Governance and Trust

There is a lot in the press about charities and public trust and after all THE BEST WAY to get attention in the charity world is to say something controversial about public trust. So here we go!

5 years ago public trust was mentioned 6 times a week now 17 times a day in the Guardian and Observer. NCVO Research

If you follow one survey trust is up another is down and yet a third is somewhere in the middle. A few weeks ago Joe Saxton, fundraising guru and boss of think-tank nfpSynergy, hit the charity headlines by proclaiming a haemorrhaging of trust in the voluntary sector. Yet just the other week Third Sector devoted over a page of analysis to a survey which showed the opposite result. According to data released by the Charity Commission, trust has actually increased since 2005. For balance the YouGov poll from 2007 showed trust declining at an alarming rate, but levelling-off at a higher level than the nfpSynergy research!

All very confusing but what can I do about it? I suppose making the principals of governance easier to understand would be one thing. Another would be simple steps to sound governance. Well, to this aim I’ve collected together good practice and guidance in the form of a Knol. A Knol is meant to be an authoritative article about a specific topic. More importantly its also a place where knowledge can be gathered from other people so the collective is greater than the sum of its parts. Here is a link to my Knol, don’t forget to add your knowledge to it!

https://knol.google.com/k/darcy-myers/charity-governance/156fvhcgke2b/3

Your Healthy Heart beats into life

I’m delighted to see that the initiative has got underway with such a great fanfare from the Southampton Echo. My commitment to address my BMI is now in print as well as being virtual. I have found the walk up from the station, which is just over two miles, much easier than I had thought it would be. Once I start combining it with a few trips to LA Fitness we should see some real results!

D’Arcy Celebrates His BNI High-Five!

I have spent the majority of my career in the First Sector and am chuffed to been officially recognised by the most successful business referral organisation in the world.
As a member of the Chichester BNI chapter, I have received the BNI Notable Networker Award “in recognition of outstanding performance.”
This is the fifth time in seven years of membership that I have been presented with the accolade, which acknowledges business mentoring, bringing visitors to the chapter and generating business for existing members.
I am delighted to have received this for the fifth time. My role within Wessex Heartbeat brings me into contact with many different people from all sections of the community including the business world. I feel I am able to make introductions and contacts for other members and they are able to reciprocate – living out the BNI mantra “Givers Gain”

First not Third

Collectively know as the Third Sector, Not-For-Profit Sector or Charity Sector in my view all these are damming with faint praise. Third rate, unprofessional, begging! More accurately I think we should be referred to as the First Sector. After all the 190,000 charities in England and Wales contribute £32 billion each year and employ around 608,000 people. The work we do underpins society and could be seen as an ever more important key stone for government. Should charities provide services previously funded by government? Do we really know what constitues a charity? How do we know which charity to support?

A penny for your thoughts

This is a little trick I sometimes use to check out my deep feelings about a tricky choice. If you have to make a decision between two options which are pretty much equal, take a penny and give heads to one option and tails to the other. Toss the coin and catch it hidden under your hand. When you look at the coin what is your emotional reaction? In the first split second were you pleased that it was say heads or disappointed? I’m not suggesting that you use the result to decide which course of action to take, rather to see which one you truly desire to follow!

Where are all the CEOs?

To communicate effectively, leaders require great strategy, implementation and ideas. Communication defines your image and image is everything, not just what you say, but the way in which you say it. Image is only half the battle, images get you noticed and make people listen to you but it is substance that holds their attention.
The key attributes of great leaders are;
· Belief in oneself. They are known for their position and respected for their stance.
· They are decisive with an ability to transcend risks through sound judgement.
· They are also skilled communicators, which is essential to inform and enthuse in a simple, consistent way.
· Being responsible the buck stops with them. Leaders don’t blame their followers for their failings.
· They are intuitive, with an instinctive grasp of their follower’s moods and ability to predict and pre-empt future events.
· They are one step ahead, not two!
So, why does the public not know the names of more CEOs of voluntary organisations? Why are not more CEOs of voluntary organisations sitting in the House of Lords? Why are not more CEOs of voluntary organisations non-executive directors of private sector organisations? And why do we so rarely hear or see CEOs of voluntary organisations interviewed on the news?

Leaders have impact

Communication, like charity, must begin at home. All communication should flow uninterrupted around an organisation, like blood through the body. If the flow is blocked, damage soon occurs. CEOs today must lead through more personal and direct communication to harness both internal and external support and turn their vision into reality.
I think it is necessary to radically rethink how the CEO educates and enthuses their organisation with their vision. The CEO must remember that leaders empower their followers, that everyone of their employees is their ambassador. They must also be aware that their reputation can make or break the reputation of their organisation and that there is usually a gap between perceptions and reality!
For me these quotes sum it all up;
“It is hard to look up to a leader who just keeps his ear to the ground”
“Leaders have a vision of a better future, they feel strongly about the need to go there”
“There go my people. I must find out where they are going, so that I can lead them there”.
This all revolves around the basic belief that companies must put their people, not their customers, first. Leadership is doing the right things and management is doing things right!
Leadership is about impact and impact can only be achieved by communicating effectively and by moulding a positive image. In my view good communication is about;
· Shaping and influencing opinion
· Sharing information and views
· Inspiring and re-assuring stakeholders
· Being honest and transparent
· Building trust and co-operation
· Listening, listening and listening…

Award winners are Ambassadors

I see a lot of opportunity in the charity world to be clapped on the back for your achievements. Throughout the year there are a number of award ceremonies accompanied by expensive dinners. The larger charities “invest” donor money to attend and reap the reward of a gong or two. The smaller charities are disenfranchised by not being able to afford to attend and the socially aware stay away. I can not think that there are many donors who would be happy if they knew that their donation was used to fund a night out! Sadly these awards seem to be focused on celebration rather than developing a better sector.
When someone receives an award, for say a well run lobbying campaign, there should be some commitment to share their knowledge and experience. Rather than just stand up once to collect the shinny peace of Perspex they should commit to stand up a number of times throughout the coming year and pass on why they where chosen for the award. I would like to see an award ceremony change the way they do things to include this ambassadorial role. I’m sure that some people will then turn down the award but then we will know who are only after self engrandesment!

Communication and the CEO

We live today in a sophisticated multi-media society where the number of global communications networks has exploded in recent years. This has made it even more important to have effective communication, “the right word at the right time”.
Looking back at a brief history of communication we start with the first consumer brand, Wedgwood, in 1760, followed by the first newspapers in the 1800’s. With the development of the understanding of psychology, Pavlov and his slavering dogs (1920), the advertising world took off in the 60’s and 70’s. The mid 90’s had the www.com chaos and the last decade has left us reeling from stimulus, response and endless feedback. So is the 21st century is the age of conversation?
An organisation’s reputation is increasingly based on how others see the CEO and how others talk about you. Those favourable perceptions are dependant upon the CEO's visibility and the consistency of thier behaviour. The communication skills of CEOs are important in shaping public perception, after all in today’s business world CEOs are the celebrities! In a world of suits, their human face helps to differentiate the brand, inspire confidence and deliver results. In the voluntary sector this is equally true but many CEOs are reluctant to take the risks of being in the goldfish bowl of public life.