Membership body ACEVO received increased requests for one-to-one support from charity chief executives last year.
ACEVO’s member support team responded to 341 governance and support calls and 71 crisis calls, an average of 1.6 per day during the year, according to its accounts for the year to March 2023.
This is an increase of 5% on the year prior when ACEVO received 321 governance and support calls and 72 crisis calls.
The complexity and length of time spent on issues discussed in these calls have “noticeably increased from previous years”, the accounts state.
Its newly filed accounts show that ACEVO’s membership also increased by 3% on the previous year to 1,722.
Income up by 16%
ACEVO’s total income rose by 16% on the year prior from £1.06m to £1.25m, the accounts show.
Its expenditure increased to £1.18m, rising from £966,000 the previous year, the first time it has surpassed £1m since the year ending March 2020.
Money from membership services accounted for 54% of the umbrella body’s overall income.
With membership services bringing in £656,000, this is over £17,500 more than the previous year.
Income from its training and development services also rose to £165,000 from £141,000 the previous financial year. The charity ended the year with £559,000 in free reserves.
Staff costs rise
Overall staff costs rose by 3% to £738,000 on the previous financial year as the amount of full-time equivalent staff at ACEVO increased from 11.6 to 15 members of full-time equivalent staff.
This increase was focused on the policy, representation and supporting services team.
Jane Ide became chief executive of ACEVO last May, replacing Vicky Browning, who had been at the helm for five years.
The accounts state that while Browning’s salary was £88,000 plus pension benefits of 6%, Ide was appointed on a salary of £85,000 and pension benefits of 6%.
Trustees received £1,577 in travel and subsistence expenses, down from £2,921 the year prior despite an additional two trustees being appointed.
