Executive Search Proposal

Chief Executive April 2025

Amelia Lee – Regional Director

Charity People - Proposal 2

Executive Summary We are proposing to support Leeway to find and appoint their next Chief Executive. We have significant experience working with organisations supporting people who have experienced trauma, multiple levels of disadvantage and unmet complex needs. We work swiftly and attentively alongside you to make sure your new CEO can transition smoothly into the organisation, provide stability during a time of change, and start making an impact right away.

Our process will involve desk-based research to identify potential candidates, alongside marketing the role within our strong networks, advertising the role across job boards, and approaching candidates on our internal database of 48,000 candidates. In addition, we’ll create a high-quality candidate pack to attract strong candidates and present Leeway positively and to your best advantage.

The search will be managed by your lead consultant, Amelia Lee, who has a dedicated personal passion and niche specialism working directly with domestic abuse organisations (examples include Anawim, Stockport Women’s Centre, Trafford Domestic Abuse Services and MASH), she will be supported by both an executive search delivery consultant and an experienced research analyst trained to a high level by our directors.

We specialise in supporting small and medium charities to build leadership teams that reflect the diversity of the people they serve, always valuing lived experience. Your lead consultant, Amelia, has worked extensively on leadership roles within the non-profit sector for well over a decade, gradually building the respect and trust of her charity sector network.

You’ll find a selection of additional relevant examples in this proposal.

If you have any questions, please contact Amelia directly by email or phone:

amelia@charitypeople.co.uk 07809738477

We support the charity sector to recruit more effectively We’re an experienced, collaborative team of 30 partnering with organisations across the nonprofit sector to find the most talented, committed candidates for key positions. Since 1990, we’ve placed over 35,000 people into paid and trustee roles.

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Your dedicated regional team comes with over twenty-five years’ combined charity sector experience. We are regional specialists in small to medium charities, honing our craft in working with stakeholders at all levels.

This might include engagement with your Board, senior leadership and wider teams. We have a strong footprint and network in the sector across the whole of the UK.

"Appointing a new CEO is such a big deal for any organisation. The skills required as the CEO of a charity are particularly complex, including fundraising which is becoming ever more challenging. There are so many considerations in getting the right person for the job, including managing the expectations of stakeholders and having confidence in the process. Manchester Youth Zone has just successfully recruited our new CEO, supported from start to finish by Charity People. We selected Charity People as our recruiters not only by comparing cost and services, but also based on the experience of other Youth Zones in the OnSide ‘family’. From ‘word of mouth’ we learned that we could expect a personalised and attentive service in recruiting to this important role, especially as our outgoing CEO has played such a powerful role in getting MYZ to its current healthy position.

We were carefully guided by Amelia at every step of the way. Consultation with trustees, staff and young people helped to shape the recruitment strategy and the characteristics of the successful candidate. In a very short time, through a variety of channels including her own networks, our specialist gathered together a set of interesting CVs and applications. She skilfully sifted through these on our behalf, helping busy trustees to focus on the most suitable candidates. With Amelia's wise counsel, the trustees selected and interviewed six strong candidates who were each capable of doing the very challenging job of CEO of MYZ. Our specialist maintained effective communication with all parties throughout.

The final stage was the most challenging because we interviewed two exceptional candidates. Our specialist managed the difficult conversations for us, both giving the good and disappointing news, as well as feedback to interviewees. Amelia got to know everyone well during the process, encouraging and guiding us, as well as taking the hard work ‘off our plate’. Some of the key ingredients that made the process successful were: familiarisation with us as clients; excellent communication; attention to detail and absolute honesty. The result is that MYZ has now appointed our new CEO.

Jo Jolliffe , Chair of Trustees - Manchester Youth Zone

Charity People - Proposal 5

Why work with us Fair pricing We’ve stripped out unnecessary costs and ineffective add-ons, prioritising the steps that move the search forward.

Broaden your reach 60,000 potential candidates follow us on LinkedIn, as well as 6,000 followers on Twitter. That’s on top of the 43,000 active jobseekers already registered on our database.

Find dedicated candidates We have honest, open, and direct conversations with our candidates, to make sure we are entirely satisfied with their motivations and suitability before we put them forward.

