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Welcome to Issue 7 of the Newsletter dedicated to all our Company’s diverse philanthropic efforts. The scope is broadly: updates on our pro bono assignments and the work of the Company’s Charitable Fund. There's a lot to report here as it's been a busy time since the Charities Supper so no apologies for being hard on the heels of the Company Newsletter.
One thing to highlight: There is an interesting and unusual Pro Bono opportunity advertised that won't take more than a couple of hours - if you have the right background and interests. All the best for Easter.
WCoMC Charitable Fund - Update
Trustees:
Following the sudden and unexpected death of PM John Corneille last August and the Company Elections in September, the current Trustees of the Charitable Fund are as shown in the table below. Those shown as "ex officio" are Trustees by virtue of their position in the Company. Other Trustees have been elected by Trustees in post at the time of their election.
Long Term Strategy
A quick recap: about 18 months ago we sharpened up the focus of our Charitable Fund under the broad aspiration of "Transforming Young Lives". That means we are interested in not-for-profit organisations that can, in some way, shape, form or transform, the lives of young people and children while at the same time meeting our grant assessment criteria.
In order to give this broad focus some additional emphasis we are now developing long term partnerships with a few not-for-profit organisations. Several candidate organisations have been identified where the Charitable Fund and/or the Company itself has an existing long term relationship. The aim is to develop such relationships into long term funding agreements. This is likely to be in the order of £10,000 p.a. for three years. At present we are considering an application from one such candidate organisation - the Sea Cadets with whom readers will be familiar. There will be more on that in the next GKTP newsletter. We are planning to set up one such relationship each year for the next couple of years, up to a maximum of three at any one time.
Beyond that we continue to work closely with the Pro Bono Committee highlighting and focusing on opportunities where funding can be allied to Pro Bono support - the so-called "Funder plus" model.
Grants:
Two significant grants have been made recently.
First to the Livery Food Initiative / City Harvest. Read all about it below.
Second, a grant of £1,827 was made to Get Set 4 Tennis (GS4T), a CIC that offers a wide range of tennis lessons at six different locations - all Special Needs schools in Harrow, Hillingdon and Ealing. GS4T have developed their "Tennis Coaching Pathway" which targets children over 16 with Special Educational Needs and disabilities (SEND) who are inactive and may suffering from mental health issues. The grant is to pay for teachers at 4 schools, to deliver their "Tennis Coaching Pathway" for the summer term - starting after the Easter break. The aim is for beneficiaries to complete their qualification by the end of the school year. The courses are offered in close collaboration with the SEND schools in question.
The "Tennis Coaching Pathway" has been running since 2021. Our Funding will allow GS4T to complete the year with the aim of providing successful outcomes for the participants and, importantly, to support a grant application for future long term funding.
Pro Bono request:
GS4T are also looking for an outside person - somebody not known to the participants - who could attend for an hour or so at the very end of the course in summer 2023 to provide some motivational or inspirational thoughts aimed at ensuring follow up action and progression by the participants. This requirement will need to be refined in discussion, but it is certainly not coaching for individual students. This opportunity might appeal to a WCoMC Member with a background or interest in sport and / or close affinity with, and understanding of, special educational needs.
Feedback on Previous Grants
The Trustees received an excellent feedback report from World Heart Beat (WHB), which supports children, young people and its communities in South London, through the provision of accessible music tuition, performance opportunities and concerts. The Fund provided a grant of £9,335 to cover the implementation of a new CRM System. The report, written by Sal Sherratt, Director of Philanthropy & Commercial at WHB, states: World Heart Beat is immensely grateful to the Worshipful Company of Management Consultants for its generous support to acquire, implement and operate its new CRM database (PatronBase). Following a successful capital campaign, we have been able to open a second building, comprising music education centre, concert hall, recording studios and community café in Embassy Gardens, Nine Elms (pictured below).
It was vital to implement a new CRM system to support the wider remit of our work, particularly having a ticketing system which allowed online purchasing, and having a tool which supported the expansion of our education programmes and fundraising. We were delighted to use PatronBase for our first concert season, in time for the building launch in November 2022, when the eyes of audiences, stakeholders and funders were on us and we wanted to present and sell our new offer.
Having PatronBase has meant we have been able to provide a professional service to our audiences. We have been able to generate funds from ticket sales and from donations. The integrated aspects of the technology has streamlined processes, enhancing our marketing and fundraising, and saving resource. All this after just 3 months and we know there is more we can exploit with the new system as we move forward.
