Behind the scenes: what trustees should know about being a charity CEO
Insights from CEOs on their role, what they wish boards understood, and how trustees can be supportive allies.
Date and time
Location
Online
Good to know
Highlights
- 1 hour
- Online
Refund Policy
About this event
What do charity CEOs actually get up to? What keeps them awake at night? What brings them joy - and what drives them up the wall?
In this session, we’ll lift the lid on the CEO role, with a focus on small to mid-sized charities.
You’ll hear directly from a panel of CEOs who’ll demystify what their job really involves, and share honest reflections on the pressures, expectations and realities they face.
We’ll explore:
- What a CEO’s to-do list really looks like
- The biggest challenges - and best bits - of the role
- How trustee relationships can help (or hinder)
- What CEOs wish their boards better understood
- What meaningful support from trustees looks like in practice
This session offers essential insight for trustees of charities with staff - and a rare opportunity for CEOs to feel seen and understood.
Brought to you by Eastside People as part of the Festival of Trusteeship during Trustees' Week 2025, with headline support from the Institute of Leadership.
Frequently asked questions
The Festival is for current trustees, aspiring trustees, charity leaders, governance professionals, and anyone interested in the future of board leadership. Led by Eastside People, during Trustees' Week 2025, proudly supported by the Institute of Leadership.
Online sessions will be via Zoom. You’ll receive a confirmation email after booking with access details. We’ll also send reminders and joining links ahead of each session.
Absolutely. Whether you're just curious or actively looking for a role, this Festival is a great place to learn, connect, and explore next steps. In particular, if you’re thinking of becoming a trustee you can attend any of our ‘Aspiring Trustee’ sessions at no charge.
When you book via EventBrite our ticketing platform, you will receive a confirmation email that include your Zoom link. If you haven’t received anything, please check your spam folder. It’s a good idea to copy your Zoom link into a calendar entry for the day of your session so that you have it.
We want all aspiring and serving trustees to be able to enjoy the Festival. Closed captions are enabled on all Festival sessions. If there are other ways in which we can make the Festival more accessible to you, please contact us via the email fot@eastsidepeople.org.
Yes. We will honour any tickets and weekly passes bought from Getting on Board for the Festival of Trusteeship 2024. We will be contacting all ticket holders with details of how to access this year’s event.
Tickets to the Festival of Trusteeship 2025 are priced as follows: Early bird weekly pass: £24 (incl VAT) Weekly pass: £30 (incl VAT) Individual events: £12 (incl VAT) Post event recordings box set for non-ticket holders (£30). All sessions for aspiring trustees are free of charge.
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