A Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the leader and public face of an organisation. They are the highest position of authority in the chain of command, but are held accountable by the Board of Directors. The role of a CEO in a non-profit is more varied and differs slightly from the standard CEO of a company.
What Responsibilities does a CEO in a Charity Have?
We have touched upon the duties of a CEO in the past. The role of a CEO in a charity has the same essence as a Chief Executive in any other organisation. They report to the Board and deal with the day-to-day operations. A working relationship with the Board will make their jobs a lot easier!
They will need to propose strategic plans for the Board to approve. This means setting out a mission statement and the goals of the fundraising efforts. They will also be responsible for the implementation of the campaigns and ensuring the stakeholders know it has been successful.
The CEO is the leading figure for the organisation. This means, both publicly and privately, they need to ensure they uphold good moral standards. Their actions reflect on the charity and its management team. A scandal will be associated with the charity just as much as it is associated with the individual.
In a charity, the CEO can also adopt the role of an executive director. Executive directors oversee as well as develop the strategic plans. They can also be responsible for reviewing senior leaders.
How can you be a Successful CEO in a Charity?
Firstly, it is important to have a basic understanding of every level of the organisation. From the volunteers to the Board of Directors, a committed CEO will understand their roles and responsibilities. A great CEO will also understand the problems each team faces and their performance as a whole. It is not necessary to know every single employee, but knowing that in certain months it is easier to raise money than others is crucial for a successful non-profit.
The mission statement should be at the core of every decision the CEO makes. If you are new to the organisation, it is important that you do not try to imitate the last CEO. Imposter syndrome is not useful for anyone, and why try to fill someone else’s shoes when you could wear your own!
If you are setting up your own charity, you need to avoid “founder’s syndrome”. This means you should avoid curating a Board to suit your personality needs and find people who will challenge you. You need to work to be the best organisation you can be, and a suitable and diverse Board that will hold you accountable is key.
The CEO needs to play an active role in fundraising efforts. They should be a charismatic, friendly face to all. This is also one of the many reasons that the CEO needs to be aware of the mission statement at all times. They should be passionate about any cause the charity is invested in resolving.
How can Convene help you reach your goals
A Board Portal is a useful tool for any charity. The all-in-one meeting management software can save you operational costs! Time is money, and a Board Portal can streamline your processes, so you can focus on the important things. See how our features can help you!
Using a Board portal will also save you 100,000 sheets of paper per month. This can help your charity to become more economically sustainable, as well as contributing to the future of the planet. If you want to find out more about our sustainability ethos, take a look at our eco-mission! We have also recently launched our new product Convene ESG to help you create the best reports to develop your ESG story.
Our Board Portal product Convene is now also available in Microsoft Teams, so your whole organisation can benefit from having both cost-savings and functionality in their meetings.
We help so many charities already, just read some of our Customer Success stories! If you want to learn more about Convene and how we can help your organisation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or book a demo!
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