A Vacancy:
PM Denise Fellows has indicated her desire to retire as Treasurer of the Charitable Fund at the end of the current financial year after seven successful years. The Trustees are therefore on the lookout for a successor to takeover from September 2023. You do not need to be a qualified accountant but you really should be interested in the subject and numerate. Denise tells me that she has thoroughly enjoyed her seven years as Treasurer and has learned a great deal. There would, of course, be a handover period.
If you are interested in taking on this voluntary role, or would like to know more, please contact me, Steve Cant, Chair of the Charitable Fund or Denise herself.
Pro Bono Workshop
CA Jim Foster reports on the recent Pro Bono Workshop about Non-Profit Sector Viability And Sustainability.
On 21 March, the Pro Bono Committee hosted a workshop at the Carmens' Hall on viability and sustainability in the Non-Profit sector. We were very pleased to welcome two speakers: Rachel Backshall, Director of Fundraising at Whizz-Kidz and Alex Skailes, Director of Bayes Business School’s Centre for Charity Effectiveness. The thirty attendees at the event included our Assistant Clerk, Walter Gill, who was not only “in the room” but also “on the wall” in a portrait commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Carmen from Sergei Pavlenko to celebrate its 500th anniversary in 2017. (Ed: At the time, Walter was the Clerk of that Company and you can spot him on the right of the large picture below).
Alex and Rachel gave informative and thought-provoking presentations on the challenges faced by charities and the opportunities for responding to them, which provided the basis for a lively and engaging discussion.
Alex described the key issues facing charities and, on the basis that it is not possible to manage without a plan, highlighted the need for charities to have a strategic plan that prioritises proposed activities and provides a basis for making resource allocation decisions. Alex summarised this approach in terms of 3Ps (Purpose, Priorities and Practicalities) and illustrated it with the following quote from Paul Streets, the CEO of Lloyds Bank Foundation:
“It requires creative thinking on how you can influence change and/or work with others to do so; not losing sight of your core purpose – but having the space to dream – and a clear strategic framework that guides what you do and don’t do.”
Rachel (on the left above) highlighted the significant level of funding provided to charities. According to the Charites Aid Foundation (CAF), companies give around £2 billion and UK Trusts around £6.4 billion each year. However, Rachel emphasised it will become increasingly difficult for charities to rely on traditional means of raising income, such as cake sales, sporting events, gala dinners and quiz nights. Instead, they need to establish longer-term, strategic partnerships with organisations that share their values and to which they can demonstrate social value. Rachel summarised this approach in terms of 3Ss (Strategic, Sustainable, Successful).
The Pro Bono Committee’s next workshop is scheduled to take place on Thursday 15 June. More details about the subject, venue and timings of the Workshop will be available shortly.
The Sheriffs' Challenge - 2023
4W Collette Stone reports: The Sheriffs' Challenge is an annual speaking event for teams of up to six Year 12 students from London schools who might otherwise not have such an opportunity. It was originated by Sir Peter Estlin in his Shrieval year, and is organised by the Worshipful Company of Educators. WCoMC supports this event both in mentoring a team and through our Master acting as a judge in the heats. This year’s theme invited the students to consider the City of London in a post-covid world. “Post-Covid, the City will change beyond all recognition”
The school we have supported and coached through four previous Challenges now, since 2017, is Oasis Academy: Hadley, based in Ponders End, north London. Working in partnership with Assistant Principal, Sarah Hamilton, the current WCoMC coaches are PM Dr Ian Daniell, who works with the students on their projection and confidence, and Collette Stone, 4W, who helps them look and feel like a team.
Each school’s team has eight minutes to put across their views to a panel of Livery Company judges on the speaking question of the year, with a view to winning their heat and getting through to appear in the final, hosted at the Old Bailey in March.
On February 8th Oasis Academy: Hadley attended the third of four heats this year, and the coaches, together with Malcolm McCaig, Chair of the Education Committee and 3W, joined the audience to support. They did themselves and us proud. Taking the stage to speak with confidence, poised and building on the feedback given to last year’s team, the conversations afterwards showed how much they had grown in presence since we first met them, last December. Unfortunately, they weren’t the winners of this year’s heat, but their smiles said so much about their maturity and commitment to this event. After the event Sarah Hamilton wrote:
“Thank you for all your support with the Sheriffs' Challenge this year. Not the outcome we wanted but think the students performed admirably and had a great time. Thank you for the time you have given us and all of the support.”
