Civil Society Covenant

A new agreement to improve the relationship between civil society and government. Learn more and share your views

Managing people

Guidance for trustees on their responsibilities for managing charity staff and volunteers.

This page is free to all

If a charity employs staff, the board must make sure it follows current employment law. This includes staff who are:

  • full or part-time
  • casual or temporary.

Trustees should help put policies, procedures and processes in place. This will ensure the charity remains legal and has a good work environment.

You can use our guidance on developing employment policies and procedures.

NCVO members can access sample HR policies.

Members can also access free HR, employment, and health and safety advice through our HR trusted suppliers.

Working with the chief executive

A chief executive is the most senior member of staff in a charity. They are often the public face of the organisation. The chief executive:

  • reports to the board
  • manages the staff team
  • is responsible for leading the organisation day to day.

The board is responsible for holding the chief executive accountable. In rare circumstances, the chief executive can also be a board member.

The chair is usually given the responsibility of managing the chief executive. It’s common for the chair and chief executive to meet regularly.

How to build a good relationship

The relationship between a board and the chief executive should be a partnership. While the board is responsible for all the charity’s work, the chief executive usually has wide-ranging authority to run the charity.

The board and chief executive should agree on how they want to work together. Use the following questions to help guide your discussion.

  • Does the charity have all the necessary employment policies?
  • How do we define the role of the chief executive and how is it reviewed?
  • What responsibilities does the board want to delegate to the chief executive? What responsibilities do they not want to delegate? How will this be recorded?
  • How will the board decide how much the chief executive is paid?
  • What are the expectations on working patterns?
  • How should the chief executive report to the board? And how often?
  • How will their performance be monitored?
  • The chair usually line manages the chief executive. If it’s not the chair, which trustee will be responsible for line management?
  • How regularly will the chief executive have one-to-one meetings?

How to work well together

You should clearly define the chief executive's role, responsibilities and expectations. This will helthe board understand what decisions the chief executive has the authority to make.

The board should set realistic and achievable personal objectives for the chief executive. The chair and chief executive should meet regularly. The chair should use these meetings to monitor progress against personal objectives, offer support and discuss priorities.

The chief executive should report on progress against the charity's strategy and objectives in board meetings. This is different from the management relationship between the chief executive and chair. It’s an opportunity for the whole board to look at the work of the organisation together.

A chief executive’s role varies depending on a range of factors. For example, the charity’s income, size and areas of work. Boards should regularly review the role and discuss the relationship.

Volunteer management

The board needs to make sure their charity has a clear approach to volunteer management. This includes having the right policies and processes in place.

You can use our guidance on:

This page was last reviewed for accuracy on 08 October 2024

Back to top

Sign up for emails

Get regular updates on NCVO's help, support and services