Why every board should have a Vice Chair
A Vice Chair brings added skills, experience and perspective as well as helping to share the leadership role. The AoC describes a few of the important roles a good Vice Chair can play.
What is the role of the chair?
The board understands its role and responsibilities.
The board understands and debates the vision, mission and business model.
The board is representative of its sector and has a good range of skills, experience and diversity.
Those skills and experience are used.
Meetings are effectively run and that decisions are taken and minuted.
Succession planning is in place for chair, board and CEO/director/artistic director.
The board reviews itself and its performance on an annual basis, as well as the CEO/director/artistic director.
The chair/CEO relationship is central to good governance, with clear understanding of their respective responsibilities and regular, supportive communication. They need to maintain a good but discerning relationship based on respect, trust and mutual dependence.
The chair acts as additional spokesperson for the organisation, letting the artistic head of the organisation take the lead except on formal occasions where the chair’s input would be appropriate.
In some constitutions, a chair is given a casting vote. This means that if there is a deadlock, and a vote for a resolution is tied, then the chair is awarded a second vote to make sure that the resolution is passed or rejected. In new commercial companies, it is not possible for the chair of a members’ meeting to have a casting vote.
Download Sample job description template for:
A more in depth guide for a prospective Chair/CEO is available to purchase from the ACEVO website.
For more about the Chair's role in improving Board dynamics read this guide from the Association of Chairs.
Related resources
Guidance
Association of Chairs Beacon Programme
If you are a Chair / Vice Chair of a smaller charity in England, you can sign up to the Association of Chair's free Beacon Programme. In addition to practical workshops in nine locations, the programme offers webinars and a knowledge bank. Useful resources include Self-care for Chairs, Preparing for board meetings, Managing conflicts of interest and much more.
Guidance
Appraising your Chief Executive
The success (or otherwise) of your charity owes much to the performance of your Chief Executive. Chairs have a key role in holding the Chief Executive to account and creating the conditions for the Chief Executive to succeed. This guide explores how to ensure you have a good appraisal process that supports and motivates your CEO to do even better.
Blog post
Arts & Business NI Conference 2018: Keynote Address by Stephen Dunlop
Stephen Dunlop, Chairman of Open House Festival, was keynote speaker at the Arts & Business NI Conference 2018. This is a transcript of Stephen's keynote address - the story behind Open House Festival's governance development and journey towards a new building and sustainable future. Published: 2018.
Guidance
The Essential Trustee
A Charity Commission publication setting out all you need to know formally about being a trustee. First published: March 2012, latest updates: May 2018.
Guidance
Charity Trustee: what’s involved?
Find out what being a charity trustee involves, if you can claim expenses and where to get help and advice. First published: May 2013, latest updates: May 2018.
Multimedia
The Essential Trustee: Key Points
Nick Mott, Head of Policy Development and Review at the Charity Commission, highlights the key points of the Essential Trustee guidance. Published: August 2016.
Blog post
How Effective are your Trustees? Ten Practical Tips
10 practical tips to get the best out of your trustees. Published: February 2017.
Guidance
ITC: Duties of the Company Secretary/Administrator
There are several statutory obligations that registered companies must comply with or they will face financial penalties.
Guidance
ITC: Company Directors & Conflicts of Interest
Company Directors have a legal duty to avoid conflicts of interest. This help sheet is designed to help you identify and deal with them correctly.
Guidance
Navigating Risk
This briefing looks at the Chair’s role in helping the board to navigate risk. Charities face a multitude of risks, that could derail you from achieving your charity’s aims. The challenge for Chairs is to ensure that your board understands and successfully navigates risks and seizes opportunities, without getting bogged down in details or being excessively cautious. This briefing explores how as Chair, you can help your board take a strategic approach.
Guidance
The Critical Role of the Board in Effective Risk Oversight
A director’s practical guide to asking the right questions at the right time.
Blog post
#EmmaRice and the Globe
A blog post from the Battersea Arts Centre on artistic freedom and risk and its relationship to governance. Published: October 2016.
Website
Trustees Unlimited
A leading resource of trustees and board roles for not-for-profit organisations
Guidance
Avoiding Legal Pitfalls
Chairs have a key role in ensuring the charity complies with the law which can feel daunting. The law is complex, wide-ranging, and changeable. Legal advice is typically expensive, may slow things down and can feel like a block to action. But a breach of the law can have serious consequences for the charity, and sometimes for the trustees personally. This briefing helps you understand the issues and find a workable approach.
Website
Adapt for Arts: The On Board Project
Adapt for Arts (AfA) exists to help arts and culture organisations become more sustainable. The On Board Project is on a mission to create amazing governance teams in the arts & cultural sector.
Guidance
Leading the CEO and Chair to Effective Governance, by ACEVO
The guide will prove relevant to CEOs and their chairs but is also recommended reading for all those involved in the governance of third sector organisations. Published: November 2013.
Study
Realising the Potential of Governance: the Report of the ACEVO Governance Commission
In response to evidence suggesting an increase in concern regarding governance-related issues in the voluntary sector, the ACEVO Governance Commission set out to produce a practically-focused piece of work, focused on supporting voluntary organisations to understand and address the issues and challenges that can affect their governance. Guided by the concerns raised by respondents to the Commission’s consultation exercises, the report focuses on three main areas: appraisal and accountability; understanding roles and responsibilities; and board management. Published: 2013.
Guidance
The Honorary Treasurer's Handbook
This handbook aims to help treasurers feel confident in their role. Published: November 2017.
Guidance
Making Board Committees Work
This briefing looks at the Chair’s role in making board committees work.
Website
The Association of Chairs
Supports Chairs of charities and non-profit organisations.
Guidance
A Question of Balance: A Guide to the Chair and Chief Executive Relationship
Helps Chairs explore and strengthen the relationship they have with their CEO. Published: 2016.
Guidance
A Chair’s Compass – a guide for Chairs of charities and non-profit organisations
A Chair’s Compass – a guide for Chairs of charities and non-profit organisations focuses entirely on the Chair’s perspective and the particular challenges and opportunities of the role. Whether you are a new Chair, or highly experienced, this guide provokes both thought and action.