New research suggests coaching could help ease the pressure on UK’s stretched charity leaders
Research from Matt Middler Coaching finds evidence that 1:1 coaching builds resilience and confidence in third-sector leaders and suggests it could be one remedy for overstretched and under resourced third sector leaders.
Charity leaders across Scotland are under sustained and growing pressure. New sector research reported by TFN this summer found that 66% of senior charity leaders are personally considering leaving their roles, and 88% of charity executives say they have already seen colleagues leave the sector altogether. SCVO’s own Scottish Voluntary Sector Workforce Survey, published earlier this year, found that a third of sector leaders expect to leave their jobs voluntarily within the next 12 months, citing pay, conditions and a lack of development opportunities as key reasons.
Coaching can help leaders navigate sector pressures
Against that backdrop, a new independent research report, ‘Coaching for Impact’, has launched this month, offering evidence that 1:1 coaching is one practical, accessible way to help charity leaders build the resilience and clarity to navigate those pressures. Its author, Matt Middler of Matt Middler Coaching, is careful to stress that coaching is not a silver bullet: it cannot replace the fair funding, sustainable contracts and workforce investment the sector needs. But it can, the report argues, offer leaders real and immediate relief from some of the personal toll of the job.
The report – one of the first of its kind focussing on the charity sector – tracks the outcomes of ten charity CEOs, senior leaders and career-changers from across the UK who took part in a six-month, subsidised 1:1 coaching programme run by Matt Middler Coaching between 2023 and 2024. All participants rated their coaching experience 9–10 out of 10, and every single participant said they would recommend coaching to others in a similar role. Before coaching, participants described themselves using words like ‘overwhelmed’, ‘anxious’ and ‘indecisive’; afterwards, they reported feeling more resilient, confident and better able to set boundaries at work — outcomes the report links to improved decision-making, communication and team leadership.
Funders and employers are urged to prioritise development support
The report also names the barriers that keep coaching out of reach for many in the sector. Participants frequently described coaching as a ‘luxury’ given tight budgets, and several began the programme confusing coaching with mentoring. Matt Middler is calling on funders, umbrella bodies and charities themselves to help make coaching and similar development support more affordable and accessible — rather than leaving individual leaders to justify the cost alone.
The report’s foreword is written by Anna Fowlie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), who describes coaching in the report as ‘good for business’ rather than an indulgence.
“Charity chief executives are used to putting everyone else first — service users, funders, staff, volunteers — and it’s often our own wellbeing that suffers as a result. Matt’s research gives real evidence for something many of us know instinctively: that coaching helps us lead with more confidence, resilience and clarity. At a time when so many of our colleagues are exhausted, or considering leaving the sector altogether, that matters. To be clear, coaching won’t fix the funding and resourcing pressures charities are under — but it can help leaders find the headspace to navigate them. Funders, umbrella bodies and organisations themselves all have a role to play in making that support more accessible.”
– Anna Fowlie, Chief Executive, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)
“I’ve spent 25 years working and volunteering in the UK charity sector, including thirteen years helping to raise over £50 million for causes I care about — and I’ve felt the personal cost of that first-hand. For the last five years I’ve been coaching third-sector leaders across the UK, and I’ve seen what a difference it makes when someone finally gets the time and space to think properly about how they lead, not just what they deliver. This report isn’t about telling leaders to just ‘be more resilient’. It’s about giving the sector real evidence that investing in its people — through things like coaching — is a practical way to ease some of the pressure leaders are under, alongside the wider changes in funding and resourcing the sector needs. Ultimately, sector staff are paying a personal price for the commitment and dedication they have for their causes; this isn’t right.”
– Matt Middler, Transformative Coach, Matt Middler Coaching
Click here to download your copy of the report.