Why I call myself the Mary Poppins of the Charity Sector

About a month or two ago, I changed my LinkedIn title from ‘Interim CEO and Charity Consultant’ to ‘The Mary Poppins of the Charity Sector’. It’s something I often say in passing when I describe what it is that I …

Tired of experts? The charity sector is not for you.

Earlier today, a charity Trustee I know said to me ‘we want to bring in someone with no experience or knowledge of the sector’. Thankfully I lack a brick wall in my office or I may have found myself pounding …

How to be a better funder

Grants and trusts funders vary enormously. Some are very large, giving vast amounts each year (sometimes with innovative and supportive systems and structure in place – I’m looking at you, National Lottery Community Fund and Comic Relief). Some are extremely …

Locking Horns: how to avoid conflict between the Board and staff

Health Check Series Part 5   Recent vitriolic pieces in the media (such as here and here) have demonstrated something that most people involved with small and medium–sized charities already know: there is often tension between the Board of Trustees and the CEO …