CCE | Frequently Asked Questions

The Centre for Charity Effectiveness (CCE) is the UK nonprofit sector’s academic hub.

CCE is part of Bayes Business School (formerly Cass Business School) and City St George’s, University of London.

We enhance the performance of hundreds of third sector organisations in the UK and internationally; and thousands of individuals across the nonprofit sector, through our part-time master's courses , professional development programmes, consultancy offer, knowledge transfer, events, and industry-specific research, publications and resources.

CCE is based in City St. Georges, University of London’s Moorgate campus, dedicated to Bayes Business School.

Most of our events and programmes are located either in our Bunhill Row Building or Finsbury Square Building.

While most of our clients are based in the UK, we do also work on international projects.

PgDip/MSc Charity Accounting and Financial Management

PgCert/PgDip/MSc Philanthropy, Grantmaking and Social Investment

PgDip/MSc Charity Marketing and Fundraising

PgDip/MSc NGO Management

PgDip/MSc Voluntary Sector Leadership and Management

If you are interested in one of the courses but not sure which programme would be a good fit, we would encourage you to talk to members of the academic team at one of our information sessions.

You can also email CharityApps@citystgeorges.ac.uk for more information.

Both Charities master’s programmes and professional development programmes offer tools, knowledge and learning space, and a peer network for professionals in the third sector. The main difference between the programmes is the difference in time commitment and qualification achieved.

The MSc programme offers a two-year academic programme that leads to a master’s qualification. The Postgraduate diploma is offered on a part time basis and is taught over a period of six months. Both the postgraduate diploma and the MSc  programme will follow typical part-time academic teaching timetable scheduled on Fridays and Saturdays  and are taught by our academic team. If you are looking to gain higher education qualification this would be your advised path.

Professional development programmes typically require the participants to commit to 5 -11 days of workshops and learning sessions spread across 5-6 months. The sessions are scheduled during working days (Mon-Fri) and are directed to those looking for more advanced form of continues professional development. Professional development programmes are usually taught by our visiting lecturers with expertise in the sector. Professional development programmes are non-accredited.

In general, we ask for three or more years of relevant experience at a senior level.

If you have any questions about your eligibility, please email CharityApps@citystgeorges.ac.uk.

The Charities master's programme is aimed at professionals already working in the nonprofit sector (or who would like to move into the nonprofit sector) who hold a first degree and three of more years of work experience in a similar role  and/or related professional qualification. Exact requirements may differ depending upon which of the five courses you choose to study.

We may be able to accept applicants with more experience even if they do not have an undergraduate degree.

The two-year, part-time structure of our charities master's allows students the flexibility of choosing the level of their qualification (Postgraduate Diploma or MSc), and whether they want to cover one subject in depth through a dissertation or a further specialist area (through teaching), to complete the full Master's .

The key differences between an Master’s degree (MSc), Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) and Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) relate to the level of qualification, time commitment, and amount of work completed. An MSc is a full Master’s degree and represents the most advanced option; it includes all taught modules and requires the completion of a dissertation, making it the longest and most academically comprehensive route. A PgDip offers substantial postgraduate study by covering most of the MSc’s taught material but does not include a dissertation, resulting in a shorter and more streamlined programme. A PgCert provides the most focused experience, consisting of a small selection of core modules, and is ideal for those seeking specific skills or an initial introduction to postgraduate learning with a shorter time commitment.

The CCE Master’s programmes are taught on campus; however, applicants can request to attend fully online for the NGO Management course (synchronous via Zoom).

Please email CharityApps@citystgeorges.ac.uk for more information.

All the Charities master's courses require attendance once a month for teaching. Teaching usually commences at 13:00 on a Friday afternoon and finishes at 18:00 on a Saturday. The sessions are taught in person at Bayes Business School. Students should allow at least ten hours per week of non-taught, personal study in their own time.

Students are also required to commit to additional time for the induction programme, action learning sets and exams.

