A new survey of charity chairs and chief executives has found that “challenging behaviour” is common across voluntary organisations’ boards.
Some 59% of the respondents to the survey by nfpResearch, ACEVO and the Association of Chairs reported having experienced difficult conduct on their board, such as individuals exerting disproportionate influence.
CEOs were more likely to report such behaviour, with just under half experiencing it occasionally and another one in five seeing it often.
Those who had been in their roles for under a year were also more likely to report challenging behaviours, more than half occasionally and one in five often.
However, one in two chairs and one in three CEOs reported feeling very confident that trustees would intervene appropriately if governance issues arose.
The research – conducted in November and December 2025, with a sample of 92 CEOs,132 chairs, six vice chairs and eight trustees – also found persistent gaps in board effectiveness and governance practice.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, Directory of Social Change CEO Debra Allcock Tyler urged charity trustees to prevent their chairs from becoming “gatekeepers” and called for a shift in behaviour to avoid conflict.
Chairs more positive than CEOs
Nearly half of respondents rated their board as eight or above out of 10 for effectiveness, but only 4% gave the top score.
Chairs were consistently more positive than CEOs across every measure, with the latter less confident in board effectiveness, trustee behaviour, and openness to risk.
When asked, on a scale of one to 10, how effectively their board operates, most respondents rated their board’s effectiveness as either seven or eight.
Those from higher income charities were more likely to think their boards were effective, with a third of respondents from charities with an income of over £5m rating their board effectiveness as eight out of 10.
Meanwhile, almost one in three CEOs, and almost one quarter of chairs, described their current board culture as “cautious”.
Chairs had more positive views, with nine in 10 reporting that their board culture was very constructive, 84% saying it was very collaborative, and almost half saying it was open to risk.
ACEVO: ‘Too few boards operating at the highest level’
Jane Ide, CEO of ACEVO, said of the findings: “Too few boards are operating at the highest level, and too many CEOs are experiencing challenging behaviours that hold organisations back.
“We need to move beyond seeing governance as process and compliance, and focus much more on behaviours, relationships and leadership.
“That means investing in the CEO–chair relationship, building diverse and confident boards, and making sure the basics, such as appraisal, induction and board development, are consistently in place.”
