Charity Chief Executives Should Be On The Board of Trustees

Most charity trustees are unpaid volunteers, but in many other organisations – such as academies, housing associations and commercial companies – there is is at least one member of paid staff on the board. In many larger commercial companies the board is usually a balance of executive directors (senior management staff) and non-executive directors. The non-executive directors are seen to be independent and impartial and play a critical role – just as charity trustees do – in holding the executives to account. They take a lead in challenging the robustness of the organisation’s strategy and make sure it is on track to succeed. The charity sector’s model of governance does not follow the normal business pattern, and I think this is problematic.