The MSc course is taught on a part-time basis over a period of two years. Students may choose to continue working in their full-time role whilst undertaking this course; however, they may need to occasionally adjust their working hours to be able to attend all the sessions.

For the most up‑to‑date fee information, please refer to the “Fees and funding” section on the webpage of the specific course you are interested in.

Please look at the Government's postgraduate loan for more information on funding support.

Available Scholarships 

In previous years, CCE's Charities master's programmes have benefited from several scholarships available for MSc candidates, such as:

• Aziz Foundation scholarships for British Muslim Students
• Eastside Primetimers Foundation Scholarships
• Nick Maughan Foundation Scholarship

Please email CharityApps@citystgeorges.ac.uk if you have any questions.

Yes, students on the course who are sponsored by their employer will need to complete a sponsorship form as part of the application process. This can be completed for the Postgraduate Diploma or the MSc. An invoice for the full fees for the academic year will be sent to the employer in October for the Postgraduate Diploma . If the employer is a charity, they can request payment in two instalments by contacting the person named on the invoice. This arrangement allows the charity to spread the fees across two financial years.

Please email CharityApps@citystgeorges.ac.uk for more information.

We have the main intake in the autumn term (October); however, we also offer spring term intake (April) for the PgCert Philanthropy, Grantmaking and Social Investment and the exemption route for the PgDip Charity Accounting and Financial Management for qualified chartered accountants.

Applications will be reviewed when they have been submitted. It may take a week to get back to you with a response, and approximately four weeks to move from a conditional to an unconditional offer. Enrolment should ideally be completed a fortnight before the first day on the course to ensure that IT records and ID cards are set up.

We will close the online application process earlier if we have made maximum number of offers for a particular course or the programme overall.

Typically, no interview is required as part of the application process. The programme team will contact applicants if the relevant Course Leader has any questions on reviewing the application.

We have a number of professional development programmes that could support you at various stages of your career.

Our programme Leading Edge is designed for those in junior and middle level management positions who want to develop their leadership skills.

Our Confident Leadership programmes is aimed at leaders and managers who want to examine and develop their own leadership style and think about their impact and influence.

Aspiring Chief Executives programme has been designed specifically for senior leaders who are already employed within the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, who would like to enhance their senior leadership capabilities or who are considering the step up to a chief executive position.

New Chief Executives programme is aimed specifically for new chief executives who are currently employed within the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, with up to two years' experience in the role.

Inspiring Financial Leadership programme is for those who have responsibility for leading the management of a charity's finances or contribute to strategic development and planning.

Both Charities master’s programmes and professional development programmes offer tools, knowledge and learning space, and a peer network for professionals in the third sector. The main difference between the programmes is the difference in time commitment and qualification achieved.

The MSc programme offers a two-year academic programme that leads to a master’s qualification. The Postgraduate diploma is offered on a part time basis and is taught over a period of six months. Both the postgraduate diploma and the MSc  programme will follow typical part-time academic teaching timetable scheduled on Fridays and Saturdays  and are taught by our academic team. If you are looking to gain higher education qualification this would be your advised path.

Professional development programmes typically require the participants to commit to 5 -11 days of workshops and learning sessions spread across 5-6 months. The sessions are scheduled during working days (Mon-Fri) and are directed to those looking for more advanced form of continues professional development. Professional development programmes are usually taught by our visiting lecturers with expertise in the sector. Professional development programmes are non-accredited.

All of our in-person professional development programme workshops take place at our Moorgate campus, either in our Finsbury Square or Bunhill Row buildings. You will be told the exact address for your programme in advance of the session.

Finsbury Square Building: 33 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AG

Bunhill Row Building: 106 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8TZ

Aspiring Chief Executives, New Chief Executives and Leading-Edge programmes are delivered in a hybrid format, combining in person sessions and online sessions. Inspiring Financial Leadership and Confident Leadership programme are fully online programmes.

