The Road Ahead

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Dan Francis

Principal Consultant

Dan is NCVO’s principal consultant. He oversees the work of our training and consultancy team. He specialises in charity governance and leadership.

Dan joined NCVO in 2016. He oversees our consultancy and training practice, ensuring our services deliver results for clients and meet the needs of the sector. He's sat on the steering group for the Charity Governance Code for the last eight years and has co-authored its last two iterations.

Dan has extensive experience in governance and board reviews, and trustee training. Since joining NCVO he’s worked with a wide range of clients from local charities to national and international organisations. He’s particularly interested in supporting effective board dynamics, the governance of complex membership organisations, and helping charities make the best decisions for the communities they serve.

Dan’s background is in the education and youth sector. He joined NCVO from the National Union of Students (NUS) where he supported the development of students' unions as charities. Dan is currently a governance subcommittee member for an international development charity focused on innovation.

Areas of expertise

  • Governance reviews
  • Board effectiveness reviews
  • Board facilitation and away days
  • Skills and diversity audits
  • Trustee development and training
  • Staff training on good governance and legal structures
  • Trustee and chair appraisals
  • Executive and non-executive dynamics and duties
  • Reviewing membership structures
  • Organisational strength assessments

Dan’s clients have included

  • Tutors United: Board effectiveness review exploring executive and non-executive roles.
  • UNICEF UK: Board effectiveness review.
  • Scout Association: Board effectiveness review.
  • Citizens Advice: Capacity building programme for training trustees and senior managers of member organisations.
  • The Charity for Civil Servants: Governance review.

Get in touch

If you're interested in working with Dan or finding out more about our consultancy services, please complete the contact form below.

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