8 out of 10 interim managers, specialising in the UK Charity sector believe there is a major skills shortage at all levels in third sector organisations, according to a new survey of over 100 interim managers, polled recently by Russam GMS.

Other pressures for charities were a lack of budget which was highlighted by a third of interims; while a quarter thought that fundraising was a major challenge.  19% of interims stated that the pressure to deliver services for central and local government as part of the government’s commissioning debate was also proving difficult.

In light of the skills shortage, interim managers are being hired increasingly by charities to provide senior business expertise. It's not surprising then that 8 out of 10 interims feel as confident or more confident about their employment prospects in the third sector this year, compared with 2007.

According to 40% of interims polled, the job roles most in demand were turnaround business experts and general managers, followed by fundraisers (18%) and project mangers (14%). Interims are also being hired for an increasingly diverse range of assignments. The most popular assignments in recent months were change management and turnaround projects according to 42% of the poll; while 14% of interims were called upon to help raise funds and 11% to bid for government funding and negotiate contracts. 

The variety of roles on offer however, is welcomed by the majority of interim managers - 43% feel that the stimulating nature of the work is the top benefit of working as an interim, with 19% stating that working in a caring industry with people who share their values is the biggest attraction of working in the third sector.

Almost half the interims polled (49%) feel that the biggest drawbacks of life as an interim is working away from home and having to stay in B&Bs, while others complained about the lack of acceptance from team members.

So what makes a successful interim manager in the third sector?

According to the poll, the top three attributes needed most by interims to ensure successful assignments were having:

· people-focused skills
· the ability to lead
· the ability to project manage.

Stephen Brooker, chairman of the Charities Practice for Russam GMS, states:

“Third sector organisations in the UK are under increased pressure to become more commercial; to raise additional funds and deliver new services as part of the government’s commissioning debate. However, one of the major barriers to achieving these goals is an overwhelming skills shortage at all levels, as highlighted in the research.

“Given the shortage of skills, many more organisations than in previous years are turning to interim management as a solution. Interims have the commercial know-how and experience to drive turnaround projects, manage change, bid for funding or negotiate complex contracts – the very experience that is often missing. They can also be hired on a part-time basis and for short-term projects so they can be the ideal solution for charities on small budgets. We are confident that there will be no let up in demand for Interims in the sector this year,” he concludes.

About Russam GMS

Russam GMS is the longest established mainstream provider of interim managers in the UK, is a founder member of the Interim Management Association and of the international Taplow Group.Russam and has a specialist Charities business division.