We want participants on our programmes to get individual support from facilitators, whilst also making connections with peers in the sector, so our hybrid programmes usually have between 10-20 people in each cohort.

Participants who have successfully completed the programme will receive a certificate of programme completion. To receive a certificate of completion, participants must meet a minimum attendance requirement of the whole programme.

Consistent attendance ensures that participants fully benefit from the programme, master the material and achieve the desired learning outcomes.

You may be asked to do a certain amount of preparation and/or pre-work in advance of some of the workshops. This will not be onerous – there may be some slides to preview, and/or an article or two to read, or a question to consider prior to the session. Details of any preparation and/or pre-work will be sent to you in advance of each workshop.

Preparing in this way will help you get the most from your time in the workshops.

Unfortunately the professional development programmes are not recorded.

We are committed to keep our confidentiality promise and support open discussions between the programme participants, facilitators, and any guest speakers. If you are unable to attend a session, we recommend reaching out to your fellow participants, who may be able to update you on the key points and discussions you missed.

There are no assessments; however, we would encourage you to arrange some quiet reflection time after each workshop, to review and consolidate your learning and to capture reflections. Regular and ongoing self-reflection and self-evaluation is essential and integral to your growth and progress as a leader, helping you to track, steer and take stock of your own learning and development.

Once the future programme dates are confirmed and open for booking, they are announced on our website. If the new programme dates are not listed on a dedicated programme page, we would highly recommend filling out the “Register your interest” form available on the page. Once the new programme is confirmed, everyone who has registered their interest will receive an email notification.

Once the future programme dates are confirmed and open for booking, they are announced on our website. If the new programme dates are not listed on a dedicated programme page, we would highly recommend filling out the “Register your interest” form available on the page. Once the new programme is confirmed, everyone who has registered their interest will receive an email notification.

We typically recommend this programme to individuals who have started their CEO role within the last 2 years. However, we recognise that leadership journeys vary, and in some cases, we can consider applicants with different levels of experience. Once your application is submitted, we will contact you to arrange a call with one of our NCE programme facilitators to explore your fit for the programme further.

If you would like to apply for one of our open programmes, please use the “Apply now” button on the programme page and fill out your application form. Once the application is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email from us. When applying for the Leading Edge, Aspiring Chief Executives and New Chef Executives programmes, your application will need to be reviewed by the facilitators. When your application gets approved, we will inform you and ask you to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme.

On occasion, we do allow deferring places to future programmes. If your place has been confirmed but you are no longer able to attend, please contact us as soon as possible at cce@citystgeorges.ac.uk.

Most of our programmes use two payment methods: card payments via our estore, and invoice.

When your application is approved, you will be first asked to pay a deposit via our estore. This secures your place on the programme.

The invoice for the remaining fee will be sent out approximately one month prior to the start of the programme.

For any adjustments to this invoicing process, please reach out at cce@citystgeorges.ac.uk.

Please visit provided webpage to see our cancellation policy.

Yes. We will invoice for the balance of the fee approximately one month prior to the start of the course.

In the past, CCE offered the following bursaries:

Bursary Scheme for smaller charities

The Centre for Charity Effectiveness is keen to make our programmes accessible to as many organisations as possible, regardless of their size. As a result, we offer a bursary scheme which would gives a set number of individuals from smaller charities the opportunity to apply for the programme at a reduced price.

This bursary is available for applicants of the Aspiring Chief Executives programme, the New Chief Executives programme, and the Leading Edge programme.

Please see the individual programme pages for more information about the discount and number of bursary places available.

Tall Roots bursary
Tall Roots has previously offered bursaries of £2,295 towards the Aspiring Chief Executives programme. This sponsorship place was offered with the specific aim of helping those from a low socioeconomic background to reach senior leadership positions within the charity sector.

To find current professional development bursary offer, please visit the page of a professional development programme that you are interested in.

