Charity leader membership body ACEVO has recorded an increase in calls to its crisis service, while its membership has seen a decline for the first time in several years.
ACEVO’s membership was down by 12 to 1,750 last year, according to its latest accounts for the year ending 31 March 2025.
The accounts published today note that the shift “reflects the wider financial challenges faced across the charity sector, particularly among smaller organisations”.
Alongside this, demand for direct support from the membership body increased, with ACEVO supporting 94 charity leaders through its CEO in Crisis service, a 17.5% increase on the previous year and an overall increase of 120% since 2021.
The accounts said that this increase “mirrors the increasingly complex operating environment for leaders”.
However, the membership body also reported that, despite the financial pressures facing the sector, it saw “encouraging signs of stability in member engagement”, with retention reaching 85% and engagement levels remaining at 75%.
Writing in the accounts, chief executive Jane Ide and chair Mark Norbury said: “The year was, of course, not without its challenges – we are not immune to the operating environment of our sector and we have seen some impacts on our own organisation accordingly – but we have been able to weather these well.
“For many of our members it has been an extremely difficult year financially, operationally and emotionally, and aschair and CEO of ACEVO we are proud that this organisation, originally founded by a small group of CEOs looking for mutual support, has continued to be a strong, safe space for over 1,750 sector leaders in a time of great challenge.”
Smaller deficit than planned
ACEVO also ended the year with a “substantially smaller” unrestricted deficit than planned, at £106,000 instead of the planned £150,000.
The membership body said that this “aligned with its long-term financial strategy to invest reserves to sustain and enhance services for members”.
ACEVO’s annual income increased by £100,000 to £1.5m in 2024-25, driven by more money from training and development activities, £331,000 compared to £213,000 the year before.
The body also saw an increase in income gained from membership fees, £711,000 in 2024-25, and sponsorships, £207,000 last year.
ACEVO’s expenditure also increased from £1.4m in 2024 to £1.6m in 2024-25.
Money spent on raising funds rose from £169,000 to £216,000 last year, as did expenditure on membership services and on training and development activities.
However, the membership body spent less on support costs than the previous year, £272,000 in 2024-25 compared to £498,000 in 2023-24.
ACEVO’s staff costs rose to £1m from £942,000 the year before; with a cost-of-living increase of 3% awarded to all staff in April 2024.
A further increase of 2% was approved in February 2025 and was implemented from 1 April 2025.
ACEVO trialled a four day week for its employees last year, which Civil Society understands it has now implemented on a permanent basis.
