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Date updated: Thursday 2nd July 2026
Stone King is delighted to announce its partnership with the Centre for Charity Effectiveness (CCE) at Bayes Business School to launch the first Stone King Annual Charity Chair Survey. The survey will focus on the theme: “Governance under pressure: how Chairs are leading through political, regulatory and financial complexity and uncertainty.”
As a leading law firm for charities and social enterprises, Stone King has extensive experience supporting charities across the sector – from small local charities to major national and international household names. Through this work, the firm has seen first-hand the increasing political, regulatory and financial pressures facing charity leaders and boards, and the growing demands being placed on Chairs in particular.
Building on The Future Charity Chair, a forward-looking research project produced by CCE in 2024 examining the issues facing charity Chairs over the next decade and beyond, the new annual survey aims to deepen understanding of the challenges Chairs face, strengthen insight across the sector, and help inform the support and guidance charities and their boards need in an increasingly complex operating environment. The lead researchers for the survey are Leila Baker and Véronique Jochum, who also conducted the research for The Future Charity Chair project.
Findings from the inaugural survey will be published in autumn 2026 and will provide insight into the experiences of charity Chairs across organisations of all sizes.
Rosamund McCarthy Etherington, Stone King’s charity partner and social impact lead, said: “We are proud to partner with the Centre for Charity Effectiveness on this important new annual survey. Charity Chairs play a vital and often highly demanding leadership role, particularly at a time of growing political, regulatory and financial pressure. By gathering insight directly from Chairs across the sector, we hope to build a clearer understanding of the challenges they face and help shape the support they need in the years ahead.
“We are also delighted to be CCE’s first law firm partner on a research project of this nature, reflecting the shared commitment of both organisations to supporting strong, effective governance across the charity sector.”
Professor Chris Dayson, Director of CCE said: “Effective governance has never been more important for charities navigating uncertainty and rapid change. This survey will provide valuable insight into the realities of modern chairing and help strengthen understanding of how charity leaders can be best equipped for the future.
“We are particularly pleased to be collaborating with Stone King on this initiative."
Stone King and CCE are encouraging as many charity Chairs, Co-Chairs, Vice-Chairs and Deputy Chairs as possible to take part in the confidential survey before it closes on Sunday 26 July 2026. The survey takes approximately 10–15 minutes to complete and can be accessed here.
The project is supported by an expert advisory group made up of sector leaders and governance specialists, including:
- Liz Lowther, Chief Executive, Association of Chairs
- Jane Ide OBE, Chief Executive, ACEVO
- Lena Bheeroo and Dalton Leong, Co-Chairs, Board Racial Diversity UK
- Lynne Berry CBE, Advisory Board Member, Centre for Charity Effectiveness
The survey invites Chairs to share their experiences of leading through significant external pressures and explores how political, regulatory and financial uncertainty is affecting both them personally and their organisations.
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