Grow your reputation A well-executed recruitment project doubles as a positive PR campaign for your charity. We’ll make sure those who engage with your brand during the search have a positive experience.

Recruit inclusively We know greater diversity leads to better results. That’s why we learn continually from those with lived experience of disadvantage to remove barriers to applying.

100% fill rate We’ve found a great fit for every trustee or CEO search we’ve undertaken so far.

It was an absolute pleasure to work with Amelia in the search for our new trustees at MASH. We wanted to continue to develop our board to be more reflective of the intersecting identities and diverse experiences of the women we work with across Greater Manchester. Amelia "

absolutely fulfilled that brief, reaching out to networks that we would never have been able to engage with on our own, and giving the dedicated time and resource to the process that we just couldn’t have done on our own. Amelia was with us every step of the way – she really did her research and talked to key stakeholders at MASH so they understood what we are about which meant they were able to find brilliant people to join our board that really believed in our values and vision.

Amelia communicated the process really well and delivered at pace, ensuring we were able to meet deadlines together, which made for a really smooth process. She’s extremely personable, knowledgeable, and cares about getting it right for everyone involved. I would highly recommend Amelia and the Charity People service - so much so we returned to partner with Amelia on a second trustee recruitment.

Tabz O’Brien, Chair of Trustees at MASH – Manchester Action on Street Health

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The Process The full search process typically takes 8-12 weeks. We can usually work to your preferred timetable, depending on stakeholder availability.

1. Discovery Phase (2–4 Weeks)

a. Briefing Meet with the board and key stakeholders. You get to

know our team and we get to know your culture, values and mission, so we can represent you with credibility and confidence. Together, we agree requirements for the role, timeline and scope, and discuss your current challenges, strategic plans and areas of development.

b. Developing documentation Design a detailed, informative and attractive

candidate pack, to interest strong candidates and provide them with key information about

the role.

c. Branding assets Create video and image-rich content for use

across social media and advertising. Our social media consultant can advise on how to advertise

across your own platforms.

d. Desk-based research Map the market, identify key networks and target

organisations and individuals, and collate key information to open conversations for

our consultants.

2. Search Phase (3–4 Weeks)

e. Direct outreach Intelligently and discreetly approach individuals who meet the requirements of the role. This is

where the majority of our talent pool comes from.

f. Branded advertising Promote the opportunity on ACEVO, Charity Jobs, Guardian Jobs and our own website - all included

in our fee. We can also advertise on sector-specific job boards.

g. Social media Share to our 50,000 LinkedIn followers,

6,000 Twitter followers, generating referrals, recommendations and new conversations.

h. Email campaign Reach our database of 43,000

registered candidates.

3. Assessment Phase (3–4 Weeks)

i. Application screening Using competency-based screening methods and fact-checking calls, create a longlist of candidates

to consider.

j. Long-list interviews (full search only) Carry out first-stage interviews with each

candidate and provide a detailed report on each one.

Additional services: For an additional cost, we can complete

psychometric assessments of shortlisted candidates or attend

interviews.

k. Shortlist & interviews Present a shortlist of the best candidates and arrange interviews and referencing, if needed.

4. Appointment Phase (Ongoing)

l. Offer Contact the successful candidate and

support negotiations

m. Contact unsuccessful candidates Manage all communication with unsuccessful candidates, passing on any relevant feedback.

6-month guarantee: If the appointed candidate resigns in writing within 6 months of starting the role, we will

conduct a second search for their replacement on the terms outlined above, free of charge.

n. Follow-up Stay in touch throughout the appointed

postholder’s notice period and once they have joined

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Growing diversity in the charity sector We want to see the charity sector reflecting the diversity of the people we serve.

The non-profit sector is facing increasingly complex socio-economic changes, and we need the fresh perspective and improved problem-solving that comes from a diverse workforce. There’s a long way to go: an ACEVO survey showed that only 9% of charity workers were from a racially diverse background, compared to 14% of the wider UK population – and 40% of the London population, where most charities are located.

We engage with a wide range of candidates, beyond the usual suspects, to bring you a wider pool of qualified candidates.

