Recent reports on trends in charitable giving by individuals paint a mixed, and at times worrying, picture that charities large and small need to understand and respond to. This blog highlights some of the key issues and what charities should be doing to respond.

We are delighted that Almond Tree Strategic Consulting’s long-standing commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has recently been recognised through both a International CSR Excellence Gold Award and CSR Accreditation. In this article you can read more about our experience and the benefits of CSR.

The NCVO recently published its 2019 UK Civil Society Almanac and it has some interesting insights into trends in the charity sector (based on 2016/17 data). When you dig deeper into the Almanac some interesting trends and insights can be seen. We’ve highlighted just a few in this blog.

Fundraising using voice activated tools (such as smart speakers) seems to be the next “big thing”. But what is all the fuss about and is the optimism well-placed? Other recent fundraising innovations, while they have added to the mix, haven’t yet proven to be truly disruptive or paradigm shifting. This article briefly explores voice fundraising and reflects on what small and medium-sized charities should be doing to respond to yet another new fundraising technology.

Finding your organisation’s authentic voice in fundraising or any other form of communications essential if you are to be successful. But what do we mean by this and how do you find it? This article offers some short reflections on this elusive topic that we hope you find helpful in developing your pitches for funding.

I was delighted to co-host an in-depth workshop on income risk, sustainability and diversification at the Charity Finance Group (CFG) Annual Conference 2019, including a practical session for delegates to assess their own charity’s sustainability and income risk profile using a simple tool we have developed. This article briefly explains that tool and how it can benefit charities who use it (including a worked example).

Business continuity planning is not just about apocalyptic events such as terrorism, floods and so on. It’s about making sure that your organisation can continue to serve its beneficiaries (and fulfill its obligations to funders) when a major event occurs that might otherwise prevent you from doing so. How well prepared are you to cope in such situations?

In January 2019 the NCVO published Charity Ethical Principles, but how’s does this fit in with the myriad of other publications in recent years on what might broadly be categorised as charity ethics, behavioural governance and/or organisational culture? As well as outlining the principles in the NCVO publication, this short articles aims to give a few pointers on how to navigate this increasingly crowded field or guidance, frameworks and codes.

I am delighted to be co-hosting with Helena Wilkinson of Price Bailey Chartered Accountants, an in-depth workshop on income risk, sustainability and diversification at the Charity Finance Group (CFG) Annual Conference 2019 on Thursday 16 May 2019 at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London. CFG19 is aimed at anyone working in a role that relates to charity finance. It has five streams of sessions covering technical updates, strategic insights, and practical workshops and is the perfect opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills in charity finance, meet with others in the sector and gain new insights.

Having tried to avoid it for months, we’ve finally caved in and penned a short article on the possible implications of Brexit for small to medium sized charities in the UK. In our view there is unlikely (in any future scenario) to be a major cliff edge of change affecting UK charities as a result of Brexit. The rest is really crystal ball gazing as the uncertainty surrounding the long-term EU/UK relationships continues; but sometimes we need to look into the crystal ball.

In almost every small and medium sized charity I have worked (and some big ones) with risk management has been, and seen to be, a chore; “something we have to do but which adds little value.” But it doesn’t need to be like that. This article provides a mini-guide to simple and effective risk management.

At Almond Tree Strategic Consulting we are passionate about public and voluntary service and we believe that all businesses, whatever their size or sector, should practice Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This blog outlines our view the key principles that make for effective CSR engagement and outlines our own CSR programme by way of example.

Over the years we’ve done quite a lot of fundraising for churches and other faith-inspired charities. While many of the same principles apply, there are some important differences to fundraising for purely secular causes. This short article explores some of these differences, offering hints and tips to help faith-based organisations navigate the fundraising world a little more easily.

At the end of January 2019 the Charity Commission published their latest report on lessons and warnings for charities and trustees from their casework in 2017-18. This article explores some key questions raised by the report and the tougher stance the Commission is taking, including highlighting the importance of charities conducting regular governance reviews.

Gamification is a horrible word that is used more and more in society and in fundraising. What does it mean? This short blog explores what impact this concept is having on fundraising, why it works, how you can apply it in your fundraising and what pitfalls to watch out for.

Our associate and colleague John Eary has recently published a new book: Agile Working And The Digital Workspace. I heartily recommend it for any organisation wanting to enhance efficiency and improve their services by taking advantage of new technologies.

My colleagues Andreas Conradi and Ivan Entchevitch, have recently published a case study on a Service Design workshop they led for my client, Music for My Mind, exploring how to harness technology to overcome key challenges in using personalised music to help people effected by dementia.

Over the last two weeks I have delivered a series of seminars exploring a range of innovations in income generation for charities and social enterprises (particularly smaller organisations), hosted by Price Bailey Chartered Accountants. This blog gives an overview of what I covered, a link to the slides and summarises the results of audience polls conducted during my presentations.

With public authorities increasingly imposing contracts and funding agreements, the risks run by charities and social enterprises are increasing. A particularly significant risk relates to whether the funding is classed as a grant or a contract, which can have expensive consequences. This blog explores this issue in more detail, with some pointers on when to seek detailed advice to avoid getting caught out with a big bill long after you have spent the money.

Dementia destroys who we are and the relationships we hold dear. That’s why I’ve joined the Alzheimer's Research UK Cycling Down Dementia 2018 Pioneer Challenge. My target is to cycle 600 miles over this winter. Please help me raise much needed funding by giving through my fundraising page and by spreading the word by sharing my page with your friends and family. Thank you for your support.