Testimonials
What people say about Chris and Time for Impact, Volunteering Consultants and Training.
Chris joined our team briefly as a consultant, and worked with us just over 7 months to develop and build a growth strategy that will change our organisation profoundly.
From the outset, Chris was dedicated to our cause, understanding the organization's role in the wider third sector landscape, and showed creativity and openness in exploring a new direction of travel with me as a newly appointed CEO with big ambitions.
Chris' professionalism and enthusiasm made him a joy to work with, and helped to steer the team, board and me into a new era. Chris was supportive and flexible to our needs as a team, whilst being able to work collaboratively and consciously to project a future for our organisation that is considered by impact and responds to the needs of the people we support. Even in this short time, Chris has added huge value to our organisation and I would highly recommend his engagement with any organisation navigating huge change. - Rajwant Kaur Singh - CEO Children's Heart Federation
It was a pleasure to work with Chris Wade earlier this year as he developed a new Volunteering Strategy for our organisation. A specialist in volunteering across the charity sector, Chris was commissioned to review the volunteering model and structure at Victim Support Scotland and to develop a new 5-year strategy which included key structures, processes and resources to improve the volunteering process and service user experience. Chris brought an immense depth of hands-on experience and knowledge on all aspects of volunteering to the task. This was evident in his approach to developing the strategy, reviewing current model and practices, and engaging with key stakeholders at all levels across the organisation. Professional, organised, warm, and engaging, Chris kept the Executive Leadership Team informed at all stages of the work and produced a five-year vision and action plan which was inclusive, incorporated operational realities and set out measurements and milestones to evaluate progress and success. - Alasdair MacKinnon, Director of Corporate Services, Victim Support Scotland
Chris brings many years of experience in people and culture issues. I have really valued his support and challenge as a non-exec as NCVO has worked through a wide ranging cultural transformation. Chris blends technical HR knowledge, with a great understanding of what works in terms of wider organisational development. He has provided expert input into specific areas of our organisations such as policy formation as well as overseeing the development and delivery of our wider people strategy. - Sarah Vibert, CEO NCVO
Chris has a vast wealth of experience across the charity and corporate sector, and as highly experienced presenter and delivering his Volunteer Workshop it was very warmly received and terrific learning experience for all of those who attended. We are both fortunate and most grateful to have had Chris present and we confidently recommend what he can bring to any charity or organization - expertise, experience and a highly knowledgeable presenter, a generous all-around good person, who enthusiastically shared his knowledge and experience with a diverse group of leaders - Martin Gallagher, CEO The Clare Foundation
Chris is a super experienced executive and has a depth knowledge of the sector that he is able to share to corporate audiences in a way that really cuts through and makes commercial sense. His delivery and way of working is engaging, collaborative and generates real enthusiasm. - Mike Mister, Partner, PSFI llp
Chris delivered a workshop on increasing participation in volunteering programmes for The Fore’s portfolio and wider network of small charities. Chris is a warm, welcoming and accommodating facilitator who can instil ‘lightbulb moments’ in many of the participants.
It was a pleasure to work with Chris, who is enthusiastic and happy to tailor his training based on the needs of participants. His trainings plug a crucial gap in The Fore’s workshops programme, so we look forward to continuing to work with Chris to share his expertise with our charities. - Kelly Ruder - The Fore
Your reflections and insights were really helpful – I found the the ladder of participation really helpful and in particular the ideas around creation of community -not simply recruiting volunteers. - Denise Hayward, Chief Executive Officer, Volunteer Now
Chris is a dynamic, visionary leader who is hugely supportive, kind and generous with his time. I have benefited from his advice and counsel on a wide range of people and culture issues. Chris is passionate about involvement, with expertise in volunteering and supporter engagement honed through years of working in national charities. I would thoroughly recommend Chris to any organisation looking for consultancy on people/culture/involvement work. A natural innovator, Chris brings fresh ideas and a supportive approach to his work. - Morven McLean, Director of People and Strategy, Children's Hospices Across Scotland.
In 2023, Chris provided a really inspiring and thought provoking keynote presentation that framed our conference, Heritage Volunteering '23, perfectly. He is an engaging and arresting speaker and, as one of delegates said in their feedback, “is really inspiring”. Beyond his opening keynote, Chris was great to work with before the conference, providing us with everything we needed to promote him and the event. He also stayed on, attending the two days, and hosting an impromptu and very insightful Q&A. In short, Chris was great and we look forward to working with him more in the future. - Matthew Hick - Chair, Heritage Volunteering Group
I had the pleasure of inviting Chris to deliver a presentation for our Lunch and Learn series titled "Building Communities of Action." Having followed Chris on LinkedIn for some time, I was consistently impressed with his fresh perspective on the volunteer sector.
From the start, Chris was incredibly responsive and accommodating, making the process of arranging the time and topic seamless. His professionalism and enthusiasm made him a joy to work with.
Chris’s presentation was a resounding success, attracting over 70 sign-ups and engaging attendees with an interactive and thought-provoking discussion. His insights and dynamic approach sparked meaningful conversations and left a lasting impact on all who attended. - Mushka Cohen-Gluck, Volunteero
I've worked with Chris for a while now and in that time he has both carried out assignments on behalf of our clients and acted as a keynote speaker at events. As well as always being a pleasure to deal with, Chris has a wealth of knowledge around all things HR and Volunteering and has always indulged my many questions about the curiosities of the Charity Sector!