How we do this • Candidates are looking for assurance that they will be treated fairly, so we include a

diversity & inclusion statement on all published copy. All external communications are checked for inclusive language by a second consultant.

• To combat unconscious bias, we anonymise applications & remove all protected characteristics. • We consider applicants from other sectors who bring alternative skills and perspectives to

their work.

Beyond the brief Process is only one half of our diversity and inclusion story. Accessing and widening talent pools is, by nature, time intensive and is on-going beyond individual searches.

• We regularly train our staff on a range of EDI topics • We learn from the perspectives of our lived experience advisors • We build close partnerships with organisations working for inclusion such as Action for

Trustee Racial Diversity, She Leads for Legacy, and LGBTQ Business network • We monitor diversity data for all our searches to identify and address any blind spots

‘"In terms of the recruitment of all three roles, we have been delighted with the strength of the candidates presented and indeed your customer service. I have done a lot of recruiting in my time and these three have been some of the most straightforward appointments – albeit it was only difficult to choose the final person because of the quality of all of the candidates. We will be recruiting more Trustees in the future, and from my perspective we will definitely be coming back to you as a preferred supplier.’

Chris Carr, Chair of the Board at Contact – successful appointments made in North England, Wales and Scotland

In this case we increased professional skills, as well as successfully enriching lived experience and representation by recruiting Contact’s first young Trustee, attracting people from diverse racial backgrounds and adding to the lived experiences of parent carers on the Board.

Charity People - Proposal 10

Meet the team

Ellen Drummond Regional Director

Ellen has been a third sector recruitment specialist since 2007. Initially working to support organisations in London, she then moved back to the Northeast in 2012 and established herself as a specialist in charity recruitment outside of London. Based in Newcastle, Ellen has extensive networks across the North, in particular the North East and Yorkshire, where she is also a committee member for the Chartered Institute of Fundraising North East group. Ellen sits on the Senior Leadership Team at Charity People, as well as managing the regional team. A mother of two, she is passionate about flexible working and strives to find creative solutions that benefit all.

Priya Vencatasawmy Senior Regional Consultant

With a focus on organisations based in the Midlands and Oxfordshire, Priya joined Charity People in February 2023 and brings extensive experience in sourcing talent for all fundraising roles, specialised positions, and senior board and leadership positions. Priya has a diverse portfolio including renowned charities such as the British Heart Foundation, Oxfam, Onside, LionHeart, St Giles Hospice, Norfolk Wildlife Trust and University of Oxford. She is equipped to provide tailored recruitment solutions to meet your organisation's unique needs. Experienced in connecting you with top-tier candidates who align with your mission and drive success.

Amelia Lee Regional Director

Amelia works as Regional Director from her base in Manchester and has been recruiting charity talent for over 10 years. Amelia sees herself as part of the movement to drive positive change in charity recruitment practice – now is the time to do things differently! Amelia creates inclusive and welcoming recruitment spaces, connecting passionate and talented people with organisations that genuinely prioritise staff wellbeing and ED&I. Amelia has been described as having ‘contagious energy’ for the organisations she works with and was a founding member of Charity People’s ED&I committee, anti- racism committee and Women’s Wellbeing Group. She is leading CP’s emerging staff ‘Thinking Environments’ on our journey towards becoming an Employee Owned Trust (EOT) and B-Corp.

Gabi Smith Senior Administrator

Gabi was the first of Charity People’s centralised Administrators and started her journey with Charity People in 2022. She has since become the dedicated Regional Administrator from mid-2023. Gabi is a passionate EDI champion and has been a member of Charity People’s EDI Committee since 2022. She is also working with Amelia on CP’s ‘Thinking Environment’ as we move forward in becoming an Employee-Owned business. Along with the rest of the “A team,” Gabi supports the consultants, ensuring they provide the best possible service to the fantastic candidates and charities they work with.

