One year in - progress report

Appalling - I have not written on this for ages. After resolving to blog once a week, I am getting around to it maybe twice a month. tut. Could do better.

However, what I lack in frequency hopefully is made up for in energy and fervour.

I have recently chalked up my first year at ACEVO - last Tuesday 23rd was the date. It has been a very informative and indeed, formative 12 months.

I came to the job knowing little about the third sector, and less about how difficult the role of a charity CEO could be. I am lucky enough to have been surrounded by and introduced to some of the most engaged and brightest thinkers in the sector, and have learned a great deal from them all. Internally, the directors at ACEVO have a ferocious combined knowledge: whether it's running a charity, engaging with the government or large, cumbersome entities like the UN and EU, we have some of the best people around. So first thought is a sense of pride to be involved in this work.

The next is a sense of what more there is to do. It's a question I'm often asking myself and others: "What more can we do?" We have a cohort of members with significant needs and concerns, and there is always a push for better performance.
On my side of the business, looking after our corporate partners, I am always striving to increase the return on their investment. This has come from implementing strategic changes and changing how we communicate what we offer, from adding the resource we put into the department, and from increasing the communications that are specifically for our corporates.

Another point comes from this - one around change. ACEVO loves change. Really can't get enough. Whether it's changing the architecture of the sector, or in much smaller ways - changing internal operations to increase efficiency and drive up performance.

Looking ahead, there is much to be done. The SB forum is in its infancy, and this is going to be a hugely exciting piece of work.
The corporate partnerships side of the job is going from strength to strength - more are joining and we are delivering in a much more coherent way.
We are coming into a very busy time for renewals - a third of our full members and almost half our corporates renew in April. This is a real test for us - the % of renewals is a great indicator - a report card - of how well we are listening and responding to our members.

More to come on the Sustainable Business Forum this week - I am writing the paper for it tomorrow morning. Watch this space.