An awards programme championing charity leaders who are pioneers on social media is coming to an end after eight years, its founders announced today.
In a joint statement this morning Zoe Amar and Matt Collins, co-founders of the Social CEOs Awards, said that they had largely achieved what they set out to do when they started.
They said: “During the time we have run the awards, we have seen charity and other social sector leaders embrace a personal social media presence, run with it and make it their own. It’s now much more of an expectation for leaders to do it, and to do it well.
“Much of this is due to the standards that have been set by the charity leaders who pioneered use of social media. As this has grown further we feel that the awards have achieved what they set out to do.”
Amar and Collins thanked people who had taken part in the event, including Simon Blake, who has chaired the judging panel since 2013.
Winners have come from across the charity sector and include people like Polly Neate from Shelter, Matthew Hodson, executive director of NAM – a charity which provides information about HIV and Aids – and Ruth Ibegbuna, who was chief executive of Reclaim at the time.
As the years went on, they introduced awards for charity trustees and other senior figures.
Three things to think about
In their statement Amar and Collins encouraged charity leaders to consider how they were supporting campaigns like #CharitySoWhite to #ShowTheSalary and #NotJustNCVO.
They said: “These campaigns are coming from the grassroots, pushing for vital changes that will help the sector reach the next stage of its evolution.
“The question now for leaders is how they support these conversations, and what role they want to play in them.”
They also urged people to support the Charities Against Hate initiative and lobby social media firms to make platforms safe spaces for everyone.
Sharing lessons
Part of the Social CEOs Awards programme has involved compiling advice and resources for charity leaders.
Amar and Collins said they would now be “reviewing all of the content we have produced since the awards began and looking at how we can open this up to everyone across the sector, so that these skills continue to grow”.
They will also record an episode of the Starts At The Top podcast in November to discuss the latest trends and highlight leaders who are examples of good practice.
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