Charity People - Proposal11

Case Study 1: Chief Executive, Manchester Youth Zone Value add through internal stakeholder engagement

In September 2023 we assisted the Chair, trustees and outgoing CEO of Manchester Youth Zone to replace Amanda Naylor as their much-loved Chief Executive. MYZ is part of the national OnSide network (one of the UK’s fastest growing charities) and offers a safe, bright and lively space when schools are closed, where young people can learn new skills and have new experiences. Amanda had been in post for three years and taken MYZ through a significant period of change and stabilization (financially diversifying funding and organisationally reengaging the Board and SLT). In doing such an exceptional job, her moving on presented an enormous challenge and anxiety for Board and staff team, and there was self-acknowledged nervousness around the appointment of a new leader.

Watch bespoke video communication created especially for Manchester Youth Zone here.

In light of this, Charity People suggested an engagement piece to include trustees, staff team and some of MYZ’s young people. We created and led forums with staff teams at all levels (SLT, middle managers and youth workers) and gave anonymous feedback to the Board about what staff needed and wanted from their next leader.

Our brief was simple, but not easy: ‘find someone as amazing as Amanda to take us on the next phase of our journey!’ We knew she was going to be a tough act to follow and expectations high across the organisation.

MYZ’s CEO needs to be incredibly strategic with elements of political stakeholder engagement, accentuated by Manchester being a devolved power structure. They required an incoming Chief Executive to engage at the highest levels with statutory stakeholders, funders and commercial/philanthropic partners, as well as connect positively with young people.

Our approach: We led a nationwide search of candidates, which included a relocation campaign for youth specialists across the UK. Initially presenting a longlist of 12 candidates, the Board then invited 10 to an open day at MYZ. From there, 6 candidates met the board for first stage interview and 2 were invited to second stage (both appointable). Heather Etheridge joined in April 2024 and is making her mark already. Charity People have since appointed their new Director of Fundraising, who started in June 2024.

Due to the extra special rapport with the OnSide network through projects like this one, Charity People has also been entrusted to spearhead CEO recruitment for new sites in Barnsley, Grimsby and Crewe and replace CEOs for existing sites in Wirral and Wolverhampton.

People we’ve placed We’ve concentrated here on either leadership roles relevant to your work or roles that had comparable requirements to yours . We have many, many more examples at CEO level to share should you want to discuss further examples.

Age UK Mid-Mersey – Chair, CEO and Trustees

OnSide Youth Zone – Barnsley, Crewe, Grimsby, Manchester, Preston, Wolverhampton & Wirral – x7 CEOs

Age UK Cheshire – CEO and CFO Lionheart- CEO

Birthrights – CEO

SARSAS - Head of ServiceContact - Scotland, Wales and NI - Trustees

Public Law Project- CEO

JABBS Foundation - CEO and Head of Programmes

The Proud Trust - Manchester - CEO and Deputy CEO

LionHeart - CEO and Interim CEO

Trafford Rape Crisis – Chair, Vice Chair and Trustee

Nelson Trust– CEO

SV2 Supporting Victims of Sexual Violence– CEO

MASH - Chair and Trustees

Charity People - Proposal 12

Case Study 2: Chief Executive, The JABBS Foundation Showcasing our unique communications

Most recently in May 2024, we began working with the Board and patrons of The JABBS Foundation to recruit their first Chief Executive, with ambition to accelerate their work supporting women involved or at risk of contact with the criminal justice system, and organisations that address their multiple and complex unmet needs. At present, The JABBS Foundation has agreed grants totalling £30 million. A first CEO is always a vital appointment, but this one required significant high-level stakeholder engagement and sensitivity around the family’s privacy, management of internal candidates, and potential applications from senior leaders of partner organisations (in some cases, funded by JABBS).

Once appointed to lead the search, Charity People undertook engagement work with trustees, agreeing the brief should advance the foundation’s work in the West Midlands to create stronger local collaboration, as well as elevate women’s voices and influence at the highest levels to drive systemic change for women. JABBS also partners with a leading UK university to support evidence-based academic research into women’s needs, so it was also essential to appoint a CEO able to engage with a wide range of stakeholders working across sectors, always putting women’s experiences at the heart.

