Blog

This blog was written by Matt Lobo who volunteered with ACOSVO over a 5 month period while at University. All of us here at ACOSVO wish Matt all the best in the future and will miss his friendly face around the office.

"This internship has enabled me to learn new skills, apply my studies to a practical project, hear about the incredible people in the third sector and work with a welcoming and friendly staff team.

Over the past few weeks ACOSVO has had graduate volunteer Ben Rogers working with us. Here he discusses lessons learned from student life, and the potential benefits of a leadership exchange. (Originally published 05/09/17 in TFN).

"A recent UK report from the Lords Select Committee described charity leadership as being like "juggling on a unicycle" - balancing a huge range of tasks and skills while simultaneously facing unrealistically high expectations.  Also the stress of knowing if one ball drops, that will be the one that is noticed, not the many others that you are still successfully managing to juggle.

After 13 years as CEO of ACOSVO, Pat Armstrong gained agreement from ACOSVO's Board for a two month period of extended leave. Pat and her husband David had planned their adventure together, and set off to travel far and wide, while Pat kept friends and colleagues posted on her blog 'The World is my Office....Not'.

The Board and staff made initial plans for Pat's leave, setting out clear roles and boundaries. Systems and processes were put in place for cover, and while Pat would leave a gap for a short time, the whole team felt confident and capable to cover the period.