To be eligible for the small charities bursary scheme, the applicant’s organisation must have an annual turnover of less than £500,000. The bursary positions will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis.

To apply for a bursary please fill out the appropriate section in the programme application form.
If a bursary is available for a given programme, you will see an option to apply for it in the application form.

Provided the applicant meets the eligibility criteria, most bursaries offered by CCE are allocated on the first-come-first served basis. The bursaries which are offered by external organisations will typically be reviewed by the funding organisation by a set date. For more information, please see the Scholarships and Bursary Schemes section on our professional development pages.

No, bursaries only offer partial cover of the cost. Full cost bursaries are currently not available.

All CCE events are recorded and posted on our CCE Events webpage a few days after the event. If you have booked your place at the event, you will receive an email notification once the video is available.

Please visit our CCE events webpage and see announced events. To register for an event, you will need to fill out a registration form by clicking on a “Book now” link listed under the event brief.

Most CCE events are free; however, you will need to register first.

Yes. Our events are free and open to public, and you do not need to be a CCE programme participant or alumni to join. However, please make sure to book your place through our registration form as some events have a limited number of places available.

We offer a varied consultancy service for organisations in the nonprofit sector. Including:

• Bespoke leadership development programmes and workshops
• Bespoke action learning sets
• Tailor-made organisational development and people development workshops
• Coaching
• 360-degree profiling
• Strengthscoping
• Bespoke governance support
• Board effectiveness reviews
• Board development workshops
• Trustee training and workshop facilitation
• Strategic planning
• Strategic marketing
• Strategy review facilitation
• Support in partnership projects
• Preparing research reports 

If you have any questions about how CCE might be able to support you and your organisation, please email CCE@citystgeorges.ac.uk.

CCE’s consultancy work is a bespoke service, therefore please email us at CCE@citystgeorges.ac.uk with brief information about the work required.

Based on this brief we will assign you a consultant with an expertise in the required area. One of our consultants will reach out to discuss the scope of work in more detail, and then will prepare a proposal with a quote for you to review.

Yes, we support the full range of non‑profit organisations, including small, medium, and large charities across the UK and internationally.

When you first contact CCE, one of our experienced team will have a brief conversation with you to understand more about what you are looking for.

We’ll send you profiles of up to three coaches who we feel could best meet your needs. You will then be able to meet each one individually to decide if you would like to work with one of them.
There is no charge for this selection process.

The number of recommended sessions is typically tailored to individual’s objectives and requirements and would be determined in your initial conversation with your future coach. For one-to-one coaching we usually recommend a programme of six 90-minute sessions over several months. For team coaching we usually recommend a minimum of two sessions of 90 minutes.

The standard price for our coaching service is £250 per hour.
A discounted rate for coaching services is offered to CCE MSc alumni.

We offer a 20% discount to CCE alumni who are interested in coaching with one of our expert coaches.

Yes, all our venues are wheelchair accessible. If you have any questions, or if there is anything that we can do to support you, please email CCE@citystgeorges.ac.uk.

Yes. Our programmes are inclusive. Please share any learning needs in the dedicated section of the application or event registration form, and we will do our best to accommodate your requirements. If you would like to discuss ways in which we can support your learning, please email CCE@citystgeorges.ac.uk.

Registering your interest will keep you notified of any updates regarding a specific programme or event. Please keep in mind that we would only contact you regarding that chosen event or programme, so if you wish to be kept notified of any future events or programmes, you may wish to sign up to our Events and webinars mailing list or our newsletter mailing list.

If you wish to be taken out from the interest list, please email us at cce@citystgeorges.ac.uk.

You can join CCE’s mailing list by filling out this form: Centre for Charity Effectiveness Mailing List. Once signed up, you will receive our newsletters with information about news and events, upcoming programmes and available resources.

You can unsubscribe at any time or email CCE@citystgeorges.ac.uk to be removed from the mailing list.

If you’d like us to update your contact details, please email us at cce@citystgeorges.ac.uk.