People management for charities and not-for-profits

Reactive HR

Navigating staff challenges

Managing challenging staffing situations can be time consuming and stressful. And there’s always the worry about whether you are complying with employment law and best practice. Our experienced team of HR consultants can provide support on all those HR challenges, from underperforming staff to absence management, dismissals, redundancy, grievance and much more.

Send an enquiry and we’ll contact you for a chat about how we can support you to manage these challenges effectively.

Strategic HR

Advice and Consultancy

Effective appraisal systems, reward and recognition schemes, change programmes and other strategic HR practices help in building great teams that work well together. Our specialist charity HR consultants can provide you with part-time or ad hoc support to help you deliver good people practice in your organisation.

Working alongside you in a capacity that dovetails with your own internal resources, we can provide pragmatic consultancy that helps your organisation run more smoothly and effectively, helping you to keep your staff as well as attracting new talent.

Proactive HR

Getting the best out of your people

High-quality training and development is always a good investment, enabling staff to fulfil their potential and deliver more for your organisation. We offer a menu of courses that are tailored to the specific challenges of the charity sector and of your organisation.

All our trainers have a background in the not-for-profit sector as managers and leaders and know the challenges staff face day to day. Our workshops and courses are highly participative, so everyone is kept fully engaged, and provide a solid and practical grounding that quickly gets you or your managers up to speed on the key employee issues. All courses are deliverable in-house or online.

Senior Recruitment

Finding your key players

Finding the right senior staff or trustees for charities and not-for-profits is not easy. Our recruitment experts have the experience to get to grips with the specific needs of your organisation, backed up by the infrastructure to source strong candidates and facilitate the selection process.

We can help you prepare papers, write compelling job ads and use our extensive contacts in the sector and our 13,000 strong mailing list to help you reach the largest appropriate audience at the lowest possible cost. We can then manage shortlisting, rejections and feedback, psychometric candidate profiling, final interviews and contract terms. Our Candidate Guarantee is effective from the moment we start the assignment*.

^{*If on the first round of advertising and headhunting there are no appointable candidates (as agreed by the consultant in consultation with the client), we will repeat the initial search process for no additional consultancy fee (only advertising and ancillary costs would have to be paid again), provided the client has purchased our full service, has followed our advice (eg re salary and where to advertise) and has paid their invoices by the due date.}

Leadership Synergy

Strengthen the crucial relationship between CEO and Chair

For every charity, the relationship between Chair and Chief Executive is pivotal. When it goes well, they are a dynamic duo, but when it doesn’t – which happens all too often – it can result in stagnation, frustration or much, much worse.

In over 30 years’ of working with the Boards and Senior Leadership Teams of charities of all shapes and sizes, we have seen helped to build many fruitful partnerships, by providing an objective, dispassionate view and a range of practical services. These include recruitment to Chair and/or Chief Executive roles, personality profiling and team building, coaching/mentoring, facilitation or – in extremis – mediation, and governance review.

Mentoring and Coaching

Independent support when you need it

Charity leadership can be a lonely experience. Our coaches and mentors can give you valuable short-term or long-term support and reassurance, helping you work through a specific challenge or more generally to develop your skills in the role.

We’ll challenge you to excel using your own resources, as well as working with you to find the right way forward. We are flexible in our delivery, working face-to-face, via video call, phone or email, and we’ll work to a timetable that suits you. We have particular experience of working with senior managers and trustees, developing inspiring leaders who make a tangible difference.

Team Building

Improving how people work together

Every team is a unique mix of personalities, strengths and working styles. C-me Colour Profiling is a powerful psychometric tool designed to help you understand these dynamics, enabling better communication, collaboration and overall performance. With this knowledge, you can enhance team cohesion, assign roles that align with natural strengths, and create a more engaged and productive workforce.

Through tailored profiling, expert facilitation and actionable insights, we help you build a high-performing team that thrives on understanding and mutual respect. Whether you’re looking to resolve communication challenges, improve leadership effectiveness or simply optimise your team’s workflow, we’ll provide the clarity you need to drive meaningful change.

Interim management

Ensuring continuity and progress

Navigating leadership transitions can be challenging for charities, especially when faced with unexpected vacancies or periods of change. Our interim management service provides experienced and skilled professionals who can step in at short notice, ensuring stability, continuity and strategic leadership when you need it most.

With a tailored approach, we match your organisation with the right interim leader who understands the complexities of the charity sector. Whether it’s a CEO, senior manager or specialist role, our interim leaders bring deep sector knowledge and hands-on experience to support your charity’s mission, maintain stakeholder confidence and drive operational success.