We encourage charity leaders to:
Strengthen ethnic diversity at board level, through reviewing trustee recruitment processes to identify and remove barriers, including reliance on informal networks, narrow role specifications or unpaid time expectations, consider mentoring, shadowing or associate trustee roles to support pathways into trusteeship for people from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds or setting clear, time-bound board diversity objectives and review progress regularly as part of governance and board effectiveness reviews.
Improve disability representation and accessibility within the board, through auditing accessibility and inclusion policies to identify barriers, building disability inclusion into board development and induction including awareness of ableism, inclusive decision-making and lived experience perspectives or championing visible leadership by normalising discussion of access needs and supporting trustees who choose to share their lived experience.
Address gaps in sexual orientation, religious diversity and social class, through creating a board culture where difference is valued and inclusion is actively modelled, incorporating EDI responsibilities into board governance or reviewing policies, language and assumptions to ensure they are inclusive of trustees from different sexual orientations, faith backgrounds and social classes.