I'd highly recommend Chris to anyone who is either looking to develop their Volunteering offering or who is seeking more over-arching strategic input. - Charlie Donoghue, Investigo
I highly recommend Chris for any speaking engagement or collaboration. His expertise and engaging style make him an asset to any event or organization.
Chris has a depth of technical HR and transformation knowledge and I appreciated that he was very willing to share his expertise to enable and empower others, giving guidance and insights at a time of great change. Leader in his field, calm and engaging, has a coaching and supportive approach. I was also very grateful for the support he gave to me. - Karen Chapman, Experience HR Director.
Chris is a strategic thinker who is not afraid to challenge the status quo and to make changes but always in a respectful and considered way. Chris built on his experience and leadership of volunteers in organisations to take on the full people portfolio in a very impressive way. He always pushed the team to think beyond the transactional and to think about the bigger picture. - Peter Reeve, CEO, Charity HR Network.
Chris delivered a training session for us on “Disrupt Your Volunteering and Increase Participation”.
He was great to work with we received the following feedback from our attendees:
'All of the insights shared were meaningful and of value to my role. The re-framing of
perspectives around volunteering recruitment and retention made so much sense, and
really resonated with my wider realizations about current societal dynamics and how we
might tap into those for the benefit of our organisation and it’s current, potential and past
volunteers.'
'Presenter refreshingly had proactive and insightful suggestions, with clear strategic
actions everyone could tangibly put in place'
'Very useful practical advice covering lots of ideas. Chris Wade was excellent, the best
trainer I've seen in a while. No wasted time and lots of information. All session was useful and helpful'
We would love to work with Chris again! - Sheila Norris - Camden Volunteer Centre
Chris spoke at DSC’s Volunteering in 2024 and Beyond conference to give our attendees his advice and knowledge on recruiting and training volunteers and he gave some real insights which were well received by the delegates. Delegates gave the conference a high rating of 95% good or excellent so a big thanks to Chris for contributing to that. Chris was also easy to work with, responsive and professional – thank you - Catrina Miller,, Directory of Social Change
It was refreshing to speak with Chris during the course about volunteering. As a volunteer organisation, we are always interested in finding new ways to gain more volunteers and how we and best support those we have. I learned that we must adapt our strategies to keep our volunteers focused and engaged! Chris’s knowledge in the field led to some fantastic conversations in the spaces. His rapport with us in the room, felt relaxed and easy which was different from some of the workshops I had been in before. - Paige Fox-Rendle, Director of Youth Volunteering, Aylesbury Youth Action
Chris is a creative and thoughtful leader with a focus on outcomes, strategic positioning and delivery. He is compassionate and most definitely a people person with a knack for getting the best out of others.
Chris is resolute, determined and persistent but knows when to bend and flex. An exceptional communicator, facilitator and speaker, Chris can and often does enthuse those he meets. - John Gillies-Wilkes, Experienced EDI and Operational Delivery Executive.
I had the pleasure and privilege of working with Chris Wade at the Motor Neurone Disease Association when I was a Trustee (Former Chair) of that charity, and he was the Director of Engagement, People & Culture.
Chris’s responsibilities covered Volunteering, HR, Learning, Inclusion and Membership. In this capacity, Chris was extremely pro-active and innovative – utilising his significant prior experience in these fields. This manifested itself in his leadership role/qualities, strategic thinking and organisational ability. Having executive responsibility in these areas, Chris brought a great deal to the table in Board of Trustees discussions, and those of the Governance Committee. However, not only did he carefully consider and present the current risks and challenges of the developing strategy, but also demonstrated with speed and care his ability to oversee the implementation of his plans and ideas, whilst at all times ensuring that risks were properly identified, managed and mitigated.
As a knowledgeable, committed and wholly supportive colleague, I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Chris for whatever role he chooses to undertake in this sector. - Alan Graham MBE, Trustee
I was fortunate to have Chris as part of my senior team for 9 years when I was CEO of the MND Association. Chris was recruited to provide senior leadership to the volunteering, learning and workforce functions. He is a creative and courageous leader and led many transformational programmes of work at the Association. Sally Light, Former Chief Executive, MND Association
Volunteers are the life blood of any membership charity and Chris demonstrated his leadership ability and strategic thinking in enhancing this key relationship. He was an asset to the organisation and assisted the board in recognising the importance and positive impact that volunteers can make to a charity. - Alun Owen, Trustee
I spent three fantastic years working with Chris at the MND Association. Chris is a firm believer in the power of people and communities to make a meaningful difference in the world and it was fantastic to spend time translating this common belief for us into strategies that made for an excellent experience for volunteers and more generally unlocking the power of our wider community. Chris is passionate about participation and how people can be engaged in new ways to both achieve an organisations mission but also in shaping the big decisions and direction. A big picture strategic thinker, a kind and thoughtful manager and a great leader of staff and volunteers. - Matthew Cobble, Head of Volunteering and Participation, MND Association.