Leadership development

April 06, 2010

Comment by Chad Rogerson

Strong and visionary organisational leadership is going to be a vital commodity over the coming decade, with society facing huge challenges such as the onset of climate change and the economic downturn. NCVO’s Leadership 20:20 programme, which launches through a series of ‘curry clubs’ over the coming months, is an important initiative for strengthening leadership in the voluntary sector.

Corporate Citizenship undertook a piece of research just over a year ago for ACEVO (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations), looking at how companies work in partnership with charities to support leadership development in the third sector. There were some interesting findings. Mentoring and cross-sector peer learning between senior business and charity leaders was shown to be hugely beneficial on both sides. Leaders of voluntary organisations gained from the management approaches and skills from the corporate sector, without their charities having to pay any training costs. Business leaders in turn were able to develop a range of transferable skills that they were not usually exposed to in their day-to-day environment. In addition, corporate partners benefited from a reputational perspective. However, the main conclusion from the research was that, despite the successful engagement of some firms such as Herbert Smith, most companies were missing an opportunity in cross-sector leadership development, by not being involved in such initiatives.

So, has anything moved on in this space over the last year? Looking at what leading companies are reporting on in relation to their community investment programmes, there does not appear to have been much headway. With community budgets being tightened, what better time for companies to start thinking creatively about how they support charities, particularly through contributing employee time. Cross-sector peer learning is potentially a cost efficient, high impact form of community investment, which can help ensure that leaders in the corporate and voluntary sectors are well-equipped to meet the challenges ahead.

Chad is a consultant at Corporate Citizenship.
Email him on chad.rogerson@corporate-citizenship.com to discuss assurance, community, impacts, new business, stakeholder engagement ad strategy development.

NCVO calls on members to join campaign for Robin Hood tax
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations has called on its members to join a campaign for a global ‘Robin Hood’ tax on banking transactions, aiming to raise billions for those in need. The campaign, launched on February 15, calls for an average 0.05% tax on transactions between banks globally, which would raise billions of pounds that could be used to protect public services in the UK, fight poverty and tackle climate change. A total of 75 organisations have already pledged their support to the campaign, which is being led by Oxfam and the Trades Union Congress. Financiers and economists have also backed the campaign.
Contact: Robin Hood Tax
www.robinhoodtax.org.uk

NCVO curry clubs to reveal leaders of the future
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is holding a series of ‘curry club’ meetings to uncover future leaders in the voluntary and community sector. NCVO launched the Leadership 20:20 programme on February 22, to explore some of the major issues affecting progression in the sector and shape new ways of supporting and guiding emerging leaders. The programme begins with a series of informal meetings across England’s nine government regions, which will be held in local curry houses. Participants will take part in debates about the sector and present their views in an informal setting. Key points from the ‘curry club’ meetings will then be presented to commissioners through short YouTube clips recorded at the meetings.
Contact: NCVO
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk

Report says charities should not be required to disclose expenses
Charities should consider publishing expenses of individual trustees and senior managers but disclosure should not be mandatory, according to a report by an independent expert group, set up by NCVO and the Charity Finance Directors’ Group in the wake of the MPs’ expenses scandal. The report acknowledged disclosing charity expenses was ‘desirable’ but concluded there was not ‘sufficient evidence’ for a ‘wholesale expansion’ of public reporting. Published on March 3, the report concludes an inquiry into the issue.
Contact: NCVO
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk

Environment Agency launch partnership with Football League Trust
Funding from the Football League Trust to all seventy-two Championship, League One and League Two clubs across England and Wales will now be partially linked to improvements in environmental performance, according to a press release on March 5. The Football League Trust is launching a partnership with the Environment Agency to improve environmental performance such as cutting energy, water and waste, and to promote green issues with local communities.
The Football League Trust, which oversees Community and Youth Development activities at Football League clubs, currently work with supporters and local communities across four main issues: social inclusion/community cohesion, health, education and sports participation. The environment has become the fifth issue.
Contact: The Environment Agency
www.environment-agency.gov.uk

Social innovation holds key to tackling social challenges
MAJOR social problems such as crime, climate change and poverty that existing structures and policies have found impossible to crack are being tackled by ‘social innovation’, according to a new report from the Young Foundation, entitled The Open Book of Social Innovation. The report pulls together more than 500 social innovations from hundreds of organisations around the world. Innovations included in the report are Freecycle, the online group which matches people who have things they want to get rid of with people who can use them, and an online platform called Pledgebanks which helps people come together to take collective action
Contact: The Young Foundation
www.youngfoundation.org

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