As a specialist in senior leadership team and board recruitment, Peter Neal of The Experience Bank has an absolute passion when it comes to making a difference. Here he talks about his unique approach to working with the region's small and medium sized charities to match the needed talent to the right cause.
“Do you sit on a board for a small to medium sized charity in the North East? If so, I would put money on the fact that you will appreciate the frustration of finding the right people to be CEOs or to expand the Trustee Board’s knowledge and ensure that all skill gaps are well and truly plugged.
“The right top level people for charities are hard to find for a number of reasons, not least because you are asking people to give their precious time pro-bono as a Trustee, or to take a lower salary than the commercial counterpart executive job may offer.
“When fishing in a small pond of potential talent, by either using the organisation’s or board members’ social media to advertise, the organisation’s website, or the leadership team’s word of mouth, then as well as a limited reach, you could also be potentially looking at bringing in conflicts of interest.
“Many people who apply for CEO roles when seeing or hearing about them this way, may not have the right experience or could bring conflict with them due to previous commitments. The quality control element can be jeopardised, and the right CEO that comes with longevity may be totally missed out on.
“Trustees found via this route might not be doing it for the right reasons, either wanting to use the position for CV building or the perceived kudos. These people often do not realise the amount of time they need to commit, and often don’t get to the right depth to make a true difference. A great trustee is always there for the good of the organisation with no ulterior motive and is realistic about the time they will have to dedicate.
“Being a Trustee is a big commitment, and it isn’t for everyone, but until some people try it they don’t know. Without a strong process, and a good recruitment journey, the hours used internally to find the wrong person can be damaging to the organisation’s wellbeing in a number of ways.
“So having worked with a number of the region’s leading charities such as GNAAS, Newcastle Carers, Age UK Northumberland, The Key, and many others, I have realised that there is a demand for an insightful and effective charity board level recruitment service, and actually how effective The Experience Bank is at this – at matching the right people for this size of charity, and how many of the right people I actually know and have access to in the region to fill these important gaps.
“My pond is possibly the biggest in the region, and my fish are definitely of the best quality, which makes me feel very humble in what I have built over the years.
“The fact that I care about the right match and impact created is paramount to my success rate, and having been a Trustee myself on several boards over many years means I can have honest and intuitive conversations with both parties in the process.
“The Experience Bank is therefore offering a fixed rate, cost effective package that brings quality recruitment solutions to the search for a CEO, Board Chair or Trustee. It’s an exciting time for the company as it opens the doors to help so many good causes in the best possible way!”
Peter is available for a coffee and chat to get the initial ball rolling, by contacting him on peter@theexperiencebank.co.uk – if you want to talk about how your charity could be performing better from the top, then get in touch!