Leading on purpose: equipping charity leaders to drive lasting change

Leaders at all levels are increasingly dealing with complexity, but they rarely have time to reflect and invest in their own development.

Through a combination of face-to-face, online and self-directed learning, you’ll develop your leadership style, hear from experts and become part of a network of high-calibre and ambitious charity leaders.

To reach leaders across the sector, we offer a concession rate for member organisations with an annual income of less than £500k. Find out more about our pricing.

Benefitting your future

This programme recognises that there are leaders at all levels. It strips back the noise to focus on what really matters, to enable you to navigate the complexity of the world in which you want to deliver change.

We aim to give charity leaders the opportunity to develop the skills needed to excel in their current role, leap into future roles and help their charities to make a bigger difference.

Benefitting your organisation’s future

We encourage leaders to:

• have the confidence to make tough decisions
• prioritise effectively
• and stay aligned with your organisation's focus.

For charities to achieve long-term success, they must nurture leadership at every level, not just the most senior. This course is an investment in the future of your people, your charity and those that you serve.

By the end of this programme, you will:

• understand the leadership challenges and opportunities in the charity sector
• know your leadership style, values, strengths, and weaknesses and how they inform your interactions with others
• have strategies to improve your resilience and well-being
• have enhanced your ability to communicate a vision and inspire others
• be able to navigate change with compassion, curiosity, creativity and innovation
• have the confidence to make tough decisions and prioritise effectively, staying aligned with the charity’s focus
• improve your ability to think strategically about developing and leading your team
• consider how to create a supportive and impactful organisational culture which empowers people to flourish
• master the art of delivering effectively while considering values, ethics, good governance, efficient operations and the requirements of being a charity
• identify ways to unite your team, to achieve more together
• build your confidence in influencing and engaging with diverse external stakeholders.

You'll come away from this course with:

• a Lumina Spark assessment report
• a personal leadership project on which you have made progress
• a personal leadership statement that describes your leadership values, purpose and style
• a personal development plan for the next 2-5 years
• and a knowledge bank of top tips on leadership and management, generated and curated by the group.

This is an experiential and collaborative programme, combining face to face, online and self-directed learning.

Introductory session (90 minutes, online)

• meet other participants and the facilitator
• learn about programme structure, content, and any preparation required.

Two-day in-person session

• examine your own leadership style through a personalised Lumina Spark assessment and an expert-led facilitation
• presentations from experienced charity leaders
• interactive activities to share and apply learned knowledge
• participants are briefed on a three-month project to collaborate in groups on developing a solution to a challenge facing the sector.

Three online sessions

• talks from experts on emerging trends and challenges
• seek support from the cohort for personal development and group projects.

Final in-person session

• reflect and finalise a 2+ year development plan
• a discussion on the current state of civil society and what that means for leaders, based on NCVO’s latest research
• group project presentations
• discuss and plan the future of the network we’ve built in these four months.

This course is designed for those who have started on their leadership journey but aren’t yet leading large organisations. It would be suitable for someone who is:

• managing a large team
• a head of department
• someone new to a senior leadership team or
• a senior leader or chief executive of a smaller charity.

Libby McVeigh is the lead facilitator. Libby is NCVO’s lead consultant on leadership and organisational development.

Her engaging and innovative approaches draw on the latest research and her own 15 years of experience as a senior leader within the charity sector. She uses this to support course participants on their learning journey as charity sector leaders.

Graham Atkinson will coordinate the Lumina Spark assessments and facilitate in-person sessions. Graham is a co-founder and director at Atkinson HR, one of NCVO’s trusted suppliers.

Graham has worked with a wide range of charity leaders across the sector through facilitation, coaching, 360s and psychometrics. He is passionate about empowering people to make small changes that help them to be even better leaders. Participants will be able to access an optional 360 review through Atkinson HR at a reduced rate.

If you’re interested in joining the programme, please complete the application form below

We’ll arrange a short meeting with you so you can ask questions to ensure the programme meets your needs and will benefit you and your charity. We’ll consider your application based on criteria such as:

• the stage you’re at in your leadership journey
• your understanding of the ethos of the programme and its learning outcomes
• your willingness to contribute through collaboration and teamwork
• your understanding of the commitment required to undertake the programme

Places are limited and sometimes we may recommend another one of our programmes that we feel would be more suitable.

Once you’re accepted, we’ll register your place. Please ensure payment is made before the course starts.