Blog

Insights for stronger charities and social enterprises

Our blog brings together practical advice, insights and updates from across the charity and social enterprise sector. Each post is written to help boards, leaders and fundraisers strengthen their organisations and increase impact – with clarity and good governance at the heart of it all.

Explore our latest posts below – or subscribe for new articles straight to your inbox.

Fundraising for Jewish charities
Julian Lomas Julian Lomas

Fundraising for Jewish charities

Fundraising for faith-based causes can often pose additional challenges. While many of the same principles apply, there are some important differences to fundraising for secular causes, including the need to choose potential grant funders carefully. in this article we explore this topic, in particular with Jewish charities in mind.

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Which online giving platform should I use?
Julian Lomas Julian Lomas

Which online giving platform should I use?

In the last decade there has been an explosion in online giving platforms. The resulting diversity makes it almost impossible to compare the costs of different platforms. Do small charities need more help navigating this increasingly crowded marketplace?

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Is your charity ready to emerge from lockdown?
Julian Lomas Julian Lomas

Is your charity ready to emerge from lockdown?

With social distancing set continue in some form for many months at least and the likelihood that there will be no return to ‘business as usual’, we must all adapt to a new normal. Charity Trustees and senior managers need to be thinking about what the ‘new normal’ will look like for their charity, in the short, medium and longer term.

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Supporter stewardship in a time of crisis
Julian Lomas Julian Lomas

Supporter stewardship in a time of crisis

It can be difficult to know how best to communicate with supporters in a crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic, knowing they will likely be anxious and not knowing what else is happening in their lives. This blog offers a few simple tips to help you decide what will work best for your charity.

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Good governance matters in a crisis
Julian Lomas Julian Lomas

Good governance matters in a crisis

In recent weeks a few of our clients have suggested they have more important things to focus on than governance. But good governance matters more in a crisis than it does in so called “normal” times.

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Fundraising in a time of social distancing
Julian Lomas Julian Lomas

Fundraising in a time of social distancing

As the Covid-19 situation continues charities are facing tough fundraising challenges. This short blog offers a few early thoughts on how fundraising can continue while respecting social distancing.

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Getting the best out of online meetings
Julian Lomas Julian Lomas

Getting the best out of online meetings

In the current lockdown situation many of us have been forced to conduct meetings online that we would otherwise have wanted to hold face to face. We’re all learning as we go but we wanted to pass on some tips from our experience to help others get the best out of video conferencing, particular for large “workshop” style meetings.

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Managing conflicts of interest
Julian Lomas Julian Lomas

Managing conflicts of interest

Managing conflicts of interest effectively is not just about declaring your interest or leaving the room; it is about a mindset and culture of integrity and honesty. This short article explores the thorny topic of managing conflicts of interest in a little more depth.

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Can your charity cope if you lose your core grant?
Julian Lomas Julian Lomas

Can your charity cope if you lose your core grant?

What would happen if you lost your core grant tomorrow? If this question fills you with terror then ask yourself “what could you do now so you would be able to cope if you lost your core grant in 2 years time?”. This post outlines why this matters and a framework for diversifying income to reduce reliance on core grant funding.

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Why all charities should have a Trustees' Code of Conduct
Julian Lomas Julian Lomas

Why all charities should have a Trustees' Code of Conduct

Does your charity have problems with Trustee commitment or behaviours? A good Trustees’ code of conduct could help resolve the problem, or avoid such issue sin the first place. To find our more, read this short article on Trustees’ code of conduct, what they are and why they are helpful.

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Ten top tips for charity corporate partnerships
Julian Lomas Julian Lomas

Ten top tips for charity corporate partnerships

We’ve worked with many clients on strategies for fundraising from corporates. While there is no magic formula for success, we have noticed a number of common ingredients. This blog outlines our ten top tips for successful charity-corporate partnerships:

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