Our governance
NCVO is a charitable company limited by guarantee. It was founded in 1919 as the National Council of Social Services, incorporated on 30 May 1924 and registered as a charity on 1 January 1964. It was established under a Memorandum of Association, which defines its objects and powers, and is governed by that and its Articles of Association. In addition, there are detailed Regulations made under the Articles.
Full membership of NCVO is open to voluntary organisations. There are also affiliate categories of membership for public sector and corporate bodies.
NCVO's Trustee Board is responsible for managing the business of NCVO as outlined in the Articles of Association.
For more information about NCVO's recent work, see our 2011/12 Annual Report and Accounts.
President
The President of NCVO is Baroness Grey-Thompson. The President acts as an ambassador for NCVO and is elected by the members for a non-renewable term of five years.
Baroness Grey-Thompson is Britain's greatest Paralympic athlete, winning eleven gold medals over five Paralympic Games, and now sits in the House of Lords as a crossbench peer with specialist interest in sport, disability, health and youth development.
Since retiring from athletics, Baroness Grey-Thompson has been active in speaking out on issues including benefit reform and accessible transport. During heated debates in the House of Lords, she has been instrumental in moving several amendments to the Welfare Reform Bill, making insightful contributions and pushing the Government to make concessions.
Baroness Grey-Thompson has a longstanding association with NCVO and the wider voluntary sector, and was appointed as the President of the Leadership 20:20 Commission for developing emerging leaders in civil society, in 2011. She is patron of numerous charities including Sportsleaders UK and is a trustee of V, the charity that helps young people become volunteers. As well as this she is the Patron of the Jane Tomlinson Appeal and is a board member of the Tony Blair Sports Foundation.
Trustee Board
Our 12 Trustees comprise three Honorary Officers (Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer). The Chair, Treasurer and seven Trustees are directly elected from the membership. Three Trustees are co-opted by the Board to ensure the right mix of skills and experience. One of the Trustees is elected to fill the Vice Chair Honorary Officer position by the Board. Trustees serve for a term of three years, with a maximum of two terms to be served.
The Trustee Board appoints three Committees to support its work:
- the Nominations Committee, which facilitates diversity in the governance structure, ensures the right mix of skills and experience, and supervises the democratic process
- the HR and Remuneration Committee, which sets the Chief Executive, the Deputy Chief Executive and the Directors' remuneration, and considers HR policy and related matters, including pensions
- the Audit and Risk Committee, which provides independent advice and assurance on risk, control and governance matters
Find out more about our Trustee Board
See a diagram of NCVO's governance structure (PDF, 60 KB)
Members' Assembly
This 50-strong Assembly reflects the breadth of NCVO's membership. It is a forum to contribute to the development of NCVO and advise the Board on sector policy issues. Find out more about our Members' Assembly.
Contact
If you have any questions on our governance, please contact contact Sarah Welsh.
NCVO is committed to providing high quality services. If you are unhappy about any of the services that we provide to you we want to hear about it. Without your feedback we cannot improve.
Find out more about our complaints procedure.
