ABSTRACT
The role of a professional management chief executive is a relatively new phenomenon in the voluntary sector. Indeed, it was only in 1986 that a number of chief executives felt it necessary to establish an Association for Chief Executives of National Voluntary Organisations, commonly known as ACENVO. The brief of this body was threefold. It was established to provide a network for chief executives to support each other because there was a strong feeling at that time that the position of chief executive was a very lonely one. Second, ACENVO was intended to provide a network for the exchange of information. Finally, it represented the views of chief executives on important issues affecting the voluntary sector. The establishment of ACENVO was perhaps a reflection of how rapidly the voluntary sector was changing during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