Charity People worked alongside JABBS every step of the way, including support to create a role profile and job pack, as well as advice and guidance to develop their inclusive, welcoming interview process. We

knew JABBS was keen to have visibility across the West Midlands, but also conscious that a large pool of candidates with political connections and influence would likely be London based. Charity People’s geographical footprint and outreach is national, but we placed a specific focus in these two locations for this search.

Alongside an advertisement campaign and outreach through Charaity People’s network, we identified a further 91 potential candidates, meaningfully engaging with 37 of them. Each candidate had an exploratory call with Charity People, with the dual function of promoting the opportunity and establishing suitability against the person specification.

We feel one of Charity People’s biggest USPs is a unique, meaningful communication style and bespoke offering for each role. You can view The JABBS Foundation video sent to proactively engage candidates here.

In a saturated marketplace, we regularly receive positive feedback about our approach that suggests we make candidates feel extra-special, and successfully increase engagement with both our brand and yours.

‘That’s literally the best reach-out I’ve ever had, both the LinkedIn message and the excellent video. I may well share it as best practice.’

We also created a bespoke candidate stewardship plan for JABBS to ensure each candidate left the process feeling incredibly positive about both our organisations, having experienced a first-class customer experience.

Quote from a shortlisted, but unsuccessful candidate in the JABBS process: ‘Thank you to all of you at Charity People for the care and time you took with us as candidates to find the right person.’

For executive level search, we offer to host a webinar for potential candidates to meet with Board members for a Q+A session, towards the end of the search period. This is an anonymous process (in line with our ED&I best practice) with questions submitted in advance – it’s a unique engagement tool that charities can utilise to increase engagement (although in this case JABBS opted not to, due to the family’s privacy preferences).

In the end, we presented 10 candidates for our longlist and shortlisted 4 of those for interview with the Board. Two candidates went through to second stage and both were deemed appointable. JABBS plans to ask the unsuccessful candidate to either join the board or work as a consultant.

JABBS’s new CEO has just started and the Chair of the Board, Robin Daniels, has offered to give a reference about his recent experience if required. We can provide Robin’s contact details on request.

"I have worked with Charity People and Amelia for a number of years, as both a candidate and a recruiter.

What I have most valued about working with the team at Charity People is the time they take to get 'underneath the skin' of the organisation. They will diligently work with organisations to develop a clear understanding of its culture and values. This is really important - as it enables a clear brief on the role to potential candidates.

Amelia has an exceptional broad skill set - having worked with me to successfully recruit a diverse range of roles across a number of sectors including positions in Charity, Cultural and Higher Education settings.

Most recently, Charity People successfully supported our senior development recruitment drive and I can’t recommend them highly enough. They bring a fresh perspective to recruitment and a diverse candidate portfolio that sets them apart.

With a passion for diversity and inclusion, I know that Amelia will present me with a vibrant pool of candidates with strong skill sets aligned with the role. At leadership level, I’ve appreciated Amelia’s insight when recruiting new teams. She takes care to understand the organisational need - and attracts absolute superstar candidates to the role. As Chair of a Theatre in Liverpool, Amelia recently supported the recruitment of our Executive Director who has been a fantastic appointment.

Amelia prioritises integrity, fairness and feedback to candidates and recruiters and is one of the best recruiters I have ever worked with.

Sarah Jones, Development Director at Factory International Former candidate and current client

Fees

For the search for your new CEO, we’re pleased to offer you a fixed fee of £12,000.

Fees are payable in three instalments: Stage 1: 1/3 due on appointment (non-refundable) Stage 2: 1/3 due at presentation of shortlist Stage 3: 1/3 due on acceptance of offer

Additional options: • Consultant attendance at interview: £500/day or part day + VAT

and reasonable travel expenses • Psychometric assessment of shortlisted candidates: please ask

• Microsite (not recommended) - £2,000

Our guarantee: If within six months of the candidate starting work, the appointment is found to be not working to the satisfaction of Leeway (unless for reasons directly attributable to the actions of Leeway and provided that the appointment was not made against our advice), then Charity People provides a guarantee of carrying out a second search free of charge.

Thank you for considering Charity People as

your recruitment partner.

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Charity People - Proposal15@charitypeople

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+44 (0)20 7939 7439

info@charitypeople.co.uk

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