By Tom Neumark, CEO of Porchlight
Chairs matter. Recruiting a chair is one of the most consequential decisions a charity CEO and board will ever make. Far too often the opportunity to strengthen governance, leadership, and your own ability to succeed is passed up. This blog sets out practical steps and hard-won lessons on how a CEO can support the recruitment of a new chair.
Run a real process, as shortcuts will cost you later
It is perhaps understandable but ultimately foolhardy to avoid running a process. Boards of smaller charities, but also some larger charities, can be of the view that it is too much work and risk to run a process to select a new chair. Instead, an offer is made to someone who is known and trusted by either the CEO or the current chair. This is a mistake.
You must be prepared to invest the required time and resources necessary to create and agree a role description, person specification and to run a recruitment process. This is one of the most consequential decisions your charity will make. If done well, the recruitment of a new Chair can significantly improve your charity’s ability to deliver its mission and strategy. If done poorly other trustees and senior members of staff can be left with a lingering sense of exclusion and resentment.
If you use an agency, stay involved every step of the way
It is true that using an agency to help find suitable candidates can feel like a luxury when budgets are tight. There are arguments for and against using one. However, if you do use one, this does not let you off the hook! You must be involved throughout the process.
The agency needs to have a clear sense of the charity’s history, culture and strategy. No one is better placed than you to provide this. You must equip the agency with this information without which they will be forced to cobble something together from your website and the best you can hope for is that they will present you with a list of well-credentialled individuals who have only the vaguest sense of who you are and what you do. Even if their CVs look impressive on paper, they will likely not be a good fit for the challenges you face.
Prioritise chair‑specific qualities, not just leadership credentials
Working with your board or nominations committee, you also have a chance to inform the person specification that the agency use in their search. It is natural to want to recruit successful people to be your chair and to overlook the importance of finding someone with knowledge or at least interest in governance. This is a risk.
If you find a new chair who has never had a non-executive position, or does not understand that charity governance is different from governance in other sectors or someone who has no interest creating and maintaining an effective board of trustees then you are storing up trouble for yourself. At the very least, you want a Chair who can actually chair meetings!
Bonus lessons from experience
- Do not just hire someone with lots of letters after their name. There is no equation whereby the more letters someone has after their name the better they will be at being your chair.
- Your board may wish to exclude the CEO entirely from the process of recruiting a new chair. That’s a terrible idea. It significantly increases the risk that there will not be a productive relationship between the board and leadership team.
- Remember, once the chair is recruited, your job is not over, it has only just begun. You have to continue to support them. They will need an induction into the role and the charity and you are the best placed person to ensure this happens.
Charity CEOs all too often fall into a familiar habit when they meet up. They complain about their trustees, saying that they wish they had strong governance and a functional relationship between board and leadership. The recruitment of a new chair provides you with the perfect opportunity to sidestep this trap.
The right chair will not only support their CEO’s development but also help the charity achieve more than anyone previously imagined was possible. The best chance you have of ensuring your charity gets the right chair is to put in the work and support your board to run a clear, inclusive process and continue to support the new chair with their induction and throughout their term.
Recruiting a chair is not just a governance task it is one of your charity’s most consequential moments and a chance to influence the future of your charity.
If you’re recruiting a chair for your organisation, place an ad with ACEVO Jobs