Better boards – improving charity governance
Charity and non-profit boards face many challenges
From trustee disputes to a lack of diversity, many boards have weaknesses and points of failure which, if not tackled and managed well, can lead to disastrous outcomes for the charity they are responsible for.
Being on a charity board is a weighty responsibility. Chairs and trustees, the vast majority of them unpaid volunteers, should have support, and learning and development opportunities, to ensure that they are leading their organisations effectively. And yet, despite the importance of this, support and development for chairs and boards remains fragmented, piecemeal, and underfunded.
This is why we exist. We are here to champion and support chairs and their boards, to help them grow and develop, and to shout about the importance of good governance and how boards can improve.
This page gives an overview of the work we’re doing to help build better boards and improve charity governance. It also contains information about the current state of trusteeship in the UK for those who want to find out what charity boards and trustees are really like.
Find out how we support chairs and trustees to be the most effective they can be.
The Association of Chairs consultation 2025
In early 2025 the Association of Chairs ran a consultation about what chairs, trustees and CEOs want to see changed or developed to improve charity boards and governance.
The consultation had over 600 respondents from across non-profits large and small. Respondents identified their priorities by rating a set of statements from 1 (low priority) to 10 (high priority).
The consultation responses revealed several areas of high priority. These were:
- Developing an overall sector strategy for board improvement.
- Increasing diversity and inclusion on boards.
- Developing a learning culture for trustees.
- Developing principles to guide the behaviour of individual board members.
Medium priorities as identified by consultation respondents
The next highest set of priorities focused on improving the status and profile of trustees, making it easier for trustees to get paid time off, and measuring the overall success of trustee boards. Below this was setting up an infrastructure body for trustees and charity boards, as well as an accreditation for charity boards and co-ordination between the different governance bodies.
Lower priorities
The lowest set of priorities includes paying trustees, qualifications, and developing chartered chairs and trustees. Paying trustees was the most divisive topic with a clear split – those in favour tended to be from larger organisations and those against from smaller ones.
Who were the respondents?
- About half of all respondents came from organisations with a turnover of under £1 million, and about a quarter with a turnover of £1 to £5 million.
- Just over half (54%) of respondents were over 55 years old.
- 63% of respondents were female, 35% male, and 3% preferred not say.
- 70% of respondents were either chairs, vice-chairs, trustees, or treasurers. 16% were CEOs or senior staff, 8% were consultants or supporters to the sector, 5% selected “other”.
Consultation results – for further demographics, detailed breakdowns, and quotes, download the results.
What we’re doing
Diversity and inclusion
We will collaborate with others, such as Board Racial Diversity UK, to develop a plan to ensure that trustees are more representative of the UK population as a whole. See our page on EDI to find out more about our work in this area.
Learning culture
We will work with others to build stronger support for personal and organisational development for trustees and boards.
Board values and behaviour
We will connect with others, including The Charity Commission, to take forward work in this area.
What are boards and trustees really like?
The Future Charity Chair research project
This research was under the lead sponsorship of the Centre for Charity Effectiveness (CCE) at Bayes Business School (formerly Cass), City, University of London and was supported by sponsors Green Park, the Worshipful Company of Management Consultants, Brewin Dolphin, the Association of Chairs and Crowe UK LLP. Early-stage seed funding was given by the Higher Education Innovation Fund.
Association of Chairs equity, diversity and inclusion research, 2024
Our EDI survey in September 2024 revealed that many chairs and boards don’t feel equipped or confident to focus on EDI. 40% of our survey respondents also said they had experienced barriers to inclusion to being on a charity board, showing there is much work to be done when it comes to making charity boards more diverse and inclusive.
Charity Commission research on trustees, 2025
This research covers various aspects of trusteeship, including how trustees feel about their role, areas they feel confident about, support they receive, as well as charity banking, campaigning, and cost of living impacts.
Trusteeship – a positive opportunity, 2025
Research from the Charity Commission and Pro Bono Economics 2025
This research is the most comprehensive survey undertaken of trustee motivations and skills. They found that trustees are incredibly positive about their experience and would recommend the role to others. The research also identified skills gaps on boards, and looked at the composition of boards in terms of diversity.
Young trustees – motivations and barriers, 2024
The Young Trustees Movement, in partnership with Ecclesiastical, conducted research into young people’s interest in trusteeship. They found that 40% of 18-24-year-olds in the UK would be interested in joining a charity board. The research explored motivations to become a trustee, such as personal development and wellbeing, and why young people don’t want to be a trustee, for reasons including time constraints and too much work.
Trustee vacancies and skills gaps, 2024
NCVO has conducted research into skills gaps and trustee vacancies on boards. Their survey found that there are many board vacancies, with 4 out of 5 respondents reporting at least one vacant position, and 62% with two or more, with 85% struggling to fill their board vacancies.
Trustee motivations research, 2025
The University of Bath conducted research into trustee motivations in 2025, sponsored by the Charity Excellence Framework and with Nigel Kippax. They found that trustees who were motivated by a passion for the cause, rather than by other factors, had improved decision making and effectiveness.
Other
relevant pages.
Building your board
Information and resources on chair, trustee and treasurer recruitment.
Resources
More resources available to members and non-members.
Events
All our upcoming events, including events on EDI-related topics.