Livery Food Initiative / City Harvest
As reported in the last Get To Know Philanthropy Newsletter, IPM Steve Cant and PM Denise Fellows presented a cheque representing our individual donations and a donation from the Charitable Fund, to Steve Winningham, Chair and Co-Founder of City Harvest at the Charities Supper in January. Then, in March, Denise, Julie Fox and the Master attended a small ceremony outside the Mansion House where the Lord Mayor presented to City Harvest the keys of a new delivery van which our donations have helped to fund. On 31st March the Trustees of our Charitable Fund agreed to make a further donation of £1,500, bringing the total to £3,000 and thereby matching (more or less) the donations made directly by our Members (£2,500 plus Gift Aid). A great result all round. Many thanks to all who donated.
City Harvest London was launched in 2014 and was a key player in the very successful Livery Kitchen Initiative which provided much needed support during the COVID 19 lockdowns. They currently rescue and deliver free nutritious food for over 1.1 million meals a month. Every £190,000 raised by the Livery Food Initiative will enable one of the City Harvest vans to keep rolling for three years, delivering 2.4 million meals during that time. The aim of this Livery-wide initiative is to keep as many vans running as possible.
(ED: It's not too late to make a donation - just click here and we might make it to £6,000 in total, before adding Gift Aid).
The Lady Mayoress’ Sleepout
On 16 March 2023, Master Chris ditched his (we assume) comfy, warm bed for a night to join the Lady Mayoress Felicity Lyons and Honorary Liveryman Alderman Alison Gowman at the second Sleep Out at Guildhall Yard.
The aim was to highlight the high number of homeless people in the City and to raise money for charity. 50% of the net proceeds of the event will be donated to The Pret Foundation which tackles hunger, poverty and homelessness in communities local to Pret shops around the world. It makes sure Pret’s freshly made unsold food reaches people who need it most, offers financial support to grassroots charities and helps to break the cycle of homelessness by providing training and employment opportunities at Pret through their Rising Stars programme. The 50% balance of net proceeds will go to The Lord Mayor's Appeal and its beneficiary charities, some of which focus on mental health issues which are often one of the main causes of homelessness.
Here's Chris before, later with Alison Gowman and then after a cold night, enjoying a coffee (and free bacon bap from Pret apparently).
Well done Chris on making it through the night and raising £740 plus Gift Aid. Chris: “Many thanks to all readers who contributed".
"The Future Charity Chair" ?
3W Malcolm McCaig has a request concerning a new research project at Bayes (formerly Cass) Business School’s Centre for Charity Effectiveness (CCE). The project is looking at the essential attributes that Charity Chairs of the future will need to embrace.
A steering committee has been formed to provide direction. It comprises, Helen Baker (Shelter), Lynne Berry (Bayes CCE), Daniel Chan (PwC), Malcolm McCaig (United Response), Ros Oakley (Association of Chairs) and Alex Skailes (Bayes CCE). The committee is grateful to Crowe for enabling Dawn Mcnish to act as project manager.
Over the last decade, the UK Charity sector has continued to make an ever-increasing contribution to the wellbeing and prosperity of the nation. This is being delivered in the context of a challenging and continually changing environment. Looking ahead, it is anticipated that the pace of change will not ease and that the world will look very different in ten years’ time compared to today. In parallel with this is the need for charity leadership to continue to evolve, in order to provide appropriate oversight and stewardship.
The output from this research will be a thought leadership paper to be published in the latter part of 2023. The impact which this research hopes to achieve is to:
- contribute ideas that will help to shape the future development and recruitment of Charity Chairs
- enhance the future sustainability of the charity sector by highlighting longer term considerations for Board discussion.
- provide fresh thinking to positively influence the regulation and best practice guidance for the sector
- emphasise the value of good charity governance and the need for it to continually evolve to remain relevant.
The project is actively looking for “forward thinking” contributors who would like to offer their input by means of a short panel session or interview. If you would like to register your interest, please do so by sending an email to CCE at the following address: cce@city.ac.uk, marked for the attention of "The Future Charity Chair".
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Thanks to all the many contributors of content for this GTKP Newsletter. More in the summer.
Steve Cant
Editor
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