According to the Association of Chairs, 200,000 Chairs govern charity boards in the UK.
However, the Chair role is still among the hardest to recruit.
When it comes to good governance, the Chair leads with who they are as much as what they know. They are a model for the rest of the board and ambassadors for the broader organisation. They ensure that Trustees are aligned with the purpose, vision, mission, and values, which means their personal characteristics and style are critically important.
If you can create a succession plan and recruit from within the board, it is better for two key reasons. First, you can manage risk, as you will better understand an internal candidate’s motivation, values, and personal style. Second, external recruitment requires significant trustee resources, careful planning, rigorous assessment, and a longer induction and onboarding support period. It also costs money.
If you need to recruit externally, running an open and effective recruitment process is more important than ever to attract a diverse range of candidates. The volunteer Chair role has never been more challenging and arduous. Proactively reaching out to and actively engaging prospective candidates is often the only way to achieve a diverse field of people.
For Chair roles, expect the recruitment to take around 12 weeks for a search, engagement between candidates, the board, and the leadership team, a two-stage interview process and in-person final interviews.
1. Advance planning
Be clear about what your governing documents say about how to recruit a Chair and plan for any steps you will need to take to achieve formal approval.
Ideally, you should start preparing for the recruitment 12 months before their term of office ends. This allows time for a robust search and a good onboarding of your new Chair—but more on that later!
Consider your current chair’s skills, knowledge and experience and reflect on what has worked well and where improvements can be made. Are the skills you recruited for previously the same as what’s needed now? Recruiting a new Chair is a good time to undertake a Board Audit to understand who is around the table and what’s needed to complement and bring the best out in them. If there are significant skills or diversity gaps, recruiting Trustees at the same time can be economical and effective.
2. Form a recruitment panel
It’s critical that your recruitment panel is diverse and represents the whole organisational view. Include key stakeholders such as the CEO, which is essential for any Chair recruitment process to test the personal chemistry and possibly beneficiaries, if practical.
Clearly define each person on the panel’s roles and responsibilities and confirm their availability for interviews and assessment interventions as early as possible.
Clear roles should be defined around who is responsible for:
- Communication and promotion of the role
- Assessment of candidate applications and shortlisting
- Interviews
- Onboarding
3. Define the Role
The Chair will always oversee board meetings, guide the strategic direction, advocate for the charity, and be a critical friend to the CEO.
- Considering your charity’s current context and strategic direction, what else will they be responsible for?
- What does success look like for an effective Chair in 3-5 years?
- What skills, experience, personal qualities and motivations would your Chair need to achieve this success?
For instance, if you are facing severe financial strain, you may want your new Chair to have strong commercial acumen. If your focus is more on change, your Chair might need to have successfully managed an organisation through a period of change.
Be transparent about the expected time commitment. Don’t underestimate the time required to prepare for board meetings, engage and support the CEO, and engage externally in events.
Establish clear criteria
Your success measures will define the skills and experience required for the role of Chair. Some good questions to ask yourself to establish these criteria include:
- What is most important for the organisation’s next term? Consider attributes such as leadership abilities, strategic thinking, communication skills, specialist knowledge such as finance, legal, technical, or safeguarding, and evidence of sustained commitment to a leadership role.
- Consider key relationships, whether the role is ambassadorial, internal, or external. How does this fit with the orientation of the Chief Executive and the attributes of other executives or trustees?
- How would the ideal candidate demonstrate and model your values?
- Where is the board in its level of development and maturity? Do you need an experienced Chair, or could an experienced Trustee or Non-Executive use this as a good opportunity to step up?
- Can one person fulfil all your criteria, and if not, are you open to Co-chairing?
- What is the expected time commitment? Is this realistic?
Creating the Role Description
Now it’s time to collate all of this into a role description, which should include:
- Responsibilities of the Chair
- The skills and qualities you are looking for to meet these
- Relevant professional experience required
- Expected time commitment
- Information about your charity’s mission, vision, and values
- The potential impact the chairperson will have
4. Engage Potential Candidates
Create a recruitment campaign highlighting your charity’s impact and show how the Chair can contribute to future development. Share testimonials and success stories of beneficiaries and other board members to inspire interest.
Advertise this story broadly to access a greater network of people with different backgrounds and skills. Fresh thinking might be exactly what your board needs. Consider using online charity job boards, LinkedIn and industry-specific newsletters or forums.
Think laterally about the required experience and where you might find these people. Consider people outside the charity sector who can bring expertise in the commercial, government, or education sectors.
Provide candidates with the job description and invite them to apply with a CV and a supporting statement that outlines their suitability for the role.
Ask current trustees, partners, and supporters if they know anyone who fits the role. Directly approach individuals you believe could be a good fit, emphasising how their expertise aligns with the charity’s mission.
Be conscious about how you use your networks and seek interest from the existing board to ensure everybody is considered equally and fairly.
5. Shortlisting & Interviews
Your shortlist should confirm the applications by their relevant experience, skills, and alignment with the charity’s values.
Those who don’t meet the criteria should be informed quickly and thanked for their interest. Provide feedback on their application and invite them to continue to engage with and support your charity.
Conducting Interviews
Assess the candidates’ chemistry with the CEO. Throughout the assessment process, there should be ample opportunity for the CEO and prospective Chairs to engage formally and informally.
Consider sharing the interview questions in advance. Create a conversational tone in which the interviewee is encouraged to ask questions and develop their understanding and engagement. They are choosing you as much as you are selecting them.
Use the interviews to show the candidates what you do and help them understand your positive impact.
Prepare questions assessing motivation, strategic thinking, leadership style, perceived commitment to the charity’s mission, understanding of governance, and ability to work collaboratively with the board.
6. Offer and Onboard
Ensure you do any due diligence around your candidates through formal background checks and on news and their profile in the public domain. Collect at least two personal or professional references that will attest to the candidate’s experience, leadership style, and reliability.
Your onboarding process should include:
- Introduction to the team and board members.
- A clear overview of the organisation, including its structure and its history.
- A comprehensive induction into the charity’s operations and finances.
- Defining expectations and immediate priorities.
Can you facilitate a shadowing or handover process for a defined period before the Chair takes the role?
While recruiting for a new chair can be daunting, it can also be a wonderful time to reinvigorate your board and priorities. Putting the time and effort into doing this right and reaching diverse candidates is challenging but highly fulfilling. If you need help with this process, please visit our Board Search page.
Marie McQuade has a long history of working with charities to create impact. Since 2023, she has been recruiting board members for charities nationwide. You can reach Marie via her LinkedIn profile or email.
